Many in the Asheville know The Green Sage Coffeehouse and Café, situated at the corner of Broadway and College Streets in downtown Asheville. The Green Sage has now opened a second location, this one south of town at 1800 Hendersonville Road in the Dingle Creek Crossing shopping center.

Founders Randy Talley and Al Kirchner were on hand for the grand opening of what the two men hope will be role model for Asheville restaurants.

Al says that The Green Sage looks to be a leader in sustainability from the standpoint of its environmental practices and its business model. “It’s great to have a business that’s environmentally friendly,” he adds, “but if the business doesn’t work it doesn’t too anyone much good.”

Al and Randy, along with investor Roger Derrough, are definitely banking that the business model is sustainable. Like the original Green Sage, the Dingle Creek Crossing location offers fresh, healthful food with the ambiance of a coffeehouse. Unlike the original location, which relies on heavy downtown foot traffic, the new location will be a destination venue, capitalizing on the residents south of downtown and the auto traffic up and down the busy Hendersonville Road corridor.

“We know people have a lot of choices (for food and beverages) in this area,” Randy says, “so we understand that we have to meet customers’ needs.” One hope is that customers will respect the environmental initiatives put into the new venue. Take a look at a few green efforts:

The restaurant plans to achieve a 4-star energy rating from the Green Restaurant Association. It would be one of only three 4-star-rated restaurants in the country.

In an effort to make Asheville the “Greenest Restaurant City in America,” Green Sage worked with Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR) and helped secure a $258,000 grant from the North Carolina Green Business Fund. The money will help 18 restaurants in Ashville become more energy efficient and will reduce energy consumption in the city.

As for the food and beverages, the menu contains the same sorts of items as the downtown location, including coffee, smoothies, granola, pancakes, omelets, soups, salads, and sandwiches. Vegan and vegetarian options are available. If the Hendersonville Road location does as well as expected, management hopes to expand Green Sage throughout the Southeast.

For more information on The Green Sage, visit thegreensage.net.