Martha Nell’s owner: I didn’t close the Asheville restaurant because of Pack Square Park construction

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Here’s the message that was passed along. I didn’t see WLOS reporter Frank Fraboni’s news report last night, but I’ll check it out online. (Well, I can’t find the story online.)

WLOS rarely, and I mean almost never, runs an on-air correction to a story. We’ll see if they do this time:

Please be advised that contrary to the story broadcast on WLOS tonight at 6 pm, I most certainly have never said and would never say that the construction on Pack Square was the reason I closed Martha Nell’s. I just about spit out the adult beverage I was enjoying when I heard that.

I called the station immediately and spoke to Mr. Frank Fraboni. I asked him why he would attribute a quote to me, since the conversation we were having at that moment was the first time we have ever talked to each other. He said that he was sure Michel had said something like that somewhere.

I told him that Michel was not the owner of the restaurant (he is not, it\’s just me), and that I knew he had not spoken to Michel about Martha Nell\’s anyway. While Mr. Fraboni did not exactly admit to pulling the quote from somewhere in his hindquarters, he did say that he had gotten it wrong.

It is true that the ongoing construction is a genuine pain in the neck, but I did not and would not blame the renewal of the park for the failure of Martha Nell’s.

Vonciel Baudouin