Grande Opening: Valle Grande opens doors at Clanton restaurant

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Just over a year after plans were announced to bring Valle Grande Mexican Grill to Clanton, the restaurant opened its doors on July 24 to the community. Hours of work by Sergio and Luis Sanchez and others went into the Wright Building at 405 U.S Highway 31 to produce the chain’s third restaurant, and that work was on display during the opening day.

“It feels great (to finally open),” Sergio Sanchez said. “It has been a long journey from the start, and it felt like it was going to be a never-ending project. As we got to the end, we could have opened a bit earlier, but we wanted to wait and go all the way with full service (when we did open).”

On July 12, 2023, Sanchez announced that Valle Grande would be coming to Clanton after receiving a $250,000 community development grant from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). The grant went towards helping the brothers fix up the building to get the restaurant going, and the funds were made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The original plan was to have the building updated and ready to open by December, however, the two quickly found out that deadline would have to be pushed back.

Luis Sanchez was running a restaurant in Tallassee when the opportunity to work on this project with his brother came up. He jumped at the opportunity, sold his belongings and joined Sergio in Clanton to make their visions come true.

The Sanchez brothers said the hardest part about the project was the vision for it at the beginning. As they started renovations, more things popped up that needed to be addressed before other steps in the process could continue. Their vision for the restaurant never wavered, and the brothers got to work.

“The main thing we wanted here when we opened today was for it to feel like we have been open for five years,” Sergio Sanchez said.

The restaurant’s building is made from new and repurposed bricks, and the only original bricks are on the outside walls. There are no painted walls in the establishment, and the exposed bricks and walls are all their original color. Of the materials used for renovations, and the labor involved, 100% of it came from Chilton County, something the two owners are very proud of.

“We wanted to come here and not just be a restaurant, we want to become a destination,” Sergio Sanchez said. “We want people traveling from Birmingham or the beach to come, and they know there is a good and cool spot on the road they can stop and have dinner before getting to their destination.”

When guests enter the restaurant, a large hostess, waiting and take out area is right at the front of the building. Additionally, a Mexican snack bar with traditional Mexican snacks like chips, candies, frozen treats and bottled sodas are up front for guests to browse while waiting for their table or on their way out.

Once their table is ready, guests will go down a newly built ramp to the main dining room. The hallway is filled with photography from the Sanchez family, photos of famous Mexican citizens and a collection of monetary currency from around the world. The main dining room has dozens of tables and booths, and the lighting is a unique tone giving the room a warm feeling throughout. At the end of the ramp, an old bell hangs on the wall with a rope attached to it. Valle Grande staff will ring the bell for birthday announcements, and children can ring the bell when a train comes through Clanton and rushes by right behind the restaurant.

Other features in the restaurant include a car-themed bar created by Sergio Sanchez to give it a man cave type of vibe. The bar top is concrete, keeping with the industrial look of the building, and Sergio Sanchez hopes the bar is a calm and inviting place for guests to come get a drink or one of the restaurant’s signature margaritas. Out back, Valle Grande has an outdoor patio area with booths for seating, and an outdoor bar for guests to enjoy their drinks outside.

Lastly, Valle Grande in Clanton has a massive ballroom inside its building for private events and gatherings that can be rented out. The room is capable of holding events like fundraisers, meetings, class reunions, banquets and more, and tables and chairs could be set up in the room. The area has its own personal drink station and refrigerator so gatherings can be self-served. There is also a bar area that could function as a full-service bar upon request.

As the visuals change for Valle Grande, the menu will be the same at the Clanton restaurant as it is at the other two locations. Sergio Sanchez said chefs and cooks have been training for six months at the other Valle Grande locations to perfect the menu, and so they could send out perfectly cooked food from the very first day open.

“We are just so excited,” Sergio Sanchez said. “Here in Clanton with all of the businesses and employees, lunch is a top priority, so we want to be able to get our customers coming in for lunch in and out no matter how busy it is so they can get right back to their jobs.”

The Valle Grande in Maplesville will still operate on its normal schedule with the addition of the Clanton location. Sergio Sanchez said the addition of the Clanton location will be a plus for the other Valle Grande locations because it gives people another location to go to incase one is overbooked at the time.

“Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in Maplesville, there may be an hour or more wait,” Sergio Sanchez said. “This place will give the Maplesville residents their restaurant back in a way.”

Valle Grande in Clanton will be open Monday-Wednesday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and closed on Sundays. Specials available at the restaurant on a weekly basis include Thirsty Thursdays where margaritas are half price all day long and Taco Tuesdays featuring $2.99 tacos and beer.

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