Since opening in February, the owners of Bertolone Italian Café in downtown Clanton have seen an outpouring of support from the community.

“We are so thankful for the community coming out to support us,” owner Sonia Bertolone-Carrillo said. “It is an honor for us to serve them. Since opening, we have been very busy, and it has been great to see so much support.”

The Italian eatery officially opened at 605 Second Ave. N. on Feb. 2, offering pastas, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, salads, subs, cakes, espresso and cappuccino and desserts to customers.

Bertolone-Carrillo is currently in the process of applying for a beer and wine license and hopes to offer a “bar” area in the restaurant.

“I am filling out the paperwork and hope to have that available as soon as possible,” Bertolone-Carrillo said.

As with any new restaurant, Bertolone-Carrillo said the first few weeks after opening required working out some of the “kinks”, but business has been going smooth as of late.

“We had our share of issues at first,” Bertolone-Carrillo said. “There were some issues we had with WiFi not working, which affected our point-of-sale system so the lines at first were eternal, but we got everything worked out. We can now get people in and out pretty quickly.”

Bertolone-Carrillo said the business is busiest during lunchtime, but the Café is also open for dinner.

“I think a lot of people still don’t know we are also open for dinner,” Bertolone-Carrillo said. “We want to bring as many people down here for dinner as we can. We also have family take home meals for anyone who wants to purchase a meal for their family and take it home. We have meals that can feed up to six people for under $30, and you get the whole dinner taken care of. People can also call in advance, and we will have it ready for them when they get here.”

The café also offers catering services for any type of event including weddings, office parties or school events.

“If there is a doctor’s office that needs a lunch catered and they are located in Prattville, we can even deliver,” Bertolone-Carrillo said.

The café also offers custom cakes for any occasion.

Bertolone-Carrillo, a native of Italy who moved with her family to California at the age of 6 and later to Alabama, said she has enjoyed having the café in Chilton County and looks forward to meeting more individuals from the community.

The café is open Tuesday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.

A daily menu listing is posted on the café’s Facebook page, “Bertolone Italian Café,” as well as Twitter and www.BertoloneItalianCafe.com.

For more information about the café, call (205) 755-5533.