SWING BY THE SALOON
Restaurant with Western theme opens in Valdese
ABOVE: The Saloon on Bobo Ave. in Valdese is in the former Myra's Little Italy building on Bobo Avenue.
BELOW: The Saloon on Bobo Ave. in Valdese opened on Friday.
LEFT: The bar at the western-themed restaurant The Saloon on Bobo Ave. will be full-service with an emphasis on whiskey drinks and shooters.
RIGHT: The Saloon has Western decor the owners hope will entice patrons to take a closer look.
LEFT: This photo shows a portion of the inside of The Saloon on Bobo Ave. in Valdese.
BELOW: The pool table in The Saloon is surrounded by some signs.
BURKE COUNTY
Anew restaurant in Valdese has a Western theme.
Wesley Abele and Brandon Boykin opened The Saloon on Bobo Avenue on Friday. It is located in the former Myra's Little Italy building at 155 Bobo Ave. NW, Valdese.
The business partners also own Myra's Smashburgers & Creamery.
For The Saloon, they plan to hire 20 to 30 employees, including cooks, servers, bartenders and prep staff.
They have filled two key positions with people who have extensive restaurant experience. Abele said Jessica Hensley, the former owner of Jessica's Mediterranean & American Eatery, is the general manager/ kitchen manager and will be bringing some of the dishes she served up in her former restaurant, including her wing sauce, pizza and pasta.
The menu will also feature steaks, burgers, sandwiches and a variety of appetizers, including fried green tomatoes, a smoked brisket dip with collard greens, a big pretzel, a sampler platter, as well as regular bar fare such as nachos, he said. Each table will get a sweet cornbread with honey, Abele said.
The restaurant will have a full bar with a focus on whiskey, along with specialty drinks and shooters, Abele said.
The restaurant will have a Western theme with decorative elements.
Abele said he and his partner were looking at the restaurant one day, along with Brandon Settlemyre from Settlemyre's Nursery. It was Settlemyre who said the space looked like a saloon. The partners agreed, and the idea was born.
"We didn't have any intentions of going in there and putting a Western-themed restaurant in there, but it just kind of spoke to us," Abele said.
Abele said they have hired Sheila Berry as the front-of-house manager. Berry worked for Abele's Family Restaurant in Morganton for many years.
Abele said they want to create a fun atmosphere at The Saloon for patrons.
He said Berry wants to do some skits and have people dress up and play the roles.
"I don't know, we'll see how that goes," Abele said. "I don't know how our acting is going to be, but I do want to do some fun stuff down there."
Abele said they plan to have live music with a house band on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Saloon on Bobo will open at 11 a.m. daily, Thursday through Monday and be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. During the week, the restaurant will stop food service at 9 p.m. but may keep the bar open later and serve appetizers if there's a crowd, Abele said. On Friday and Saturday, the restaurant's food service will end at 9 p.m. and the bar will stay open until midnight with wings and appetizers, he said.
On Sunday and Monday, the partners are hoping to attract sports fans. Abele said they've put up a lot of televisions and when football season starts, they would like to draw a crowd for the games on those days.
The restaurant will also operate a to-go window for take-out orders.
