Clanton’s Cafe, a family-owned landmark on Route 66 in Vinita, Oklahoma, since 1927, has been put up for sale for the first time, with an asking price of $1.9 million.
The restaurant at 319 E. Illinois Ave. (aka Route 66) is listed by K. Abbott Realty Group:
Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, stated in a Facebook post that he’d talked to the owner’s son after the listing came to light.
“He assured me they planned to be very picky regarding a buyer and wanted to make sure the right folks carried on the family legacy,” Martin wrote.
“It’s always difficult to figure out a transition plan when someone is ready to retire, and it sounds like the folks here are making a plan and giving themselves a long runway. The food was as good as ever!”
In 1927, farmer Grant Clanton, known as “Sweet Tator,” opened a restaurant called the Busy Bee Cafe. Clanton was known for banging a pot with a spoon to announce to the locals that lunch was ready. Clanton’s Cafe settled at its current location in 1947.
Dennis Patrick and Melissa Clanton-Patrick have been the current owners since 1997.
In addition to its excellent cowboy cooking, Clanton’s is famous for being featured on the Food Network program “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” its calf fries and its big “EAT” neon sign.
(Image of Clanton’s Cafe by ElectraSteph via Flickr)
