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One of the most iconic restaurants in Selma is back open.

Lannie’s Bar-B-Que welcomed customers into its new building beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, and co-owner Floyd Hatcher is relieved.

“People have been asking me when we were going to be back open ever since we tore down the building last June,” Hatcher said. “Some of them have told me if we don’t open back up that they’d come up here and give me a whipping. It’s just a blessing to be back open.”

Hatcher said he doesn’t know exactly how the first weekend was going to go. All he knows is that he’s going to open at 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, but he doesn’t know when they’ll close both days. They will also have a meat-and-three Sunday dinner from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Starting next week, the typical hours will likely be from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday with the exception of the Sunday dinner hours.

When customers come back to the restaurant, they will notice a much larger and nicer building. They have room for 102 customers in the typical dining area, and they have a banquet room that can accommodate 50 people in the back.

Lannie’s also marks part of the recovery process from the January 2023 EF-2 tornado. The restaurant suffered damage from the storm that caused Hatcher to close down the restaurant for nearly three months. While they initially wanted to repair the building, Hatcher decided to tear the building down and rebuild last June.

“I had been wanting to remodel the restaurant for a couple of years, but I was having a hard time finding someone to do the work,” Hatcher said. “After the storm, we thought we were just going to remodel, but I changed my mind and decided to tear it down and start over. A lot of folks thought we were closing for good, but our plan was always to reopen.”

Hatcher said they will still have the signature barbecue, including their famous sandwiches. The key to the barbecue is the sauce, which is a secret recipe handed down in his family from generation to generation.

“My mama (Lula Hatcher) and my grandma (Lannie Travis) taught me everything I know about cooking,” Hatcher said. “We are a family-owned and operated business. We hope to be here for a long time.”

Lannie’s is at their traditional location on Minter Avenue. The can be reached at 334-431-5159.