Our Daily Show Interview! Sonny Asani: Grand Opening Of Fountain Hill on March 1st!
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GRAFTON - A new restaurant is opening in Grafton.
Fountain Hill will open on March 1, 2025. Located at 1500 W. Main Street in Grafton, the site of the former Fin Inn, Fountain Hill will serve steaks, pasta dishes and seafood. Owner Sonny Asani, previous owner of Santino’s in Alton, noted his excitement to come to Grafton and welcome the community to his new space.
“I don’t know how to thank the town. I don’t know how to thank the community,” Asani said. “It’s been nothing but the best. It’s been nothing but good things and I love them so much. Hopefully they’re going to support us and help us out, and we’ll be there for them, too.”
From 5–7 p.m. on March 1, 2025, the community is invited to Fountain Hill for a grand opening ceremony, complete with a free buffet. Altonians are invited to stop by starting at 4 p.m. as a special “thank you” for supporting Santino’s.
Asani expressed his appreciation for the new owner of Santino’s, and he encouraged people to continue patronizing the restaurant. He also noted that all Santino’s gift cards that have his signature on them will be honored at Fountain Hill.
“I want to take care of business and I want to be proud of myself and I want the town to be proud of me and what I did,” he said.
Following the grand opening event on Saturday, March 1, the restaurant will be open for business on Sunday, starting with a $12.99 brunch for adults and $9.99 for kids including soft drinks and dessert.
Asani explained that he decided to open the business in Grafton because his son expressed an interest in the old Fin Inn building. Fountain Hill is a true family business, with Asani and his son working together to make it a success.
“He liked the place, and I want to put him to work. Simple as that,” Asani said. “I want to put him to work. He’s got to start making money for himself, and he’s family.”
Asani promises to keep the charm of the Fin Inn, including half of the fish tanks that made the restaurant stand out. He is working to secure the prettiest fish he can find to fill the tanks.
“A lot of people have good memories in there and I want to maintain the memories,” he said. “But I don’t want to overdo it because — I’m going to make a joke now — when it was Fin Inn, a lot of people loved it, but a lot of people say it was creepy when the fish would look at them when they’re eating fish.”
Asani shared that he came to the United States when he was 17. He didn’t know anyone, and he didn’t know English. He taught himself English while working as a dishwasher. When he decided he was going to become an entrepreneur, he was determined that nothing would stop him.
Nowadays, he believes in the value of hard work, and he encourages young people to remember this as they build their own lives. He is excited to open Fountain Hill and share the new restaurant with the people of Grafton and beyond.
“If you want to become somebody in the United States, this is the land of opportunity,” he said. “You’re going to wake up, put your mind to it, work hard, and you will achieve it. It’s the only way to make it go. There’s no other way, no crap, no nonsense. Get up, put your mind together, go to work.”
For more information about Fountain Hill, visit their official Facebook page.
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