Local barbecue restaurant lures customers with mouth-watering food and a unique, down-home atmosphere as it continues ....
The door swings open and several attorneys place their usual order of onion rings .. 
behind them a local mill worker enters craving a Cherry-Lemon Sun-Drop ... after him an elderly woman orders a round of barbecue sandwiches covered in special barbecue slaw for all her grandchildren.
This popular restaurant is not decked out with neon signs beckoning customers to visit No glitzy advertisements appear in newspapers and TV's enticing people to come eat there. The building, completely void of showy modern architecture, sits in a modest section of West Gastonia. Nevertheless, hour after hour, day after day, year after year , a wide-range of people visit this half-century-old Gastonia landmark --RO's Barbecue.

Since May 17, 1946,RO's has been luring Gaston County residents with its ordinal style of food and unforgettable atmosphere. Whether customers have eaten at RO's Barbecue 100 times or visited just a handful of times, they all come to the conclusion that RO's approach defines Gaston County "RO's is a Gastonia specialty It has -
casual atmosphere, and people that you know are always trickling in," said senior Shelby Eccles, an RO's faithful who eats there nearly every Saturday, "To me, RO's is the essence of Gastonia" "I have eaten at RO's for over 30 years," said Clara (Class of '72) "I love its ambience and its sense of nostalgia. To experience Gastonia, you have to go to RO's." Lloyd Black, co-owner of the restaurant, has worked at RO's since 
his father first opened the doors 53 years ago Black, like many others, recognizes RO's tradition "Throughout the years, we have modified our style none," said Black. "People grew up eating here and now their children eat here and 
work here."In fact, the only aspect of the restaurant that has seen revamping is expansion of the building itself in 1984 due to the growing number of customers.
"You've got to grow when business demands it. I have always been open for change, but that doesn't mean that the food has to be altered," said Black.

When someone drives up to RO's Barbecue, several options exist for ordering the popular food Some people prefer going inside and eating in the dining area while 
others enjoy ordering via "curb service:  'On busy days, RO's uses up to eight "curb hops" These individuals wait for customers who wish to remain in their cars When 
customers arrive, curb hops take their orders right from the window of their cars
"People enjoy curb hops," said Black "They can just sit in their cars and eat right there"
Black notes that most restaurants today have moved away from curb hops and are now using a more modern system -- drive through. This requires fewer employees and is more economical for the restaurant. Still, Black and his employees are proud of RO's system and think this is one aspect that defines RO's and sets it apart from most area 
restaurants. "Working at a place like this is great because I feel like I'm carrying 
out a tradition," said Garin an RO's curb hop "People have come to eat here for so many years" !-Iyde, who has been at RO's for over a year, says that working 
as a curb hop can be very rewarding if one has a positive approach when 
taking the customer's order.

"Tips can be great if you have 
a good personality and are friendly with the customers It takes a few days to pick it up, but after a while most people get the hang of being -curb hop," he said.
Black thinks his employees gain important lessons from their job "We have a wide variety of customers, but they are all seen the same by those that work 
here," 

BY ROBERT ALBBlGIHT
Staff Writer
Most people have no concept of what life was like 53 years ago 
in Gastonia, but RO's Barbecue co-owner Lloyd Black sure remembers 
things back then.
On May 17, 1946, when Black was just a young man, his father opened the doors of the now-famous Gastonia restaurant. Since then, he has watched his restaurant grow into one of the most notable barbecue restaurants in the area.
"We packed cars in pretty good back then," said Black "I guess since the beginning we've had good inside and outside business" 
When RO's first opened in the Spring of'46, only 16 seats were available for customers wanting to eat inside Also, RO's offered just a row or two of parking spaces for those interested in ordering via curb service "When we tirst started using curb hop' in '46, the customers placed their orders just as they do now, but the t()od was brought out 
on metal trays and placed on the side of the cars," said Black
Black notes several other changes in RO's from 1946 to 1999, but clearly food is one aspect that cannot go without mentioning   "I remember in the very beginning when an egg sandwich was fifteen cents and a hamburger cost 20 cents," he said "You could also order a soda for a nickel:'
Ten years after RO's opened, Black's brother James went into the barbecue business on his own and started the cross-town 
restaurant Black's Barbecue.
From 1956 on, though, RO's continued to expand in popularity, and it soon became a favorite hang-out spot for teens in the 1960's and '70's,
"My high school friends and I used to come to RO's and just hang out in our cars," said Clara Hill (Class of '72). "We would go here after school and after big games It was just a great gathering place."
RO's popularity ultimately led to renovations in 1984, increasing the seating capacity from 16 to 130 people, Also, many more rows of parking have been added since its birth so that hordes of individuals can experience the essence of RO's,

With each ham weighing 20 pounds, that means R0's can serve in excess of a ton of barbecue every week Costner and many others point too RO's famous barbecue slaw too 

"The barbecue ,law is onc of highlights of RO's," said Massey "l like the slaw so much because it can be put on any sandwich or it can he bought separately and taken 
home:' In fact, so many individuals crave the recipe of the beloved slaw 
that only a select few actually know how to make it the way the public demands
"The slaw is a close family recipe, and it is kept top-secret 
Only one person really knows how too make it," said Costner
So many people are drawn to the unique slaw recipe that Black estimates around 400 to 500 gallons are made every week
Yet another RO's specialty is their innovative mixture of Cheer\vine, Sun-Drop and lemons a Cherry-Lemon Sun-Drop. Many others have attempted to replicate this concoction, but RO's was the first to create it.
While most customers are content with eating a side order of onion rings and a barbecue sandwich covered in slaw, others look to RO's different array of items on the menu.