GASTONIA, N.C.,None — For the past half century, coming into R.O.'s Barbecue in Gastonia meant seeing a couple of constants behind the counter: Owner Lloyd Black and his longtime employee Roy "Butch" Coxey.
Some R.O.'s customers say they won't go anywhere else because there's no one who can fix a slaw burger quite like Butch.
But after 52 years, Black is losing perhaps his most loyal employee. Coxey is retiring. The Gastonia resident's last day as kitchen manager at R.O.'s was on Nov. 19, leaving behind a pork-preparing legacy that began in the 1960s.
Employees at the restaurant say they'll have a tough time carrying on without Coxey singing "Amazing Grace" while cooking chili, telling clever jokes to men delivering bread and fixing orders for familiar customers before they've even been placed.
Coxey, 67, plans to spend more time with his wife, Joyce, who recently suffered a sudden stroke-like illness that left her wheelchair bound.
The couple met, fittingly, at R.O.'s Barbecue and were married in 1962.
"Without the Lord, I don't believe I'd made it," Coxey said, reflecting on his career in food service. "I've really enjoyed my 52 years. I've seen a lot of people come and a lot of people go. I'm thankful that the Lord has let me have good health."
Coxey said he owes a lot to the business that brought him regular customers and a boss who was kind to him for so long.
Black, now 88 years old and still working at R.O.'s, said Coxey was the type of employee who was easy to be nice to. He rarely took a day off and remained dedicated throughout his long tenure to serving customers an excellent meal.
"He's been a top-notch employee. I'm going to miss him," Black said. "He's been dependable year after year after year."
Coxey said he's grateful for his loyal customers over the years and it's going to be hard to adjust to life at home without the pressures of a career.
"I'm thankful I've had a lot of people really like me," Coxey said. "We've got some good customers and they don't complain much, they really don't. We try to make a good sandwich for them."
‘I can't stand a messy table'
At 15 years old, Coxey started at R.O.'s as a curb hop boy in 1959. Within a few years, he was taking orders at a counter inside the restaurant on Gaston Avenue.
Then, he was promoted to a management position at the front counter.
But his love has always been in the kitchen making magic happen with food. It's there that he found his calling.
Coxey leaves behind a cooking preparation team at R.O.'s that feels like family. Each one has a role and they've perfected it, making life easier for everyone.
One man tends to the flat grill and deep fryers, preparing all food at that station. Another man weighs cooked pork and assembles sliced barbecue sandwiches.
A woman who Coxey affectionately refers to as "Morning Glory" prepares hotdogs, hamburgers and keeps barbecue sandwiches warm before they're served to customers.
Coxey stands by pork sandwiches, a flat grill covered in aluminum foil and a stack of wax paper waiting for an order to be placed.
With precision and impeccable timing, he takes the lid off a hamburger bun, slaps just the right amount of R.O.'s famous orange slaw on it and then smacks it on the grill.
Moments later, the completed pork sandwich is slapped down on awaiting wax paper.
Very quickly, Coxey wraps the sandwich and the order is ready to go. By then, accompanying deep-fried delights like french fries or onion rings are awaiting the sandwich's arrival on the plastic tray.
From there, it goes out to a customer to be enjoyed.
Coxey takes a spare piece of wax paper, wads it up and wipes the slaw preparation table after each order.
"I can't stand a messy table," he says, smiling at customers walking through the door. "You've got to have a system."
Ministering through the 'cue
Coxey worships at Temple Baptist Church in Gastonia. He's utilized his job at R.O.'s to share the love of Jesus over the years.
At the top of Coxey's timecard, he writes a few words of compassion about Jesus' love.
He's prayed with customers over the years and asked them to pray for him. He said people come into the restaurant and they're emotionally burdened and often in need of a kind, Christian word.
Over the years, Coxey has served celebrities, mainly professional wrestlers.
In the 1960s, actor George "Goober" Lindsey came into the restaurant and ordered a livermush sandwich.
Lindsey was one of the most recognizable stars on television at the time, appearing alongside Andy Griffith and Jim Nabors on the classic sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show."
Lindsey was very nice in the restaurant and had never tried livermush before. He loved the sandwich, Coxey recalls.
Lindsey signed an autograph for Coxey that he still cherishes.
If the chance to work comes again, Coxey's ready to return to the food service business.
But for now, family comes first and he intends to make sure his wife's needs are met.
WSOC
