After nearly 80 years, R.O.’s Bar-B-Que is shutting its doors.
Owners of the Gastonia eatery have made the “extremely difficult decision” to permanently close Saturday, Dec. 27, according to a message shared on its Facebook page, citing “a combination of current and sustained economic factors.”
R.O’s Bar-B-Que in Gastonia will close Dec. 27, citing a combination of current and ongoing “economic issues.” Google Street View image from Sept. 2023 | ©2025 Google
“Since 1946, our unwavering commitment has been to provide a dining experience defined by exceptional product quality and dedicated service at a fair value,” it read. “We truly wish we could have continued to be a community staple for generations to come.”
R.O’s owners shared that its slaw and pimento cheese products will still be available at local retailers, however.
CharlotteFive reached out to R.O.’s Bar-B-Que for more information Monday and was awaiting a response.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
“Since 1946, our unwavering commitment has been to provide a dining experience defined by exceptional product quality and dedicated service at a fair value,” owners of R.O.’s Bar-B-Que said after announcing the restaurant’s closure. Screengrab from R.O.’s Bar-B-Que Facebook page
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 11:26 AM.
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Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
