Carolina Bar-B-Q Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Owners of Carolina Bar-B-Q Linda and Gene Medlin pose for a portrait at the register. Photo by Chelsey AllderGene and Linda Medlin have been in the business of barbecue for more than half their marriage.
The couple was married 52 years ago. But, for the past three decades, the Medlins have been cooking, chopping and serving up classic North Carolina barbecue together.
“It’s been truly a partnership,” Gene Medlin said of the couple’s management style.
When the couple opened Carolina Bar-B-Q in 1985, Linda Medlin, who left behind a job in real estate, was in charge of most of the operations. Her husband helped out on nights and weekends while also working as sales engineer at General Electric in Charlotte. After his retirement, he came on in 1995 to help run the restaurant full-time.
“It’s a hard business,” Linda Medlin said. “But it’s a rewarding business.”
The popular barbecue spot managed to weather some tough economic times through the years. But, even in the hard times, the owners always took care of their employees. Gene Medlin said the restaurant opened with 10 employees, and some of those original employees worked there for more than 25 years.
“We never had to lay anyone off and probably should have,” Linda Medlin said. “But they all had families to feed, too.”
The couple began their lives in the restaurant business through catering. Linda Medlin had no formal training as a cook, but she felt confident in her natural abilities.
“I started cooking with my grandmother when I was barely old enough to touch the table,” she said. “By the time I was probably 9 or 10 years old, I did most of the cooking for my family.”
On any given day you can find one or both of the Medlins doing everything from running the register to bussing tables to chatting up customers. These days, Linda Medlin can be found mostly tending to the books in her office.
“There’s not much we haven’t done here. I’ve worked on plumbing, I’ve cleaned the bathrooms,” the owner said. “I’ve done everything.”
Long-time customer Nora Benfield remembers when the restaurant was originally the site of the Big Rebel Drive-In.
“To me it’s a landmark,” Benfield said. “My sister worked here when she was 16, car hopping.”
Kathy Burns and her sister, Kim Parker, have been loyal customers for about as long as Carolina Bar-B-Q has been in business. They take their lunch breaks there several times a week.
“We love the friendly atmosphere, the great variety of the menu,” Burns said. “The food is always hot and fresh, and we’re really impressed with the employees too. They’re all very friendly.”
BRUSHES WITH FAME
Country music star Garth Brooks, McLean Stevenson of "MASH," the band Motley Crue, and actor James Franco all walked through the door of the Medlins' restaurant to dine on the iconic ‘cue, according to the owners.
“The first time we fed Garth Brooks he was voted Young Male Entertainer of the year by the CMAs,” Gene Medlin said.
The Medlins recalled a time when Stevenson asked to go back into kitchen and meet the staff.
“Our place is not exactly a place where you expect celebrities, but we do get them,” Linda Medlin said.
It probably isn’t hard for the celebrities to find the joint, though -- word has gotten out. The 30-year-old restaurant was featured in Our State Magazine, on the North Carolina Barbecue Society’s Historic Barbecue Trail and in the book “Barbecue Road Trip” by Michael Karl Witzel.
THE FOOD
“We like to use the (pork) shoulders instead of the butts,” Linda Medlin said. “You get several different textures of meat within that shoulder that you don’t get if you just used butts.”
She said barbecue can be cooked in a variety of ways, but they prefer to cook theirs the traditional North Carolina way: slow-cooked for 12 to 15 hours over Hickory.
But after that long roast, the barbecue can be doused with whatever you want.
Carolina Bar-B-Q serves up two kinds of sauce: Eastern and Western style. The Medlins said their customers tend to prefer these sauces over the Lexington-style sauce, which has a ketchup-like base and is mixed in with the meat.
“When we first came here we also offered Lexington-style sauce, but the people here just didn’t like it,” Linda Medlin said.
The pork, ribs, and the barbecue chicken are some of the restaurant’s most popular items. But, more recently, the Medlins found customers branching out.
“The brisket is growing in popularity, which kind of surprised me,” Linda Medlin said. “When we first introduced it, nobody ever ordered it, and now a lot of people are. North Carolina has been known for their pork barbecue, but more and more people are trying the brisket.”
Like all good barbecue restaurants, the Medlins serve another Southern classic on the side: hush puppies.
“Ours (hush puppies) are bigger,” Linda Medlin said. “They do have a lot of onion in it. They’re crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.”
And after the remnants of the barbecue are mopped up and the last of the crunchy pups are gone, there’s enough homemade cobbler, hot fudge cake and banana pudding to satisfy any sweet tooth.
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30th anniversary celebration
Carolina Bar-B-Q, 213 Salisbury Road, Statesville, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a celebration from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 13.
The event will feature 2012 "America’s Got Talent" contestant and singer Ulysses Long, antique cars and door prizes.
Big Rebel reunions
Before there was Carolina Bar-B-Q, the restaurant’s site was home to the Big Rebel Drive-In in the '60s and '70s. Each first and third Thursday from 5:30-9 p.m. through Oct. 15, the restaurant is host to the Big Rebel Reunion Cruise-In featuring classic cars, music and more.
The couple was married 52 years ago. But, for the past three decades, the Medlins have been cooking, chopping and serving up classic North Carolina barbecue together.
“It’s been truly a partnership,” Gene Medlin said of the couple’s management style.
When the couple opened Carolina Bar-B-Q in 1985, Linda Medlin, who left behind a job in real estate, was in charge of most of the operations. Her husband helped out on nights and weekends while also working as sales engineer at General Electric in Charlotte. After his retirement, he came on in 1995 to help run the restaurant full-time.
“It’s a hard business,” Linda Medlin said. “But it’s a rewarding business.”
The popular barbecue spot managed to weather some tough economic times through the years. But, even in the hard times, the owners always took care of their employees. Gene Medlin said the restaurant opened with 10 employees, and some of those original employees worked there for more than 25 years.
“We never had to lay anyone off and probably should have,” Linda Medlin said. “But they all had families to feed, too.”
The couple began their lives in the restaurant business through catering. Linda Medlin had no formal training as a cook, but she felt confident in her natural abilities.
“I started cooking with my grandmother when I was barely old enough to touch the table,” she said. “By the time I was probably 9 or 10 years old, I did most of the cooking for my family.”
On any given day you can find one or both of the Medlins doing everything from running the register to bussing tables to chatting up customers. These days, Linda Medlin can be found mostly tending to the books in her office.
“There’s not much we haven’t done here. I’ve worked on plumbing, I’ve cleaned the bathrooms,” the owner said. “I’ve done everything.”
Long-time customer Nora Benfield remembers when the restaurant was originally the site of the Big Rebel Drive-In.
“To me it’s a landmark,” Benfield said. “My sister worked here when she was 16, car hopping.”
Kathy Burns and her sister, Kim Parker, have been loyal customers for about as long as Carolina Bar-B-Q has been in business. They take their lunch breaks there several times a week.
“We love the friendly atmosphere, the great variety of the menu,” Burns said. “The food is always hot and fresh, and we’re really impressed with the employees too. They’re all very friendly.”
BRUSHES WITH FAME
Country music star Garth Brooks, McLean Stevenson of "MASH," the band Motley Crue, and actor James Franco all walked through the door of the Medlins' restaurant to dine on the iconic ‘cue, according to the owners.
“The first time we fed Garth Brooks he was voted Young Male Entertainer of the year by the CMAs,” Gene Medlin said.
The Medlins recalled a time when Stevenson asked to go back into kitchen and meet the staff.
“Our place is not exactly a place where you expect celebrities, but we do get them,” Linda Medlin said.
It probably isn’t hard for the celebrities to find the joint, though -- word has gotten out. The 30-year-old restaurant was featured in Our State Magazine, on the North Carolina Barbecue Society’s Historic Barbecue Trail and in the book “Barbecue Road Trip” by Michael Karl Witzel.
THE FOOD
“We like to use the (pork) shoulders instead of the butts,” Linda Medlin said. “You get several different textures of meat within that shoulder that you don’t get if you just used butts.”
She said barbecue can be cooked in a variety of ways, but they prefer to cook theirs the traditional North Carolina way: slow-cooked for 12 to 15 hours over Hickory.
But after that long roast, the barbecue can be doused with whatever you want.
Carolina Bar-B-Q serves up two kinds of sauce: Eastern and Western style. The Medlins said their customers tend to prefer these sauces over the Lexington-style sauce, which has a ketchup-like base and is mixed in with the meat.
“When we first came here we also offered Lexington-style sauce, but the people here just didn’t like it,” Linda Medlin said.
The pork, ribs, and the barbecue chicken are some of the restaurant’s most popular items. But, more recently, the Medlins found customers branching out.
“The brisket is growing in popularity, which kind of surprised me,” Linda Medlin said. “When we first introduced it, nobody ever ordered it, and now a lot of people are. North Carolina has been known for their pork barbecue, but more and more people are trying the brisket.”
Like all good barbecue restaurants, the Medlins serve another Southern classic on the side: hush puppies.
“Ours (hush puppies) are bigger,” Linda Medlin said. “They do have a lot of onion in it. They’re crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.”
And after the remnants of the barbecue are mopped up and the last of the crunchy pups are gone, there’s enough homemade cobbler, hot fudge cake and banana pudding to satisfy any sweet tooth.
--
30th anniversary celebration
Carolina Bar-B-Q, 213 Salisbury Road, Statesville, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a celebration from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 13.
The event will feature 2012 "America’s Got Talent" contestant and singer Ulysses Long, antique cars and door prizes.
Big Rebel reunions
Before there was Carolina Bar-B-Q, the restaurant’s site was home to the Big Rebel Drive-In in the '60s and '70s. Each first and third Thursday from 5:30-9 p.m. through Oct. 15, the restaurant is host to the Big Rebel Reunion Cruise-In featuring classic cars, music and more.
Photos by Chelsey Allder
