10/12/2017
Steve and Barbara Ross say this fall, their 37th, will be their last selling ribs, root beer and jojos from their iconic, orange drive-in on Rochester's Fourth Street.
"It's been a nice run," said Steve Ross on Wednesday as early lunch customers lined up at the counter of Roscoe's Root Beer and Ribs at 603 Fourth St. SE. "It's definitely bittersweet."
As long as the weather holds, they do plan on staying open this year until November, so Roscoe's fans still have time for another visit or two.
While they don't plan on re-opening the 60-year-old barbecue eatery next spring, local customers will still be able to find their signature food at Rochester events thanks to their busy catering operation. In addition to the catering, Ross' award-winning sauce will remain on sale by the bottle at area stores.
Over the years they have operated other year-round restaurants in Rochester, but those Roscoe's all eventually closed, leaving only the drive-in.
The question of why they made the difficult decision to close such a popular landmark actually has a pretty simple answer.
"I'm tired. We had a great summer. I just can't do another one," said Barbara Ross. She has shouldered much of the management in recent years as Steve Ross took on a job at Trader Joe's grocery.
Most businesses owners can escape to their homes after a long day, but that has never been possible for the Rosses. Since they bought a vacant, former A&W drive-in in 1982, they have lived next door and have been ready to pitch in at a moment's notice.
That proximity is the main reason why they believe turning over the operation or selling it would be difficult. They know it would be impossible to ignore their business.
However, wrapping up their long run now means ending on a high note. Steve Ross says this season has been one of the best in their long history. It's a situation that reminds him of a movie line.
"'Quitting while you are ahead is not really quitting,'" he quotes from "American Gangster."
That may be, but standing in line on a summer evening for greasy and delicious-smelling paper bags of stuffed full of cheeseburgers, pulled-pork sandwiches and jojo potatoes will be missed by many.
"While it's always sad when a restaurant shutters … it's particularly significant when a mainstay like Roscoe's decides to close their doors," wrote former Post Bulletin restaurant columnist Kim Van Brunt. "Losing a place with such long history, unique format, and sense of nostalgia for many longtime Rochester residents deserves recognition as a real loss for the community."
People who live and work in the southeast neighborhood often walk to Roscoe's for lunch, dinner or an evening root beer float. It is a popular spot for the hundreds of city employees who work in the nearby city-county government center.
Recently retired Rochester City Administrator Stevan Kvenold remembers picking up lunch there two or three times a month.
"It's a nice little drive-in. I really like their hamburgers and their root beer. They run a good show there," he said. "I really hate to see it go."
Working at Roscoe's has been a first job for many Rochester 15-year-olds. Steve Ross estimates that his wife has mentored possibly hundreds of young people.
"We tried to show them a good example. We tried to show them how you live … how you act," he said.
Steve Ross wistfully reflects back on their many years at the drive-in, but it's the future that's tough to picture.
"The really hard part will be next spring when this place should be open," he said.
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