Restaurant on the Corner

III

248 W. Dickson St.

Fayetteville

Drive Time:

5 minutes from downtown Fayetteville

Turnaround Time:

20 minutes for entrees, 5 minutes for dessert

Hardly anything ever changes at Restaurant on the Corner, so we have to ask ourselves again: Is it really 20 years that we’ve been coming here? Actually, some patrons boast even longer records than ours, ROTC having gotten its start back in 1973. In an increasingly tough restaurant market, ROTC’s longevity is enviable and, in some regards, difficult to explain.

It can’t be the food. Sandwiches, pizzas and omelets have been mainstays here as long as we can recall, and, while they’re filling and edible, they’re not dishes that, under normal circumstances, keep the customers clamoring for more.

The ambience and the clientele are more likely factors to explain ROTC’s success. The restaurant is frequented by patrons from all walks of life, from students and professors to politicians, authors, judges and bankers. Even a young law professor named Bill Clinton was known to frequent the place in the mid-1970s.

You never know who you’ll bump into dining at ROTC, but there’s almost always at least one familiar face, making it a good meeting place for former residents visiting and hoping to run into old friends. As a matter of fact, we know former students who don’t believe a trip to Fayetteville is complete without a visit to ROTC.

Besides all that, the owners still let us monopolize a booth for as long as we want.

Those factors are surely important in the long-term survival of ROTC. Based on those things — and our fond memories of many past visits here — we’ll give the place three stars, despite the fact that the service was less-than-prompt during our most recent visit.

Don’t ask for appetizers here because there really aren’t any. Get right down to business and order the entrees. One of our group had the combination pizza ($5.25 for an eight-inch pie with pepperoni, beef, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions). Despite the fact that most of the toppings come out of a can, this is, some people claim, one of the best pizzas in town.

Or try the club sandwich ($5), which is turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a choice of cheese, all served on toasted bread with potato chips on the side. ROTC slices the club into thirds, somewhat unusual for a sandwich made from soft white bread.

Of course, you can make your own entree by ordering from the side order menu. The chicken fingers ($4) and sauteed veggies ($2) made for an attractive plate. The wild rice blend ($2) was a bit gummy although the servings are generous.

We didn’t order the Corner Melt, ROTC’s trademark $4 burger, but it’s usually worth a try.

Our group attacked the dessert menu with relish, no pun intended, and, as usual, it was great. In fact, we always check the chalkboard early for the day’s selection of pies. The pecan pie was luscious — although not quite as good as the chocolate-chip pecan pie — and the lemon ice box pie was tasty, too.

We recommend ROTC, in its historical location, based on good experiences we’ve had there in the past and those we hope to have in the future. n