LANDIS — A longtime South Rowan restaurateur closed her doors last month but has plans to be back in one capacity or another.

Raymond “Stringbean” Stafford and his wife, Dawne, formally announced on Facebook that Stringbean’s BBQ & Family Restaurant, located on South Main Street in Landis, would serve its last meal out of the building on July 17.

“It’s been a good ride, and we are so thankful for the blessings God has given us,” the post said.

Stafford’s nickname came from his grandfather. Before bulking up in his later teens, Stafford was a small kid. He was born premature and spent three months in an incubator.

“We were watching Hee Haw one night, and (my grandfather) said, ‘That’s what you remind me of,'” Stafford said.

The nickname came in handy when they were trying to decide a name for their first restaurant in 2006. With three daughters, Jessica, Kristen and Hannah, Stafford said he would have been in trouble to use just one of their names.

“I couldn’t do that to one of them,” Stafford said.

Stringbean’s had an up-and-down history, and July 17 was not the first time that it had closed. The Staffords ran the original Stringbean’s for four years until the economic downturn made it impractical to continue operation.

Recipes like the Sun-Drop cake and pecan pie became staples for South Rowan food seekers.

Over the next decade, Stafford continued to run the concessions at A.L. Brown High School for football, basketball and baseball games. His operation expanded to other schools in the area. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, concessions were unnecessary since games were all canceled. However, a second chance at the restaurant would soon emerge for the Staffords.

“The building came open and fell back into my life,” Stafford said. “We decided to take a chance on it again.”

Aug. 1 would have been the start of their fourth year, but it was not to be, as economic factors again influenced their operation.

“(Between) Food cost and employees, it just isn’t what it once was,” Stafford said. “Our whole restaurant industry is suffering.”

Where once Stafford could count on food costs to run around 30-35 percent of operational expenses, of late, he was often paying more than 50 percent.

The Staffords explained in their Facebook announcement that the building was being sold.

While the restaurant location will no longer be on South Main Street, the Staffords will still be cooking up grub for their loyal customers. With sports back in full swing, the Staffords have returned to their concession stand, but they also have plans to open a food trailer — Stringbean’s On the Go — to provide catering for events.

“I have a passion for this,” Stafford said. “So, I am looking at doing a different route … I have been in this industry someway or somehow since I was 14.”

He has no intention of throwing in the towel.

The Staffords have not formally announced the opening of the new food truck, so for now, you can find him at A.L. Brown games behind the concession stand.