McCoy’s One Stop has been a staple of home cooking for 16 years.
Pauline McCoy didn’t envision she would be the owner of McCoy’s One Stop, nor did she think the restaurant would last 16 years and counting.
In 2004, Pauline didn’t want to open the restaurant in her hometown of Vinton, Ohio. Her husband, Lauchey McCoy, had a different idea. “I said ‘no,’ he said ‘yes,’” Pauline says.
Nestled amidst Gallia County’s curvy roads and lush open fields, McCoy’s serves comfort food including Italian subs, pizza, hamburgers and deep-fried mushrooms. Pauline’s love for food started at 8 years old when she would get home from school and help her mother make dinner for her family.
The restaurant is entirely family-run. Pauline and her nieces and nephews work together, both cooking and taking orders. Lauchey helps with electric issues and runs the flea market out back.
Before McCoy’s, Lauchey worked in the coal mines in Vinton and then moved on to work at the local electrical company. Seven years ago, McCoy’s started selling antiques like lamps from auction houses and children’s toys.
“We’re a restaurant, but we got some crafts and antiques while you’re here,” Pauline says.
McCoy’s is also known for having live country and blue grass music on Friday and Saturday nights. When McCoy’s opened, music wasn’t in the picture. The idea came from a little boy who wanted to know if anyone knew how to play guitar. A few patrons taught the boy how to play.
Then, locals who knew how to play music started to get together and playing around McCoy’s on the weekend. Now they have a band play every weekend till the sun goes down.
“The music has been a blessing in disguise,” Pauline says.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, McCoy’s does not offer indoor seating, which means the bands must play outside, too. Pauline loved having live bands on the weekend, so she started finding and setting up benches outside. If patrons want to catch some live music, they should head to McCoy’s around 4 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
COVID-19 has also paused a staple for McCoy’s One Stop: coal miners’ breakfasts. One Saturday a month, McCoy’s One Stop would host a coal miners’ breakfast for Lauchey and about 70 of his friends. Now, Pauline doesn’t know when this will happen again.
Running a family-owned restaurant has been a dream come true for Pauline, though eventually she would like to sell the restaurant.
“Someday I want to sell it and go home,” Pauline says.