The salad bar at the Boxcar Grille in Statesville. April Bolick said both Boxcar locations are known for their salad bars.
Jeff and April Bolick were faced with a difficult decision: close a successful business that needed hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovations or sell the building and focus on providing quality food and service at one location.
The business partners chose the latter.
Boxcar Grille, a casual dining restaurant in Statesville, closed Sunday after 18 years of business.
The Bolicks said the decision to close was not an easy one. Closer to retiring than beginning their careers in the service industry, they chose to close their Statesville location and focus on Boxcar Grille in Claremont.
“It’s important Iredell County knows we appreciate them,” April Bolick said. “We hope the customers that were loyal there will come here (to Claremont).”
The Claremont location is about 14 miles from the Statesville location, less than a quarter of a mile off Interstate 40.
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Jeff Bolick said the 11,000-square-foot, 40-year-old building in Statesville was in need of a new roof, new HVAC equipment and plumbing upgrades.
“At our age, it’s too much,” Jeff Bolick, 63, said. “We felt like it was time to trim down and focus on this (Claremont) location.”
Jeff and April Bolick stand in front of a Boxcar Grille catering van at their Claremont location. The Bolicks said catering makes up about 45% of their business.
Jeff Bolick said the Boxcar Grille in Statesville will be torn down and replaced with a Taco Bell.
The Bolicks said all 30 full-time employees at the Statesville location and seasonal employees are welcome in Claremont.
April Bolick said about 45% of the restaurant’s business comes from catering services. The Bolicks said they plan to continue catering meals “from brown bag to black tie” in Iredell County, Catawba County and throughout North Carolina.
Though they are closing the Statesville location, the Bolicks are adding a new feature to Boxcar Grille in Claremont.
The exterior of the Boxcar Grille in Statesville on Sept. 5. The restaurant, located at 3103 Taylorsville Road, closed Sept. 7. Owner Jeff Bolick said the building will be torn down and replaced with a Taco Bell.
A food truck in the parking lot will serve customers chicken dishes Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Jeff Bolick said they purchased the food truck after the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through North Carolina in 2024. The Bolicks said Boxcar Grille partnered with FEMA and other agencies to provide more than 100,000 meals to people in western North Carolina affected by the storm.
The Bolicks said they were working out of their Catawba and Iredell County locations to provide the meals. Jeff Bolick said they purchased the trailer so it can be deployed to future disaster locations.
“That’s probably 70% of the reason we bought this, so we can deploy when needed,” Jeff Bolick said.
April Bolick said the trailer will also give employees in Claremont another option for work.
The Bolicks have worked in food service for more than 40 years and said they have no plans to retire. They plan to continue serving freshly cut meats and made-from-scratch sides at their location in Claremont.
