1650 Hanes Mall Blvd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
Phone: 336.768.0654
Fax: 336.768.1246

Billy Bob's Silver Diner began as a dream of Bob Gibson and Bill Freeman. They wanted a place where the community could come for fellowship, fun, and fantastic food. The diner of old was just such a place, so they created an atmosphere just like those they remembered from earlier days.

Click to enlarge

Bob and Bill met in the first grade and remained life-time friends. They played football together at Hanes High School in Winston-Salem and won football scholarships to Davidson College. Bob married his senior year in college to the fraternity sweetheart, Dottie, and immediately started a family. Upon graduation he went into the life insurance business with Lincoln Financial Services where he had a 35 year career with an agency covering eastern North Carolina.

Bill Freeman spent time in the military, married Emma Lou, began a family and went to work for McLean Trucking and continued a career in logistics for 35 years.

Taking an early retirement, Bob purchased a Western Sizzlin Steakhouse located on N. Main Street in High Point, N.C. Bob loved people, great food, and entertaining. What better way to combine all three passions than to own and operate a restaurant. Bob's family always said that he was a fat man who loved to eat. He had been spoiled with great home cooked meals by his wife Dottie. Dottie's degree in Home Economics included a chemistry degree and experience in both commercial and institutional food service.

After operating the High Point location for several years with the help of his wife Dottie and his son Mike, Bob and his real estate partners sold the building and the restaurant operation was closed. Bill Freeman decided to take an early retirement from logistics and move his family from Denver, Colorado back to North Carolina. Bob and Bill purchased three buildings in Charlotte and opened three Western Sizzlin Steakhouses with the help of Dottie and Mike, and Bill's family Emma Lou and Alan. These locations were in operation until the 1990's and Bob and Bill took a two year break from the restaurant business.

Bob somehow just couldn't get the food business out of his blood and opened Cactus Jack's Steakhouse in Winston-Salem. This was a casual dining concept restaurant in which Bob and Dottie maintained ownership for 10 years prior to selling the operation.

Click to enlarge

Once again owing a lot on Hanes Mall Blvd. proved too much temptation and Bob talked Bill into opening a diner. Bill had spent many years in New Jersey and loved the diner concept, a casual, family oriented dining experience with a menu to delight any palate. Bob and Bill decided to blend traditional diner fare such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes along with some southern favorites, country ham, pork tenderloin, home fries, and gravy biscuits, and contemporary items, salads, sandwiches, steaks, chicken and seafood.

The building arrived the week of Thanksgiving, 2002, on three trucks. A crane was used to place the 5 separate pieces onto the foundation. Everything including the pictures, furniture, and equipment was in the building. We jokingly say that the building is like a Lego set that was snapped together. People came from all over the city to watch the three day assembly.

Click to enlarge

From the time the diner opened on March 3, 2003 until July of 2007, Bob spent every Saturday morning with a group of his friends having breakfast at Billy Bob's. This group was better known as the Billy Bob's Breakfast Club. The last three years of his life, one of Bob's oldest friends Bill Whitlow, drove him to the restaurant every Saturday for their weekly celebration.

Bob was predeceased by one of the breakfast club members, Steve Osborne, Bob died on August 22, 2007. Steve Osborne and Bob are celebrating every Saturday morning in heaven with a close friend and long time employee from Cactus Jack's, Kitty Ogburn. Bob loved his friends and customers and never missed an opportunity to spend time with them at Billy Bob's. The last three weeks of his life, were the only Saturdays that he had ever missed at the restaurant.

Click to enlarge

Bill Freeman retired August 31, 2009, and sold his interest in the diner to Dottie Gibson.

Dottie Gibson has a Home Economics / Food Sciences degree from UNC-G and loves cooking and eating good food and has 29 years of experience in the restaurant business. Just shy of her 80th birthday, Dottie became the sole proprietor of Billy Bob’s and has big plans for the diner. “We cater to families here. We’re constantly testing out new menu items. The sliders are on the kids’ menu because kids love things that are their size. We have the Best Breakfast in the City of Winston-Salem and We Serve Breakfast All Day, true to being a diner, but there are other items on the menu to tempt even the cost-conscious palate. Our filet mignon, baby back ribs, grilled sirloin tips, grilled salmon, even our weekend brunch is a delicious bargain. Our menu is unique and provides variety not found in other restaurants.”

“We like to think of Our Menu as Comfort Food with the Soda Shop mixed in,” says Dottie. “We serve Hershey’s premium ice cream in our handmade shakes, sundaes and ice cream cones. We intend keeping the Soda Shop Concept with a Soda Jerk behind the counter making the shakes, sundaes, banana splits and ice cream cones!”

Dottie continues the vision, taking what started as a piece of land for investment purposes and turning it into a great family dining experience that doesn’t break the budget. Summing it up, Dottie says, “We love food. If you have great food, great service and a fun atmosphere, customers will keep coming back for more.”
Dottie Gibson continues to operate Billy Bob's with the assistance of a great management staff, Anita Malsbury, General Manager, and Julie Stockwell, Assistant Manager, and a devoted team, both kitchen and wait staff.

Please dine with us and become a member of the Billy Bob's Family.