The Gaston Gazette
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Family restaurant doesn't flounder when it comes to fish

Family restaurant doesn't flounder when it comes to fish
The Gaston Gazette Found 32 minutes ago

Jon and Irwen Burns sold some serious seafood last year. But the success of the Riverview
Inn — now in its 63rd year — boils down more than a kettle of fish.
The brothers put their faith in family.
“That’s been our golden rule, families and family values,” Irwen Burns Jr. said.
Irwen Burns Sr. started Riverview Inn in 1946.
The restaurant is now owned by Burns’ sons, Jon and Irwen Burns. Just across the
Catawba River from Belmont, the pirate-themed restaurant is part of the glue that
holds the Burns family together to this day.
Just this week, Irwen Burns’ grandson, Matt Teague, journeyed from California to
see his relatives and his surrogate home, the restaurant. The Forestview graduate
is a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps who returns to Gaston County at least once
a year.
But even on the West Coast, Teague thinks of the place often. He calls his granddad
every Monday to see how the business is going and find out who stopped in for a plate
of seafood and a chat session.
“I’m proud of being a Marine but the thing I’m must proud of is this restaurant,”
Teague said. “Every time I go home, I feel so fortunate that growing up a place I
liked to eat was owned by my family.”
A former busboy, Teague said he learned many life lessons from his experiences at
Riverview and from the staff. Many of those employees still work at the riverside
restaurant.
Capt. Windy, an old pirate who once greeted patrons at the door, retired a few years
back after 30 years.
Riverview manager Ken Jimison has been at the restaurant for 50 years, and several
members of the wait staff have celebrated 30 years on the job.
Jon and Irwen Burns run the restaurant together, but sibling spats don’t often occur,
they said.
“When you’re lucky enough to succeed, there’s no one else you’d rather share it with
than family,” he said.
Many of the Burns’ former employees and patrons are memorialized in photos at the
restaurant’s entrance. Pictures of Johnny Cash, Randy Travis and Clint Black bring
back memories for the family. The country stars were regulars of the place.
Cash and Travis were even known to give a shout out to the restaurant during TV appearances
and concerts. Cash was particularly fond of the catfish, Jon Burns said.
Riverview’s big stars these days are the men and women that the Burns have seen grow
up. They now have children and grandchildren.
“They’re back here 20 years later with their kids and families,” Irwen Burns said.
“The customers are family here,” his brother added.
Few changes have happened over the restaurant’s 63 years.
Children under 6 still eat free, and prices remain competitive, Irwen Burns said.
The business has branched out to include a catering business, with food cooked on
site in a mobile kitchen. An outdoor deck was added a few years ago along with a
daily buffet, and an antique car show is held each Wednesday to raise money for the
Shriners.
The Burns continue to strive for excellence in their industry and assure their customers
of one thing — to leave filled to the gills.
You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817.