The Roxy has been described as "iconic" and a "landmark", and was known for being an LGBTQ-friendly establishment because of its employees' community involvement and its location within the historic hub of LGBT culture and nightlife.

[5][14] In 2013, Eater Portland published Hale's "dish on what 24 hours is like at the open-all-day diner", giving readers an overview of typical shifts and The Roxy's clientele.

She participated in an annual drag pageant presented by the International Sovereign Rose Court, Oregon's oldest LGBT nonprofit organization,[13] and spoke at local gay–straight alliance meetings.

On behalf of the foundation, activist and politician Nicole Murray-Ramirez called the artwork "a way to honor the community and Portland residents who gathered signatures and helped make the city the third in the country to have a street named for Milk".

[15] In 2018, The Oregonian's Andrew Theen described Scandals and The Roxy as "the most-prominent gay businesses" still operating in the historical hub of local LGBT culture and nightlife.

[5] Two parking spaces outside the restaurant were converted to outdoor seating areas per a "healthy business permit" issued by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).

The Roxy closed at 10:00 p.m. daily as of November 2020; COVID-19 precautions included socially distanced tables, temperature checks for patrons and staff, and regular disinfecting.

[5][7][13] Willamette Week said in a 2015 bar guide: Whither the Roxy, so goes a whole culture of the teenaged, the goth, the gender-idiosyncratic, the deeply drunk and Ecstasy-enamored and otherwise merely nearby—Portland's joyful late-night fringe that seemingly, mostly, needs an insane amount of egg, biscuit, bacon and especially gravy; a bottomless 4 a.m. cup of joe; and a 5 a.m. heart attack.

Breakfast at the Roxy, like any good diner worth its salt, is served anytime, in large portions, and naturally, named after second-rate actors or classic B-movies....

[4]In his 2018 overview of "the best in LGBTQ+ nightlife, bars, parties, comedy, and more", the newspaper's Andrew Jankowski described The Roxy as an "after-party drunk food oasis".

[9] Jason Kaplan of Oregon Business wrote in 2018: "[S]ince Portland's halcyon days of the 1990s when things were still weird, The Roxy has been a late-night oasis for revelers of all stripes.

[6] The newspaper's Lizzy Acker ranked The Roxy number 20 on her 2019 list of the city's top 25 corned beef hash entrées.

This is a joint where you might pick up a cute bear's number as you chat about Twin Peaks and lighten up your coffee with milk from a baby bottle.