Pre-show rule #1: No sweet potato fries.

“I try not to eat carbs before I go on,” Vivica A. Fox said during lunch at Roanoke’s Blue 5 on Tuesday. “I got some outfits that are clingy.”

So the actress chose catfish (no bread) and grilled tomatoes in advance of her performance in “Whatever She Wants,” the traveling stage production that brings her to the Roanoke Civic Center tonight at 8.

Less of a concern for co-star Richard Roundtree, who paired shrimp and grits with white wine.

“Wine by day,” said Roundtree, sounding a bit like the private eye he played in “Shaft” in the ’70s. “Jack Daniels silver by night.”

With Malik Yoba (“New York Undercover”), the actors shared lunch and an impromptu photo shoot with a few listeners of Vibe 100, the FM soul station that hosted the affair.

A city councilman showed up (Alfred Dowe), several women were kissed on the cheek (Yoba) and a BlackBerry was repeatedly checked under the table (Yoba again).

No carbs, but still a lot of sugar. “Very sweet people,” server Stephanie Wilkie said.