79-year-old NC barbecue restaurant vows to reopen after fire, family owners say
The owners of a 79-year-old North Carolina barbecue restaurant where Billy Graham and famous country music singers loved to dine vow to reopen after a fire Thursday.
Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge on East Dixon Boulevard (U.S. 74) in Shelby will be closed until further notice, its family owners said on social media.
“If you have any orders with us, we will reach out once we’re able to safely resume operations,” the owners said on Facebook. “Thank you for your understanding and support. Stay safe!”
The fire was contained within the firewall of the building, the owners said.
Shelby Fire & Rescue posted photos of the fire on social media late Thursday but haven’t released a suspected cause of the blaze or the extent of damage.
No injuries were reported.
First NC woman barbecue entrepreneur
The founders of the restaurant, Elmer “Red“ Bridges and his wife, Lyttle Bridges, developed a style of North Carolina barbecue slaw and sauce all their own, which their family calls “Shelby style.” It’s a cross between Western and Eastern styles, with a ketchup-vinegar base.
The secret recipes for the slaw, sauce and hushpuppies, handwritten by Lyttle Bridges, remain in a safe, granddaughter Natalie Ramsey told The Charlotte Observer in 2021. The interview happened just before Lyttle Bridges was inducted posthumously into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri.
“We treasure that,” Ramsey said of the recipes recorded in her grandmother’s handwriting.
Lyttle Bridges is considered to be the first woman barbecue entrepreneur in North Carolina, “perfecting the recipes that have made the restaurant a ‘national standard for pork barbecue,’” Hall of Fame officials said in announcing her selection.
Ramsey and her brother, Chase Webb, run the restaurant — an around-the-clock operation with 30 employees, many who’ve worked there for decades.
Cook’s quick action limited damage, owner says
The fire started in the electrical system, Ramsey told Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC.
“This is my whole life, my world,” Ramsey said. When she got the call about the fire, “it instantly broke my heart,” she said.
When she arrived, she learned that a cook’s quick call to the fire department limited damage to just the ceiling and roof, with no damage to the dining area.
Famous visitors to BBQ restaurant
A worker slow-cooks the pork shoulders overnight over hickory and oak, in a pit fashioned exactly like the one their grandparents used, Natalie Ramsey and Chase Webb said. The meat is incredibly flavorful and tender as a result.
Country music legend Patty Loveless held various jobs at Bridges in the 1980s, just before hitting it big in Nashville.
Billy Graham became a close family friend through his many stops at the restaurant, Ramsey said. His favorite was the BBQ Plate — barbecue, barbecue slaw, baked beans, french fries and hushpuppies, she said.
Other famous visitors have included country singer Vince Gill, actor Andie MacDowell, and the late actor Mickey Rooney, Natalie Ramsey said.
The restaurant was runner up in the recent CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice Best Barbecue poll.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 10:20 AM.