SHELBY, N.C. — For 79 years, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge in Shelby has been serving up delicious plates and family recipes. 

And now, it can add Hall of Fame-worthy to the recipe description.

“We just got inducted into the North Carolina Barbecue Hall of Fame,” Natalie Ramsey said. “And so we are just absolutely thrilled, we had the most amazing time. And oh, it was just such an honor.”

What You Need To Know

  • Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge has been serving up slow-cooked barbecue in the Shelby area for 79 years 

  • Co-owner Natalie Ramsey is the third generation of her family running the restaurant

  • Red Bridges was recently added to the 2025 class of inductees to the North Carolina Barbecue Hall of Fame

  • It came as good news for the restaurant as it recovers from a devastating fire in the pit room in October

Ramsey is a co-owner and helps run the barbecue spot, continuing her family legacy to its third generation.

Her grandparents, Red and Lyttle Bridges, opened the restaurant in the 1940s.

“Hard work. And that's what my grandmother instilled in me and my mom, you know,” Ramsey said. “But one thing that's been successful about us is my grandmother always said it if it ain't broke, don't fix it.”

Ramsey says they haven’t changed the recipes across the decades.

But last October the restaurant was forced to change in a big way. The pit room caught fire, nearly burning the building to the ground.

“Well, basically, we were burning the pits off. Not sure what happened. The fire got up in here and it just started going,” Ramsey said. “They still have not told us why, but when we were burning the pits something happened."

Ramsey says her first priority was to make sure her 30 employees had a way to come back to work.

Thanks to friends and supporters, they did.

“This is where the magic happens right now,” Ramsey said, pointing to barbecue pits set up outside the restaurant. “So we've been doing this for nine months, cooking it right out here, and then we have our warmers out here that we just put them right here inside. We just kind of act like this is our pit for night. And so it has worked out perfectly.”

Ramsey says she cannot wait to get back in their fully renovated pit room in about two weeks.

“I'm going to come out here and help cook that night because I'm so excited to see it and just do it,” Ramsey said. “I can't wait.”

After 79 years, this family is ready to handle the heat and keep dishing out more meals.

“There's trials, tribulations and so many things. But at the end of the day, God gives us obstacles,” Ramsey said. “We're fine. We're thriving. We got added to the Hall of Fame, and we're just, we're so blessed — without God it’s impossible.

Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge was one of three barbecue restaurants across the state added into the North Carolina Barbecue Hall of Fame this year.

They were honored during a ceremony at the end of May.

Bridges is slow cooking pork and other fixings Wednesdays through Sundays in Shelby.