About us

Mama B

Lyttle Bridges, known to generations of customers as “Mama B,” opened the restaurant with her husband, Red, in 1946. She spent long days at the Lodge, working on the recipes and caring for the people who came through its doors. Together, they built a place that became part of everyday life in Cleveland County.

When Red passed away in 1966, Mama B took the lead and kept the restaurant going. Twelve-hour days were familiar to her. She continued serving the barbecue their family had become known for and taught her daughter, Debbie, the work and care it took to run the Lodge.

Mama B is considered one of North Carolina’s first women barbecue entrepreneurs. In 2021, she was honored as a Legacy Inductee into the Barbecue Hall of Fame. We’re proud of that recognition, but her legacy is also here at the Lodge—in the recipes she helped perfect, the family she taught, and the generations of customers who still remember her.

Red

Before there was a Barbecue Lodge, there was Red Bridges and his love of cooking. Red served as a cook during World War II, and when he returned home to Shelby, he decided to open a barbecue restaurant of his own. In 1946, he and his wife, Lyttle, opened Dedmond’s Barbecue. The restaurant took his name in 1949 and became Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge.

Red’s barbecue took time. He cooked pork shoulders through the night over hickory and oak wood, tending the fire until the meat was ready. No gas, no shortcuts—just the cooking method he believed in. He also created the tangy, vinegar-based sauce that became one of the Lodge’s best-known recipes.

Red passed away in 1966, but the way he cooked still guides us. His family has kept the pits going and the recipes alive, serving the barbecue he set out to make when he came home from the war.

Debbie

Debbie Webb grew up at Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge. As Red and Lyttle “Mama B” Bridges’ daughter, she knew the restaurant from childhood—even dancing on the tables when she was little. Years later, she helped carry on the business her parents had built.

Running the Lodge meant long days. Debbie often worked 12-hour shifts, making sure the food was right and customers felt at home. Her favorite part was making people happy, and she treated employees and regulars like family. She also taught her children, Natalie Ramsey and Chase Webb, how much work and care go into keeping a family restaurant going.

Debbie’s hard work helped build the reputation the Lodge enjoys today. Red Bridges has been recognized for Best BBQ in America, inducted into the North Carolina Barbecue Hall of Fame, and Best Carolina-Style BBQ in USA TODAY’s 10Best. Debbie is now retired and enjoying her grandchildren, though “Yaya” still lends Natalie and Chase a hand when they need her.

Natalie

Natalie Ramsey grew up at Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge. As the granddaughter of founders Red and Lyttle and the daughter of Debbie, she learned the business from the women who kept it going before her. Today, Natalie runs the Lodge alongside her brother, Chase Webb, carrying on the family recipes and the tradition of pit-cooking pork shoulders over hickory and oak.

Natalie is married and the mother of two sons, Parker and Jaxon. Family is at the heart of her life and the Lodge. She’s proud to serve longtime customers who remember Red, Mama B and Debbie, as well as families visiting for the first time. In its 80th year, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge continues to celebrate accomplishments that include being named Best BBQ in America, induction into the Barbecue Hall of Fame, and recognition for Carolina-style barbecue in USA TODAY’s 10Best. Natalie is grateful to help carry her grandparents’ work forward, one plate at a time.

Chase

Chase Webb grew up around Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge. As the grandson of Red and Lyttle and the son of Debbie, he watched his family put in the long hours it takes to run a restaurant. At 15, he started putting in those hours himself.

Chase learned the Lodge from the ground up. He has made slaw, cooked meat, and taken on just about any job that needed doing. On a busy day, he knows how to step in wherever the team needs him. Years of working throughout the restaurant have given him a hands-on understanding of the food and the people who make it possible.

Today, Chase runs the Lodge alongside his sister, Natalie Ramsey. He is proud to keep serving the recipes their family has passed down and to carry on the tradition of pit-cooking pork shoulders over hickory and oak. For Chase, the Lodge is family history he gets to help continue every day.

Parker

Parker Ramsey is part of the fourth generation of the Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge family. He is Natalie Ramsey’s oldest son, Debbie’s grandson, and the great-grandson of founders Red and Lyttle. The Lodge has been part of his life for as long as he can remember, and he is proud of the family history behind it.

Parker is in college pursuing a business degree and playing baseball for the Cleveland Community College Yetis. Baseball has been a deep passion of his for years, and he brings the same dedication to the field that he grew up seeing in his family’s restaurant.

Jaxon

Jaxon Ramsey is Natalie’s youngest son and part of the fourth generation of the Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge family. He loves coming to the restaurant and helping out wherever he can. He’s growing up around the same family business that shaped his mom, grandmother Debbie, and the generations before them.

When Jaxon isn’t at the Lodge, you’ll likely find him playing golf or baseball—two sports he loves. He hopes to take over the family business one day and keep the traditions started by his great-grandparents, Red and Lyttle, going for another generation.