In a region where growth seems to be happening on every corner, some businesses survive because they constantly reinvent themselves. Others survive because they know exactly who they are.
For more than 50 years, Lineberger’s Cattle Company Steakhouse & Saloon has been serving families in Sherrills Ford and throughout the Lake Norman region. While ownership has changed over the years, the restaurant’s commitment to quality food, friendly service, and small-town hospitality has remained remarkably consistent.
Long before Sherrills Ford became one of Lake Norman’s fastest-growing communities, Lineberger’s was already welcoming guests through its doors. Generations of local residents have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, family gatherings, and special occasions around its tables. For many families, a trip to Lineberger’s has become a tradition passed from one generation to the next.
What makes the restaurant’s story especially unique is that each ownership transition has been guided by a similar philosophy: preserve what people love.
In 2020, Jim and Tamra McCann purchased the restaurant after relocating from Mississippi. According to reports at the time, their goal was not to reinvent Lineberger’s, but to maintain the qualities that had made it a local favorite for decades.
Ownership later transitioned to Brian and Melissa Shillinglaw, longtime customers who understood the restaurant’s importance to the community. Rather than making sweeping changes, they embraced the traditions that had built Lineberger’s reputation and committed themselves to carrying those traditions forward.
That consistency may be the secret to the restaurant’s longevity.
While many independent restaurants have come and gone over the years, Lineberger’s has remained committed to the things its guests value most:
• Quality hand-cut steaks
• Prime rib and seafood favorites
• The restaurant’s well-known salad bar
• A welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere
• Private dining spaces for celebrations and gatherings
• Friendly service that makes guests feel at home
Walk through the doors today and you’ll still find much of the rustic charm that longtime customers remember. The atmosphere feels familiar, comfortable, and authentic—a reflection of the community it serves.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the Lineberger’s story is that while ownership has changed, the mission has not.
Each group of owners appears to have understood that they were not simply purchasing a restaurant. They were becoming caretakers of a local institution.
In an era when many businesses chase trends, Lineberger’s has built its success on consistency. Families know what to expect when they arrive. They know they’ll find quality food, friendly faces, and an experience that feels much the same as it did years ago.
That reliability has earned the restaurant something every business hopes to achieve but few ever do: loyalty across generations.
Today, as Sherrills Ford continues to grow and evolve, Lineberger’s remains one of the community’s most recognizable gathering places—a restaurant where longtime residents, newcomers, and visitors can all pull up a chair and feel welcome.
The owners may have changed over the years, but the mission never did:
Serve great food. Welcome people like family. Protect a Lake Norman tradition.
And after more than five decades, that commitment continues to make Lineberger’s one of the most enduring dining destinations in the Lake Norman region.
Address: 6747 E NC Highway 150, Sherrills Ford, NC 28673
Phone: (704) 483-2276
🌐 Family-owned steakhouse serving the Lake Norman community for more than 50 years, known for quality steaks, prime rib, seafood, a popular salad bar, and a welcoming atmosphere that has stood the test of time.
