Intentional Expectations Hospitality Group (IEHG) is continuing its North Georgia expansion with plans to bring The Butcher & Bottle to Ball Ground this winter, marking the hospitality group’s seventh restaurant and third location of The Butcher & Bottle steakhouse(opens in new tab) brand.
The new restaurant will be located at 235 Gilmer Ferry Road in Ball Ground and represents the next chapter of growth for both IEHG and The Butcher & Bottle, joining the brand’s established restaurants in Ellijay and Alpharetta. The upstairs is intentionally designed to house up to 100 guests including patio for private party rentals.
The Ball Ground project is being developed in conjunction with Lynwood Group, led by Woody Snell, with Lucas Hall and Trilogy Contracting Group serving as general contractor for the build-out.
For IEHG Founder and CEO Adam Anacker, Ball Ground represents exactly the type of North Georgia community where The Butcher & Bottle can thrive — a city that has retained its authentic small-town character while experiencing significant residential and commercial growth.
“We’ve had our eyes on Ball Ground for a while,” Anacker said. “There is something special happening here. You still have that genuine North Georgia small-town feel, but everywhere you look there are new homes, new families and new energy coming into the area. I believe Ball Ground is ready for a restaurant like The Butcher & Bottle, and our goal is to build something this community can really be proud of.”
The Butcher & Bottle is IEHG’s elevated, chef-driven steakhouse concept, bringing together Southern-inspired cuisine, quality ingredients, polished execution and genuine hospitality in an atmosphere designed to feel refined, comfortable and approachable.
At the center of the brand is a straightforward philosophy: great steaks, fresh seafood, southern-insprired plates and polished hospitality shouldn’t have to be reserved for birthdays and anniversaries. The goal is to create enough depth in the food and beverage programs that guests can visit once or twice a week and have a different experience each time.
“The vision has never been to build a restaurant people only think about twice a year,” Anacker said. “If we’re doing our job right, you should be able to visit us once or twice a week and continue finding reasons to come back.”
That balance between quality, value and frequency is an important part of The Butcher & Bottle’s identity.
Ball Ground will become the third location of The Butcher & Bottle, following the brand’s original Ellijay restaurant and its Alpharetta location, which opened February 2, 2026.
Within the IEHG portfolio, The Butcher & Bottle represents a more elevated dining experience. While B&B Tavern is centered around the neighborhood tavern experience and B&B Social combines food, drinks and entertainment.
Ball Ground, however, will not simply duplicate Ellijay or Alpharetta. IEHG intends for each Butcher & Bottle to share the core DNA of the brand while still developing a personality that reflects the community it serves.
“We’re building a brand, not a chain of identical restaurants,” Anacker said. “There should be things that immediately tell you you’re at The Butcher & Bottle, but Ball Ground should still feel like Ball Ground. I want our restaurants to belong to the communities they serve.”
The project is being developed alongside Lynwood Group, led by Woody Snell, bringing together a team with deep interest in the continued growth and development of Ball Ground. Construction will be led by Lucas Hall and Trilogy Contracting Group, adding another local connection to the project and its development.
IEHG is working alongside its development and construction partners to create an environment consistent with The Butcher & Bottle identity — warm, polished, distinctly Southern, comfortable and sophisticated without being pretentious.
Additional details surrounding the restaurant’s design, menu, leadership team and opening timeline will be announced as construction progresses.
The Ball Ground announcement represents another significant milestone for IEHG and its continued expansion across North Georgia.
Anacker founded IEHG in 2020 with the opening of the group’s first restaurant B&B Tavern(opens in new tab) on Sixes Road in Canton. Brian Stanley, now COO of IEHG, later joined the company and has played an integral role in building the operational foundation, leadership structure and systems that have allowed the restaurant group to continue expanding.
IEHG remains focused on opportunities where the community, real estate, partnerships and concept align, rather than adding restaurants simply for the sake of increasing the company’s location count.
“Seven restaurants is a great milestone, and having three Butcher & Bottle locations says a lot about where I believe this brand can go,” Anacker said. “But I’m not interested in chasing a number. I want us to build great restaurants, develop great people, take care of the communities that support us and be prepared when the right opportunities present themselves.”
Thank you to Adam Anacker for the exclusive Scoop!
Author Suzanne Rogoff Taylor
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