In 1995, when Bill Norman began building his restaurant on a 3-acre piece of land in south Forsyth County, everyone told him he was crazy. They all said, “you’re building a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It’ll never make it.” But Bill had a dream. As a native Atlantan, Bill had been visiting Lake Lanier and Forsyth County since his childhood and has lived on Lake Lanier for almost twenty years. He knew that this would soon become one of the fastest growing suburban areas in the nation. You could say he was ahead of his time. 
Bill was born to be a restaurateur. His mother taught Home Economics and Bill spent a lot of time in her kitchen learning about food. He also has a genuine interest in making sure everyone around him is comfortable, happy and having fun. With this combination of qualities, the restaurant business was a natural fit.

Bill began his career at The Marriott at the age of 14, and later moved on to Victoria Station, where he spent 12 years as a Kitchen Manager and General Manager. In 1982, Bill left Victoria Station to become Chief Operating Officer of the new Longhorn Steaks concept, and went on to help the chain open 52 restaurants in his eleven years with the company. He left Longhorn Steaks in 1994 and took a well-deserved year off before realizing that he wasn’t really ready to retire. He began the search for a spot locally near home where he could make his dream a reality.

Bill’s idea was to bring a new look to restaurants, while staying away from the mainstream concepts that are in the industry today. Because Norman’s Landing is located near Lake Lanier, and because of it’s unique name, most folks expect to see a lake, and a dock in our backyard. But Bill named his restaurant in honor of his father, who was a B-24 pilot during WWII. His original vision was to create a restaurant inside of a hollowed-out B-24 bomber, along the same lines as the Victoria Station train car concept. Unfortunately, old B-24 bombers are hard to come by. As an alternative, Bill decided on a fish-camp style log cabin and Norman’s Landing was born.

It has always been important to Bill to serve the tastiest choice cut meats, tender ribs, tantalizing seafood and freshest vegetables all under one roof with awesome service to give his guests an extraordinary dining experience. He gathered a management team with over one hundred years of combined restaurant experience and knowledge and filled his log cabin with a great team of people who believed, as he did, that excellent food, terrific service, good value, relaxation and fun, make a great dining experience. At Norman’s Landing, “Let Us Spoil You” is not just a slogan…it is the principle we live by.

Another area where Bill won’t compromise is in community involvement. Since 1995, Norman’s Landing has contributed over $721,939 to organizations, agencies and schools located here in Forsyth County. Be sure to visit our Ping Pong room during your visit and your donation will assist the citizens of our community.

Thank you for visiting Norman’s Landing. We hope to see you often.