Arthur Bryant's

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Arthur Bryant's
Arthur Bryant's logo.png
Arthur-bryants.jpg
Arthur Bryant's Barbeque at 18th and Brooklyn in Kansas City
Arthur Bryant's
Restaurant information
Established1908;117 years ago (1908)
Food type Barbecue Restaurant
Dress codeCasual
Street address1727 Brooklyn
City Kansas City
State Missouri
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 39°05′29″N94°33′22″W / 39.091383°N 94.55612°W / 39.091383; -94.55612
Website Official website

Arthur Bryant's is a restaurant located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is sometimes called the most famous barbecue restaurant in the United States, [1] and is credited for originating the barbeque dish burnt ends. [2]

Contents

History

In 1908, Henry Perry, the "father of Kansas City barbecue", began serving smoked meats from an alley stand to workers in the Garment District in Downtown Kansas City. Perry moved to the 18th Street and Vine neighborhood where he sold barbecue for 25 cents per slab from a trolley barn at 19th and Highland. [3] Charlie Bryant was an employee there and was soon joined by his brother Arthur Bryant. When Perry died in 1940, Charlie took over the restaurant and Arthur in turn took it over in 1946. [4] During this initial period of Arthur's ownership, the restaurant was located at 18th and Euclid. [5]

In 1958, Bryant moved the business to its present location, 1727 Brooklyn Avenue, at which point he renamed it after himself. [6] In the 1950s and through the early 1970s, it was visited by fans and players visiting Municipal Stadium, home to the Kansas City Athletics (1955–1967), Kansas City Chiefs (1963–1971) and Kansas City Royals (1969–1972). The stadium was located five blocks south of the restaurant until it was demolished in 1976.

U.S. President Barack Obama visited the restaurant in 2014. P072914PS-1794 (14992509108).jpg
U.S. President Barack Obama visited the restaurant in 2014.

The restaurant gained fame over the next several decades, and notable diners include President Harry S. Truman. [7] In 1974, it became the subject of international attention when the humorist Calvin Trillin, a native of Kansas City, extolled the restaurant in a piece in Playboy , writing that "it has long been acknowledged that the single best restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant's". [8] Since then, it has been frequented by famous visitors, including area resident Tom Watson, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Bryant Gumbel, Jimmy Carter, Jack Nicholson, [7] James Spader, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, and barbecue aficionados.

Arthur Bryant died in 1982, [4] and the restaurant was subsequently sold to the Rauschelbach family, with Jerry Rauschelbach serving as president of the company. [9] [10] [11] These new owners attempted to expand by opening two additional locations, one in Ameristar Casino and one near the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The location at Ameristar Casino closed in January 2014, [12] and the KCK location was closed in 2019, with the original location remaining open. [13]

In December 2022 it was announced that both the restaurant building & business had been sold to MMD Acquisitions LLC for an undisclosed amount. [14] The principal partner in the new company is local food industry professional, Andrew Miller. [15]

Location and menu

Interior of the location at 18th and Brooklyn in 2006. 09-01-06-ArthurBryant-int.jpg
Interior of the location at 18th and Brooklyn in 2006.

Despite the restaurant's reputation, the decor at the Brooklyn Avenue location has maintained an unpretentious presentation. Described by Bryant himself as a "grease house", the restaurant is laid out with Formica tables and plain chairs, fluorescent lighting, a service counter rather than table service, meals served on butcher paper, and the sauce itself applied to menu items using a paintbrush. [16] [17]

The restaurant is credited with originating and popularizing burnt ends, the flavorful end pieces of smoked beef brisket. Burnt ends were originally considered scraps and given away by Bryant as a side to other meals; after their rise in popularity, open-faced burnt end sandwiches were added to the menu. [18] [19]

The sauce first developed by Bryant, now known as "Original", is characterized by vinegar and paprika rather than sweetness. The restaurant also offers two other sauces, called "Rich and Spicy" and "Sweet Heat". [20] The sauces are openly available to diners in the restaurant, and bottles of the sauce can also be purchased at the restaurant as well as other local grocery stores and retailers in the Kansas City area and online. [21]

The menu features several smoked meats, including beef brisket, pulled pork, burnt ends, sausage, chicken, turkey, ham, and ribs. Meat can either be ordered by weight or plated as an open-faced sandwich with white bread and served with a side of fries. [22]

The restaurant and its sauce make several notable appearances in the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ comedy series Ted Lasso, in which main character Ted (portrayed by Kansas City native Jason Sudeikis) is an American Football coach from the Kansas City area recruited to coach a Premier League team in London. [23] In season one episode Biscuits, Ted receives a bottle of original sauce in a care package, which he describes as "some of the best Barbeque sauce in Kansas City, which makes it some of the best barbeque sauce in the world". A photo of the front of the original Brooklyn Avenue location appears as Ted's computer desktop. [24] The original sauce is also featured prominently in a scene in the season 3 episode Sunflowers, in which Ted is offered a bottle of the sauce at an American-themed restaurant in Amsterdam and subsequently experiences hallucinations that inspire him to develop a new football strategy. [25]

See also

References

  1. Staten, Vince; Johnson, Greg (2007). Real Barbecue: The Classic Barbecue Guide to the Best Joints Across the USA --- with Recipes, Porklore, and More!. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 179–181. ISBN   978-0762751952 . Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  2. Carter, Jack (April 9, 2024). "Pit perfection: meet Kansas City's barbecue pioneers". National Geographic Travel. National Geographic Partners, LLC. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  3. "Meet Henry Perry, the Black entrepreneur who created Kansas City barbecue". KCUR. Kansas City Public Radio. February 13, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Ogintz, Eileen (October 28, 2015). "Best of Kansas City barbecue". Fox News. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  5. "Biography of Arthur Bryant (1902-1982), Founder of Arthur Bryant's Barbecue". KC History. Kansas City Public Library. 2003. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  6. "Death of a Legend | KC History". kchistory.org. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Kansas City's Barbecue Rift Is Settled". The New York Times. July 4, 1992. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  8. "Playboy: April, 1972; an Explication". Full Custom Gospel BBQ. September 17, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  9. Hawley, Savannah (April 26, 2021). "Our city's barbecue is sweet and spicy, but its history is slow-cooked". The Pitch.
  10. "Kansas City's iconic Arthur Bryant's Barbeque has been sold". The Kansas City Star. The McClatchy Company. January 6, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  11. Smith, Joyce (July 6, 2023). "Building housing legendary Kansas City barbecue Arthur Bryant's gets new owners". The Kansas City Star. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  12. Joyce Smith (February 11, 2014). "816 Business: Martin City Pizza & Taproom opening Wednesday". Kansas City Star . Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  13. "Arthur Bryant's closes Legends location". Fox4KC. Fox Television Stations LLC. December 2, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  14. Smith, Joyce (December 14, 2022). "New owners for Kansas City's Arthur Bryant's BBQ building". Kansas City Star.
  15. Joyce, Smith (January 6, 2023). "Kansas City's iconic Arthur Bryant's Barbeque has been sold". Kansas City Star.
  16. "Arthur Bryant, Barbecue Man". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. December 30, 1982. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  17. "Arthur Bryant Legacy, Restauranteur – Legacy Bio" (PDF). American Royal. American Royal. 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  18. "Burnt Legend: The Story of Burnt Ends, Chapter 1 – Discard Destiny". Kansas City PBS. Public Broadcasting Service. September 18, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  19. Carter, Jack (April 9, 2024). "Pit perfection: meet Kansas City's barbecue pioneers". National Geographic Travel. National Geographic Partners, LLC. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  20. Carter, Jack (April 9, 2024). "Pit perfection: meet Kansas City's barbecue pioneers". National Geographic Travel. National Geographic Partners, LLC. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  21. Dignan, Devan (May 6, 2022). "Devan's Dozen: Sauce Edition". KCDiscovery. DisKCovery. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  22. "Arthur Bryant's Food Menu". Arthur Bryant's BBQ. Arthur Bryant’s BBQ. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  23. "Popular Kansas City barbecue spot shows up in Ted Lasso episodes". Fox4KC. Fox Television Stations LLC. April 7, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  24. "Every Arthur Bryant's Barbeque Reference in Ted Lasso". YouTube. Purple Hippo Cinema. June 22, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  25. "Every Arthur Bryant's Barbeque Reference in Ted Lasso". YouTube. Purple Hippo Cinema. June 22, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2025.

Further reading