Kansas City Barbeque

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Kansas City Barbeque
Kansas City Barbeque San Diego - September 2010 001.jpg
September 2010
Kansas City Barbeque
Restaurant information
Established1983
Location San Diego, California
Coordinates 32°42′41.8″N117°10′7.2″W / 32.711611°N 117.168667°W / 32.711611; -117.168667
Website www.kcbbq.net

Kansas City Barbeque is a restaurant and bar in the Marina district in San Diego, California. Self-proclaimed as the "Top Gun Bar", [1] it is known for being a filming location for scenes used in the film Top Gun . [2]

Contents

Top Gun

Piano used in Top Gun, one of the few items that survived the 2008 fire Kansas City Barbeque San Diego - September 2010 006.jpg
Piano used in Top Gun, one of the few items that survived the 2008 fire

While working in San Diego, the location director for Paramount Pictures visited Kansas City Barbeque for a beer. He liked the atmosphere and brought the bar to the attention of film director Tony Scott. Scott asked the owners to shut the establishment down for a day in order to use the bar for shooting. [3]

The bar was used in a scene in which Goose and Maverick (played by Anthony Edwards and Tom Cruise, respectively) belt out "Great Balls of Fire" while seated at the piano. The now famous line by Meg Ryan, "Goose, you big stuuuuuud! Take me to bed or lose me forever!" was uttered in the dining area of Kansas City Barbeque. [4] The bar was also used in the final scene, where the song "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is heard playing on the jukebox. [5]

Fire

On June 26, 2008, a fire destroyed the entire building. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman, Maurice Luque, described the building as "gutted". [2] The fire originated in an open cooking pit in the kitchen of the restaurant and eventually spread to the building's interior. [6] No injuries were sustained and an estimated 45 firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in 20 minutes. The damage was estimated at $400,000, excluding memorabilia and props from the film. [2]

Establishment owner and Kansas City native, Martin Blair, began planning the building's restoration the day after the fire. It took two months to clear out the rubble from the restaurant, [7] but the bar reopened in November 2008. [8]

References

  1. ↑ Balla, Lesley (June 27, 2008). ""Top Gun Bar" Burns Down in San Diego". Archived from the original on August 26, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Gross, Greg; Shroder, Susan. "Noted restaurant destroyed by fire". Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  3. ↑ "How did the bar became famous from the hit movie "Top Gun"?". Kansas City Barbeque. Archived from the original on May 5, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Goose, You Big Stud . . " . Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Christopher. "'Top Gun' Bar Destroyed". Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  6. ↑ The Associated Press (June 30, 2008). "Fire guts San Diego eatery featured in 'Top Gun'". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  7. ↑ Repard, Pauline. "'Nothing too glitzy' for rebuilt restaurant". Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Kansas City BBQ Reopens for First Time Since Fire". KFMBTV. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
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