Gates Bar-B-Q

Founded in 1946 by George W. Gates as "Gates' Famous Old Kentucky Bar-B-Q", the institution now known as Gates' Bar-B-Q is one of the great food staples of Kansas City. Known for its generous portions, renowned barbeque sauce, spiffy "Struttin' Man" logo, and the loud "HI, MAY I HELP YOU" greeting from it's employees, Gates has seen many iterations over its nearly 70-year history. The first location was opened at 19th and Vine, before moving several times and opening numerous other locations. Now boasting five restaurants across the Kansas City metro area, Gates' Bar-B-Q has prove to be an enduring and delicious pillar of the culinary and social fabric of Kansas City.

The history of Gates Bar-B-Q is inextricably intertwined with the history of Kansas City barbeque. According to KCUR, the franchise has its deepest roots in the work of entrepreneur Henry Perry, the self-proclaimed "Barbeque King of Kansas City". Perry arrived on the scene in 1907 and opened a stand selling smoked barbequed meat in Downtown's Garment District, before moving to 18th and Vine, where he sparked the development of hundreds of eateries. Furthermore, the article says, "in spite of it being the Jim Crow era, [Perry] consistently attracted a diverse customer base." When Perry passed away in 1940 at the age of sixty-six, his legacy gave rise to two of the longest-standing traditions of Kansas City barbeque. Perry's initial business was sold to brothers Arthur and Charlie Bryant, who would go on to found Arthur Bryant's at 18th and Brooklyn. The other side of the fork was a man named Arthur Pinkard, who would go on to become the cook at the restaurant opened by George W. Gates in in 1946.

The Gates franchise has had a long a somewhat turbulent history. The original location was opened at 19th and Vine, before growing popularity prompted a move to 23rd and Charlotte in 1949. In 1951, plans for further expansion saw the restaurant move back to 19th and Vine, though a fire that same year forced Gates to move his business to 24th and Brooklyn, where it would remain for much of the decade. The next big change would come in 1954, when a second restaurant was opened at 12th and Highland. Two years after that, the business rebranded to Gates & Sons Bar-B-Q as George Gates' son Ollie began playing a more active role in the company, as well as opening his own restaurant/club, O.G.'s at 31st and Indiana.

Over time, Ollie Gates further expanded the business, adding the Swope Parkway location in 1970 and a State Line location in 1972. The franchise also opened a Kansas City, Kansas location in 1975 and an Independence, MO location in 1979. However, the biggest change came in 1975, when Gates began offering a bottled version of their renowned barbeque sauce in stores across the metro. They expanded to nationwide distribution in 1983, with a manufacturing facility opening in Kansas City two years later. Though new facilities continued to spring up into the new century, the continued success of the Gate brand was tempered in 2005 by the loss of matriarch Arzelia June Smith Gates, followed by her daughter Winnifred in 2007. Through it all, the Gates family has continued to provide fantastic food and service to the Kansas City metro area.

GatesBBQ. “Gates History: Gates Bar-B-Q.” Gates Bar-B-Q, April 8, 2014. https://gatesbbq.com/history/. 

Martin, Mackenzie. “Meet the Black Entrepreneur Who Created Kansas City Barbecue in the Early 1900s.” KCUR 89.3 - NPR in Kansas City. NPR, February 13, 2021. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2021-02-13/meet-the-Black-entrepreneur-who-created-kansas-city-barbecue-in-the-early-1900s.