LC's Bar-B-Q

LC’s Bar-B-Q, located on Blue Parkway in southeast Kansas City, was founded by LC Richardson in 1986, and gained a devoted following, especially among Chiefs and Royals fans on the way to their stadiums nearby. LC’s isn’t the newest or oldest barbecue joint in Kansas City, but its customers are among the most loyal. Tausha Hammett, LC’s granddaughter who now operates the restaurant, believes word-of-mouth advertising works best for their one location, and is committed to preserving her grandfather’s culinary legacy.

LC Richardson got his start picking cotton in Mississippi. An entrepreneur from the beginning, he planted, harvested, and sold his own cotton so that he could leave home at age 18. Following a successful career at Farmland Industries in Kansas City, Richardson opened LC’s at the age of 52, where he could indulge his passion for cooking and hospitality.

In 1986, at its inception, LC’s was just a counter attached to a liquor store and smoking meats was done in a small smoker outside. But around 1990, when LC’s took over the full footprint of the building, LC installed a massive smoker inside the space, which has remained since.

Tausha Hammett, LC’s granddaughter, began working at the restaurant at age 12, before she was old enough to see over the counter, and didn’t understand why her grandfather wanted such a large smoker at first. But when she took over business operations and management of LC’s following his death in 2021, Hammett wished she could install two of the gigantic pit smokers, calling it the “moneymaker” because of the positive reactions of customers who love its smell and size.

Hammett has been dedicated to the history and legacy of LC’s since she was a girl, going on fishing trips with her grandfather to hear his stories and giving up weekends so that she could work the counter. Now that the torch has passed to her, Tausha brings the same level of determination and joy to the restaurant as LC, doing every job from lighting the pit fire, loading and unloading the smoker, and even cleaning up. It all comes down to passion; Hammett cooks every menu item as if she were going to eat it herself, the way her grandfather did, and that keeps customers clamoring for more.

Hawley, Savannah. Our city’s barbecue is sweet and spicy, but its history is slow-cooked, The Pitch. April 26th, 2021. Accessed July 17th, 2024. https://www.thepitchkc.com/our-citys-barbecue-is-sweet-and-spicy-but-its-history-is-slow-cooked/.

Kaufmann, Gina. At LC's Bar-B-Q In Kansas City, Tausha Hammett Keeps The Fire Alive For A New Generation, NPR in Kansas City, July 11th, 2021. Accessed July 17th, 2024. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2021-07-11/at-lcs-bar-b-q-in-kansas-city-tausha-hammett-keeps-the-fire-alive-for-a-new-generation.