Gates Bar-B-Q (12th & Brooklyn Location)

Founded in 1946 by George W. Gates as "Gates' Famous Old Kentucky Bar-B-Q," Gates' Bar-B-Q is widely regarded as a Kansas City institution. The restaurant's original location was within what is now the 18th and Vine neighborhood. With the growing popularity of their food and barbeque sauce, the company acquired this location which is located near the company's headquarters. This location features a statue of the company's "Struttin' Man" logo, and similar to all Gates locations, guests should expect an enthusiastic "HI, MAY I HELP YOU" greeting from staff when they enter the service line. 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 is a pillar of the culinary and social fabric of Kansas City. This restaurant at 12th and Brooklyn has been in operation since 1954.

The history of Gates Bar-B-Q is inextricably intertwined with the history of Kansas City barbeque. According to numerous sources, the franchise and Kansas City BBQ both have their roots in the work of entrepreneur Henry Perry, the self-proclaimed "Barbeque King of Kansas City." In 1907, Perry 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 1946.

The Gates franchise has had a long history of operating restaurants throughout the metro area. 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 a 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 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.