Gates Bar-B-Q
History: adding cause of fire, adding ref
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Gates Bar-B-Q was founded in 1946 when George and Arzelia Gates purchased Ol' Kentuck Bar-B-Q, a restaurant located at 19th and Vine in Kansas City. Renamed Gates Ol' Kentucky, the business was operated by the couple, their three children, and cook Arthur Pinkard, who had previously trained under Kansas City barbecue pioneer Henry Perry.{{cite book |last=Moss |first=Robert F. |title=Barbecue: The History of an American Institution |publisher=[[University of Alabama Press]] p' 167 |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-8173-1718-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/barbecuehistoryo00moss }}{{cite news |last=Gurstelle |first=William M. |url= https://www.twincities.com/2016/07/16/kansas-city-missouri-travel/ |title=Getting to the heart of Kansas City, Mo.: barbecue, bebop and baseball |work=[[St. Paul Pioneer-Press]] |date=July 16, 2016 |accessdate=February 14, 2020}}{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Mackenzie |title=Kansas City Barbecue Legends Ollie Gates And Arthur Bryant Inducted Into Hall Of Fame |website=KCUR |date=September 18, 2021 |url=https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2021-09-18/kansas-city-barbecue-legends-ollie-gates-and-arthur-bryant-inducted-into-hall-of-fame |access-date=April 14, 2026}} The original storefront was situated within the [[18th and Vine Historic District|18th & Vine Jazz District]], an area central to the city's jazz and barbecue traditions.{{cite news |last=Reid |first=Cat |url= https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/american-jazz-museum-works-to-change-its-tune-perception |title=American Jazz Museum works to change its tune, perception |work=[[KSHB-TV]] |date=September 3, 2019 |accessdate=February 14, 2020}} From 1948 to 1967, the restaurant was listed in ''[[The Negro Motorist Green Book]]'' as a hospitable destination for African American travelers during the [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow era]]. |
Gates Bar-B-Q was founded in 1946 when George and Arzelia Gates purchased Ol' Kentuck Bar-B-Q, a restaurant located at 19th and Vine in Kansas City. Renamed Gates Ol' Kentucky, the business was operated by the couple, their three children, and cook Arthur Pinkard, who had previously trained under Kansas City barbecue pioneer Henry Perry.{{cite book |last=Moss |first=Robert F. |title=Barbecue: The History of an American Institution |publisher=[[University of Alabama Press]] p' 167 |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-8173-1718-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/barbecuehistoryo00moss }}{{cite news |last=Gurstelle |first=William M. |url= https://www.twincities.com/2016/07/16/kansas-city-missouri-travel/ |title=Getting to the heart of Kansas City, Mo.: barbecue, bebop and baseball |work=[[St. Paul Pioneer-Press]] |date=July 16, 2016 |accessdate=February 14, 2020}}{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Mackenzie |title=Kansas City Barbecue Legends Ollie Gates And Arthur Bryant Inducted Into Hall Of Fame |website=KCUR |date=September 18, 2021 |url=https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2021-09-18/kansas-city-barbecue-legends-ollie-gates-and-arthur-bryant-inducted-into-hall-of-fame |access-date=April 14, 2026}} The original storefront was situated within the [[18th and Vine Historic District|18th & Vine Jazz District]], an area central to the city's jazz and barbecue traditions.{{cite news |last=Reid |first=Cat |url= https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/american-jazz-museum-works-to-change-its-tune-perception |title=American Jazz Museum works to change its tune, perception |work=[[KSHB-TV]] |date=September 3, 2019 |accessdate=February 14, 2020}} From 1948 to 1967, the restaurant was listed in ''[[The Negro Motorist Green Book]]'' as a hospitable destination for African American travelers during the [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow era]]. |
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The business moved to 23rd and Charlotte in 1949 but returned to the 19th and Vine area in 1951. After a fire |
The business moved to 23rd and Charlotte in 1949 but returned to the 19th and Vine area in 1951. After a fire caused when Ollie Gates and his brother-in-law accidentally left a trash can containing cigarette ashes inside the building, the restaurant relocated to 24th and Brooklyn, remaining there until 1957. Expansion continued in 1954 with the opening of a second location at 12th and Highland. In 1956, the company was renamed Gates & Son's Bar-B-Q after George's son, Ollie, joined the management following his service in the U.S. Army. Ollie Gates opened a separate restaurant and lounge, "O.G's," at 31st and Indiana in 1958, where he applied his engineering background to the design of the kitchen's barbecue ovens and the building's layout.{{cite web |last=Hodes |first=David |title=9 Over 90: Ollie Gates |website=Kansas City Magazine |date=March 20, 2025 |url=https://kansascitymag.com/9-over-90-ollie-gates/ |access-date=April 14, 2026}}{{cite web |title=Gates History |website=Gates Bar-B-Q |url=https://gatesbbq.com/history/ |access-date=April 14, 2026}}{{cite interview |last=Gates |first=Ollie |subject-link= |year=2018 |title=Ollie Gates - Gates Bar-B-Q |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/afc/afc2018029/afc2018029_05321/afc2018029_05321_ms01.pdf |work=The Green Book: Documenting African American Entrepreneurs |interviewer-last=Taylor |interviewer-first=Candacy |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=April 20, 2026}} |
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Ollie Gates assumed leadership of the company following the death of George Gates in 1960. During the 1950s and 1960s, the restaurants began to receive national attention due to their proximity to Municipal Stadium; visiting sports media and fans for professional baseball and football games frequently cited the establishment's barbecue. To maintain consistency across multiple sites, the company created "Rib Tech", an internal training program for staff. This era also introduced the "Struttin' Man" logo, a tuxedo-clad figure inspired by the [[Louis Armstrong]] song "Struttin' With Some Barbecue." |
Ollie Gates assumed leadership of the company following the death of George Gates in 1960. During the 1950s and 1960s, the restaurants began to receive national attention due to their proximity to Municipal Stadium; visiting sports media and fans for professional baseball and football games frequently cited the establishment's barbecue. To maintain consistency across multiple sites, the company created "Rib Tech", an internal training program for staff. This era also introduced the "Struttin' Man" logo, a tuxedo-clad figure inspired by the [[Louis Armstrong]] song "Struttin' With Some Barbecue." |
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