From the Gates Bar-B-Q website, “these restaurants thrived as people from throughout the metropolitan area became avid customers, but more importantly, two milestones had been passed: first, the myth that Kansas City could accommodate only a few barbecue restaurants had been destroyed and secondly, that barbecue had been elevated to a respectable industry.”
The new challenge for the family then was to keep up with demand.
“We had a product that everybody recognized and wanted. So they came to wherever we were to get that,” said Arzelia. “People loved the smell of the smoke, and they like the taste of the product we were putting out. So I think that established us. Then we tried to become a brand, and we branded ourselves over that course of time.”
It was also in 1975 when major supermarkets started selling Gates Bar-B-Q Sauce. The tangy, vinegar-based sauce is a staple of Kansas City barbecue much like their sandwich “The Nooner.” Created by Arzelia, it’s a slice of meat, whether beef, ham, turkey, or pork, topped with burnt ends.
“Burnt ends started off as not something you would serve, but something you would let sit on the counter to let your customers taste,” said Bianca. “Now it’s a become a mainstream dish for barbecue fans everywhere.”
Topped off by their signature sauce, their signature ribs and burnt ends, is their classic customer service. With 75 years and counting, Gates Bar-B-Q plans to keep expanding and being a staple in not only the Black community, but a model restaurant in general.
‘We know how important it is to have Black businesses last 75 years,” said Bianca. “Especially when they stay in the community and they really pay attention to making themselves part of the culture. I feel a personal responsibility to keep that going as long as I possibly can, and I know whatever I do in the future will be so that someone else can keep that going.”