One barbecue mainstay is closed at Legends Outlets but another one opens in the area

Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque has closed its Legends Outlets location after more than 15 years.

The freestanding restaurant, at 1702 Village West Parkway, was one of the first to open in the shopping and entertainment project in Kansas City, Kansas.

“To me, it has underperformed for the last three years. I’ve had the building for sale for a year-and-a-half,” said Bryant’s owner Jerry Rauschelbach. “It didn’t look or have the feel of the original restaurant. If I ever do another one, which I could and I may, it is just going to be like the original with a wood burning pit and the whole bit.”

Arthur Bryant’s moved to 1727 Brooklyn Ave. in 1959, according to The Kansas City Star’s archives. The Brooklyn location is dubbed the Original Arthur Bryant’s.

Meanwhile, Blind Box BBQ is now open inside Nebraska Furniture Mart, 1601 Village West Parkway, by the Legends Outlets.

Blind Box BBQ, which offers a “modern take on classic Kansas City barbecue,” first opened in Shawnee in 2015. The menu features pulled pork, beef brisket, burnt ends and smoked sausage, as well as such items as Caesar salad, burgers and creme brulee.

It also has a coffee bar, The Pressed Pig Coffee+Bar, which offers house-made pastries.

Blind Box BBQ and the Pressed Pig share a dining room seating 100 people and a 4,000-square-foot patio with fire pits and TVs. They also serve craft beers.

“They are coming for a meal or coffee and then go back to shop,” said Joe Tulipana, owner and founder of Blind Box BBQ. “We offer alcohol that can be carried around the entire store.”

In a statement, Ethan Stover, director of the 450,000-square-foot Kansas Nebraska Furniture Mart, said the new restaurant and coffee bar will give customers a “place to land, to think about purchases and to have a better experience overall.”

Blind Box BBQ’s hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Pressed Pig’s hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 1:29 PM.