Popular late-night pizza spot closed in KC’s Westport. Here’s what’s taking its place
Longtime local food company Guy’s Snacks in Kansas City, Kansas, is branching out with a new eatery in Westport.
Guy’s Deli at Kelly’s is taking the former Joe’s Pizza Buy the Slice space at 4058 Pennsylvania Ave. for an opening in early to mid-December.
It will have a walk-up window in the back of Kelly’s Westport Inn and another walk-up window on Pennsylvania.
Guy’s Deli at Kelly’s will serve deli sandwiches and pizza for lunch and dinner, including box lunches, and then only pizza for late night.
It will use Joe’s recipes for pizza and chicken wings — and provide honey for the crust like Joe’s did — along with Guy’s potato chips and snacks.
One of the pizzas will be named after Joe Addington, founder of Joe’s Pizza.
“I couldn’t be more excited to bring the concept to life and be part of the Westport community,” said Andrew Miller, president of Guy’s Snacks. “Delicious deli sandwiches, Joe’s pizza, appetizers for the game. We’ll have our chips.”
He said the barbecue chips were first produced in 1954 and are “still the best.”
Guy and Francis Caldwell started Guy’s Nut & Candy Co. in 1938 with a peanut roaster in the back of a storeroom. They roasted, sold and delivered their peanuts to bars and grocery stores throughout the metro.
Now the company has a variety of potato chip flavors — including barbecue, green onion, cheddar and sour cream, and Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que French Fry Seasoning — along with pretzels and Tasty Mix.
They are sold in grocery stores in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, on Amazon and through the Guy’s online store.
Guy’s jingle, “Don’t Forget the Guy’s, Guy’s potato chips” is a catchy tune that has stuck in the brains of many Kansas Citians long after the music has stopped playing.
Miller became a Kansas City distributor of Guy’s Snacks in 2014 and bought the company in 2018. He is third generation in the family-owned Spanish Gardens in Kansas City, Kansas — founded in 1958 and featuring a variety of Mexican food products.
He will open a Guy’s Deli Express in the new $1.5 billion terminal at Kansas City International Airport, and also plans to open additional deli locations.
“The brand loyalty, the brand recognition, has been humbling,” he said of Guy’s. “Now we have a couple of legacy brands here, which is awesome.”
Addington closed Joe’s Pizza Buy the Slice a couple of weeks ago and retired after more than two decades as owner.