Kansas City restaurant with the ‘best tender’ celebrates nine decades with specials

The Tenderloin Grill, a mainstay on the city’s West Side, is celebrating its 90th anniversary this week.

The restaurant, at 900 Southwest Blvd., said it is known as the “Home of Kansas City’s Best Tender.”

So its hand-battered pork tenderloin sandwiches will be $5 this week, a $1 off (while supplies last). Customers with dogs will receive a free “pup cup,” a special cup of whipped cream to eat on the recently expanded, pet-friendly patio.

From 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, its official anniversary date, customers will get a free one-scoop ice cream cone (with a purchase of a tenderloin sandwich) at its new ice cream counter, Boulevard Ice Cream Parlor.

It said 15% of this week’s sales will be donated to the KC Pet Project.

Other menu items include burgers, pig snoot sandwiches, grilled hot dogs and North Atlantic cod filet sandwiches.

Tenderloin Grill started as a food pushcart by the Nabor family. Ricardo Herrera purchased the restaurant in 1974, and the Herrera family owned and operated it for nearly five decades.

A year ago, three men affiliated with Minsky’s Pizza Cafe & Bar purchased the restaurant from the Herrera family: Minsky’s founder Gregg Johnson, Angel Hernandez, general manager of the Minsky’s on Southwest Boulevard, and Ken Kantner, area director and partner in Minsky’s.

Hernandez, who is now also general manager of Tenderloin Grill, said he’s been a West Side resident his whole life and been a longtime customer of the Tenderloin Grill. As a child he would return pop bottles for a nickel each, saving up the funds so he could buy a “tender.”

This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 1:02 PM.