Iconic Kansas City barbecue chain walks back extended World Cup hours
An iconic Kansas City barbecue chain has walked back its Sunday hours two weeks after announcing its new temporary schedule, citing an increase in foot traffic.
Joe’s Kansas City Barbecue announced the news in an Instagram post Monday, saying the business needed to give staff time to rest and recharge.
“During the past two weeks, we have worked hard to meet the growing demand for our restaurants. While we appreciate the enthusiasm and support, we’ve learned this places significant strain on our team and our operations,” the post said.
The business previously told The Star that the plan was to serve on Sundays through World Cup and resume normal hours July 12.
The local restaurant chain has been a stop for tourists and has captured the attention of Southern Living, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Food & Wine, The Eater and several others. Anthony Bourdain declared the spot to have the best BBQ in the world.
It was founded by Joe Davidson and Jeff Stehney in 1996 in Oklahoma. Jeff and his wife, Joy Stehney, wanted to open something in the neighborhood convenience store on 47th Street, which became the iconic barbecue gas station destination.
While Joe’s offers pulled pork sandwiches, rib slabs and barbecue sausage, the Z-Man sandwich is easily the most popular. Joe’s locations are open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Previous reporting by Jenna Thompson was used in this piece.
