Kansas City burger restaurant closed last year. It’s opening a bigger spot soon
Last year, Kansas City burger restaurant Sauced closed its 1881-B Main St. spot and made an ambiguous post on its Instagram.
“What’s the next five years look like for SAUCED?” the caption read.
The comments section featured a mixture of grieving, confused fans.
“Y’all better come back … please,” wrote one user. “Don’t do us like that,” said another.
Another commented “No,” with a series of 28 o’s.
Good news for those fans: Sauced is indeed coming back, this time in a much larger space.
The restaurant will reopen across the street at 7 E. 19th St. Owner Steven Blakley said he hopes to begin soft openings next week or in the following few weeks. He encouraged fans to check social media for updates.
Sauced, which has been around since 2020, has built a faithful following in the Crossroads. While Blakley enjoyed his time at his 125-square-foot stand with no interior seats, it became increasingly difficult to operate as his brand grew.
“That space, there was no AC, no HVAC in there, no heating element,” he said. “So the seasonalities would actually really affect us.”
The new location is 2,000 square feet and will seat 40 inside. Blakley plans to add outdoor seating as well. And yes, his new spot will have air conditioning.
“I designed it in a way that it could be a bit flexible, that we could somewhat play into the Crossroads,” he said. “We can do cool activations or host different people that may want to use the space.”
For now, Sauced will have its same base menu, which includes smash burgers with Dijon aioli, Cajun buttermilk chicken sandwiches, and “loaded” burgers with brisket.
Blakley expects to offer more as he settles into the space.
Restaurant group U-Hungry? is run by Blakley in collaboration with chef Jayaun Smith, a Season 20 competitor on “Hell’s Kitchen.”
Upscale restaurant Triune, which opened at 1656 Washington St. in 2024, is also part of Blakley’s restaurant group.
Sauced is currently one of several local food vendors at the FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City.
Disco Burger, another local burger spot, is opening its second location in Brookside soon. Its new restaurant will be at 600 E. 63rd St.