Kansas City-style Barbecue - Gates & Sons

Gates & Sons

In 1946 Arthur Pinkard, who was a cook for Perry, joined with George Gates to form Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q. The restaurant was situated initially in the same neighborhood.

Gates barbecue sauce does NOT contain molasses, and the ingredients, as listed on the bottle, are: "Tomatoes, vinegar, salt, sugar, celery, garlic, spices, and pepper. 1/10 of 1% potassium sorbate preservative added." It is available in Original Classic, Mild, Sweet & Mild, and Extra Hot varieties.

Gates also expanded its footprint in a more conventional way, with restaurants all displaying certain trademarks—red-roofed buildings, a recognizable logo (a strutting man clad in tuxedo and top hat) and the customary "Hi, May I Help You?" greeting belted out by its employees as patrons enter.

Gates has opened restaurants throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. The chain currently consists of 6 area Gates Bar-B-Q restaurants: 4 in Missouri, 2 in Kansas. Gates also has sold barbecue sandwiches at Kauffman Stadium during Kansas City Royals home games, and currently at Arrowhead Stadium during Kansas City Chiefs home games.

While Gates represents the pinnacle of the Kansas City BBQ community in many respects, restaurants with similar styles have cropped up across the region. Most notably, a small establishment called LC's, which specializes in smoking short ribs, utilizes a similar sauce, however it is notable for using substantially less sugar and more vinegar. Mississippi born L.C. Richardson took early retirement as a company chef for Farmland Industries and opened LC's Bar-B-Q in 1986. LC's is also commonly believed to forgo the use of a rub, saucing the meat prior to smoking and continually saucing throughout the cooking process. This technique forms a thin, chewy and extremely flavorful layer on the outside of the meat and effectively seals the ribs, resulting in a remarkably tender and juicy finished product. LC's Bar-B-Q has also been featured on the Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.