Joe’s Kansas City BBQ Opened in a Gas Station and is now an Iconic Brand

Joy Stehney, co-founder of Joe's KC BBQ, exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurial grit and passion. The Stehney’s transformed a neighborhood gas station kitchen into a legendary barbecue destination known worldwide.

Watch to learn about the restaurant journey, building a sustainable business, and offering to cater Taylor Swift’s wedding.

#entrepreneur #toast #restaurantinfluencers #joeskcbbq #kcbbq

Chapters:

[02:48] - Joy Stehney Backstory

[09:16] - The Branding Reboot

[15:26] - Vendor Selection Process

[19:46] - Partnering with the Kansas City Current

[28:25] - Secret to a Successful Family Business

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —

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Episode Links:

Joe’s KC Barbecue Online

Joe’s KC Barbecue Instagram

Joy Stehney Instagram

Joy Stehney LinkedIn

Takeaways:

Starting a Restaurant from a Gas Station - Joy Stehney and her husband Jeff, started their restaurant journey as competitors in the storied Kansas City BBQ scene. After seeing success at BBQ comps, they took steps to open a brick-and-mortar spot, including leasing a kitchen in a gas station.

Building a Catering Business - As a catering business, it is important that quality food makes it to the customer. Joy Stehney and company have figured out the formula for ensuring catering clients receive good food and good service. Their goal is to be the best, not the biggest.

Catering Taylor Swift’s Wedding - Joe’s KC Barbecue is a staple spot, especially in the Kansas City community. With visitors that include Kansas City Chiefs Superstar Travis Kelce, Joy Stehney is more than willing to lend their services to nuptials between Kelce and his superstar girlfriend, should they occur.

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ABOUT JOY STEHNEY—

Joy and Jeff’s Stehney restaurant journey began in 1990, after attending a barbecue contest with a friend. Jeff was captivated by the smoke, the aroma, the camaraderie, the competition, and the food, which ignited his passion for barbecue. Inspired, the Stehneys purchased a competition-style smoker and, along with some friends, formed a barbecue team named Slaughterhouse Five. After winning several competitions, the Stehneys were prompted to start a catering business that has since grown to what we know today.

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —

Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Kim Malek, Meredith Sandland, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media

Produced by Cali BBQ Media