American Way Smokehouse (Kansas City)

a satellite of an Arizona-origin BBQ brand (founded Chandler, AZ; rebranded a smokehouse in 2014) that expanded to the KC metro paired with its Merchant Square antique marketplace concept. Despite cooking KC-style BBQ and branding itself “Kansas City,” it is an out-of-market brand. Tier 3 (out-of-market) — disclosure overlay.

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Description

The American Way Smokehouse in Independence, Missouri (17710 East 39th St S) is a satellite of an Arizona-origin barbecue brand.¹² The brand began in Chandler, Arizona in 2010 inside founder Mike Moore’s Merchant Square Antique Mall, serving pizza and sandwiches, and rebranded as “American Way Smokehouse” in 2014 after Moore acquired industrial smokers.³ The KC-metro unit — the brand’s “newest location” — replicates the same paired concept (Merchant Square antique marketplace + American Way Smokehouse) transplanted from Arizona, indicating a company-style expansion of the same ownership enterprise rather than an unrelated local franchise.²⁴

⚑ Ownership disclosure: Despite cooking KC-style BBQ and branding itself “American Way Smokehouse — Kansas City,” this is an out-of-market (Arizona) brand, founded and headquartered in Chandler, AZ by an Arizona native. It does not meet the Tier 1 “pride + dedication to a KC owner’s roots” standard.

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Ownership and history

Ownership

Period	Owner / Operator	Notes
2010 → present (AZ)	Mike Moore — Merchant Square / American Way Smokehouse, Chandler AZ	Opened 2010; rebranded smokehouse 2014.3
~2023 → present (KC)	Same brand enterprise (Independence MO satellite)	“Newest location”; paired Merchant Square + smokehouse concept transplanted from AZ. Named local operating individual.24

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Sources

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Disputes

(None active.)

Footnotes

1. American Way Smokehouse — Kansas City page. https://americanwaysmokehouse.com/americanwaysmokehousekansascity — asserts: Independence MO location at 17710 East 39th St S; KC-style BBQ (brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork). ↩

2. American Way Smokehouse — “Locations.” https://americanwaysmokehouse.com/page/locations — asserts: Chandler AZ (original) + Independence MO (“newest location”); “the tradition continues in two great cities.” ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. American Way Smokehouse — “Story.” https://americanwaysmokehouse.com/story — asserts: founded Chandler AZ 2010 inside Merchant Square; founder Mike Moore (4th-gen AZ native); rebranded smokehouse 2014. ↩ ↩²

4. Merchant Square Vintage. https://merchantsquarevintage.com/ — asserts: Chandler AZ + Independence MO locations of the paired Merchant Square + American Way Smokehouse concept (common-ownership signal). ↩ ↩²