Golden Ox

Golden Ox is Kansas City’s most historically significant steakhouse — founded in 1949 inside the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange, it claims to be the birthplace of the Kansas City strip steak, hosted presidents Truman and Eisenhower, and was revived in 2018 by West Bottoms restaurateurs Wes Gartner and Jill Myers.¹²

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Description

The Golden Ox occupies a singular position in Kansas City culinary history: it was built inside the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange in 1949 to feed the ranchers, farmers, and traders who drove the city’s meatpacking economy, and it claims to be the restaurant where the Kansas City strip steak was born as a named cut.²¹ The building itself is part of the stockyards complex at 1600 Genesee Street in the West Bottoms, and the restaurant’s identity has always been inseparable from that industrial-agrarian heritage.

The current space — reopened June 2018 after a four-year closure — preserves the 1950s–60s aesthetic that made the original famous: original brass light fixtures stamped with cattle brands, archival photographs, portraits of past Stockyards Exchange presidents, and a section of the original patterned carpet featuring cattle brands displayed in a side room.³ New additions include a wood-fired grill, an open kitchen counter, and a rebuilt bar in the 123-seat dining room.³ Signature cuts include the 16-ounce Kansas City Strip and the 17-ounce American Royal ribeye; the menu runs from a 5-ounce cut to a 32-ounce ribeye for two.³

The restaurant has been named Best Steakhouse in Kansas City by The Pitch (2024), was featured in Eater’s 32 Best Restaurants in Kansas City (October 2024), and attracted national attention when it hosted Travis Kelce’s 34th birthday dinner (People Magazine, October 2023).²

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Ownership and history

Original founding (1949–2014)

The Golden Ox opened in May 1949 on the first floor of the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange building, founded by Jay B. Dillingham, then President and Chairman of the Kansas City Stockyard Company.¹² Dillingham brought in Chicago restaurateur Ralph Gaines to handle day-to-day operations. The restaurant’s original mission was straightforward: furnish quality dining for ranchers, farmers, and their families who brought cattle to the Kansas City stockyards.¹

Dillingham entertained prominent guests early — including President Harry S. Truman and President Dwight D. Eisenhower — cementing the restaurant’s status as a civic institution beyond its stockyards function.¹ The restaurant temporarily closed during the Great Flood of 1951 and expanded in 1957 with the addition of the Frontier Room to handle growing demand.¹

Ownership transitioned over the decades. By the 1990s, Jerry Rauschelbach and Steve Greer had purchased the Golden Ox from Rauschelbach’s father, Bill Rauschelbach, in 1997.⁴ The restaurant underwent a brief closure and refresh in 2003 before reopening with updated dining rooms under Greer and partner Teel. Financial pressures eventually caught up with the operation; the original Golden Ox served its final dinner on December 20, 2014, closing after 65 years.⁵¹

Revival (2018–present)

After the 2014 closure, building owner Bill Haw Sr. received sustained requests from Kansas City diners and stakeholders asking when the Golden Ox would return.³ In November 2015, Wes Gartner and Jill Myers — co-owners of Voltaire, the acclaimed bar and restaurant at 1617 Genesee directly across the street — signed a lease for the 5,000-square-foot north portion of the original space (main dining room and kitchen).⁶¹

The revival was driven by genuine personal attachment: Myers’ memories of the Golden Ox extended to her childhood, and both Gartner and Myers had been regulars at the restaurant for Sunday dinners before it closed, often discussing what they would change if given the chance.⁷ Gartner serves as executive chef; the pair invested over two years in renovations before reopening on June 8, 2018.²¹

Gartner’s culinary background includes Moxie Catering (est. 2002, co-founded with Myers) and Voltaire (opened ~2013). He was raised in Lawrence, Kansas, with early steakhouse memories from Topeka-area family restaurants.⁴ Jill Myers’ childhood ties to the Golden Ox suggest deep Kansas City–area roots, though neither owner’s exact birthplace is documented in published sources. Their decade-plus investment in the West Bottoms neighborhood — operating two businesses in the stockyards district — reflects substantive local stewardship rather than brand acquisition.

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Links

• Official site: https://www.goldenoxkc.com/

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Sources

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Disputes

“Birthplace of the Kansas City strip steak”: The Golden Ox self-asserts this claim and it is widely repeated in press coverage. No competing claimant has been documented in research for this page. The claim is accepted as the prevailing attribution but is not independently verifiable. ** — academic or food-history corroboration would strengthen this.**

“Oldest steakhouse in Kansas City”: The Golden Ox Wikipedia article applies this label in the context of the original 1949 restaurant. Jess & Jim’s (founded 1938) predates it; the distinction may hinge on “oldest currently operating under original ownership” vs. founding year alone. Given the 2014 closure and 2018 revival under new ownership, the Golden Ox does not hold a continuous-operation claim superior to Jess & Jim’s. Both pages should be read together on this point.

Address spelling: Yelp lists “1600 Genessee St” (three e’s); Wikipedia and official site use “Genesee” (two e’s). Official site spelling used throughout.

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia — “Golden Ox.” Asserts: opened May 1949 in Kansas City Live Stock Exchange building; founded by Jay Dillingham/Kansas City Stockyard Company; Ralph Gaines day-to-day operator; Truman and Eisenhower dined; 1951 flood closure; 1957 Frontier Room expansion; closed Dec 20 2014; Gartner and Myers signed lease Nov 2015; reopened June 8 2018; address 1600 Genesee St #100 KC MO 64102. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Ox ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. goldenoxkc.com/about — Golden Ox official About page. Asserts: founded 1949 by Jay B. Dillingham; birthplace of KC strip steak; revived 2018 by Wes Gartner and Jill Myers; Gartner is executive chef; Pitch Best Steakhouse 2024; Eater 32 Best KC Restaurants Oct 2024; Travis Kelce birthday Oct 2023; hours Tue–Sat 5pm–10pm. https://www.goldenoxkc.com/about ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Flatland KC — “Golden Ox Glows Again in West Bottoms.” Asserts: building owner Bill Haw Sr.; designer John O’Brien; 123-seat dining room; original brass cattle-brand fixtures retained; new bar and open kitchen; menu pricing $18–$68; Jill Myers childhood memories of Golden Ox. https://flatlandkc.org/eats-drinks/golden-ox-glows-again-in-west-bottoms/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. The Pitch KC — “The Golden Ox: still no bull.” Asserts: Jerry Rauschelbach and Steve Greer purchased from Bill Rauschelbach 1997; 2003 brief closure and upgrade; Gartner raised in Lawrence KS; early steakhouse memories from Topeka. https://www.thepitchkc.com/the-golden-ox-still-no-bull/ ↩ ↩²

5. KCUR — “The Golden Ox, A Piece of Kansas City’s Cowtown Past, Set to Close.” Asserts: final dinner Dec 20 2014; closure due to financial challenges / unpaid rent. https://www.kcur.org/agriculture/2014-12-19/the-golden-ox-a-piece-of-kansas-citys-cowtown-past-set-to-close ↩

6. Feast Magazine — “The Golden Ox Will Reopen in the Same Location Under New Owners.” Asserts: Nov 2015 lease signed by Gartner and Myers; 5,000 sq ft north portion; wood-fired grill planned. https://www.feastmagazine.com/travel/kansas-city/the-golden-ox-will-reopen-in-the-same-location-under-new-owners/article_c7208d98-9e85-11e5-88a7-2fde5fdc3594.html ↩

7. The Pitch KC — “Golden Ox restaurant will be revived by Voltaire owners Gartner and Myers.” Asserts: Gartner and Myers were regular Sunday dinner guests; discussed what they’d change; steakhouse menu is “essentially timeless”; Moxie Catering est. 2002. https://www.thepitchkc.com/golden-ox-restaurant-will-be-revived-by-voltaire-owners-gartner-and-myers/ ↩