This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Judy’s Q is a small woman-owned barbecue and breakfast cafe on State Route 291 north of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, opened in 2024 by pitmaster Judy Wendel in the building formerly occupied by Ray Rae’s Rib Shack.

Description

Judy’s Q operates from a small roadside building at 20301 S State Route 291, on the highway between Pleasant Hill and Harrisonville rather than in Pleasant Hill’s downtown core.1 The dining room is very small — a KC barbecue guide describes a space seating “about a dozen” — and the business runs as essentially a one-person operation, with Judy Wendel acting as pitmaster, counter clerk and server.2

The restaurant’s own description positions it as a family-owned business built on “Midwest tradition and hearty flavors,” pairing “sizzling breakfast classics” with “mouthwatering Midwest BBQ” in a country-style comfort-food register. It states that Wendel brought “over a decade of experience in the BBQ industry” to the venture.1

It is one of a small number of woman-owned and woman-operated barbecue pits in the Kansas City metro.2 Alongside the restaurant trade it advertises a catering operation, with a dedicated catering menu published on its site.1

Ownership and history

The owner is Judy Wendel; the restaurant’s own site describes it as “the culmination of Judy Wendel’s passion for bringing people together through delicious, home-style meals.”1

According to the Fountain City Foodie’s KC “BBQ Bible,” Judy’s Q was established in 2024. The account states that after Ray Rae’s Rib Shack closed in 2023, Judy bought the building, opened up the small space to accommodate roughly a dozen in-restaurant diners, and opened Judy’s Q.2 This founding year rests on a single secondary source; the business’s own website carries a ”© 2024 by Judy’s Q” notice and its Facebook and Instagram accounts date from 2024, which is consistent with it but is not independent confirmation.1 “ — a first-party or independent statement of the opening date.

“ — Wendel’s background before opening Judy’s Q, beyond the site’s own general claim of a decade in the barbecue industry; and the terms of the building’s acquisition from the previous Ray Rae’s Rib Shack operation.

The restaurant’s first-party menu is published on its website as images only, with no machine-readable text and no prices captured. Two 2026-dated menu images and one April 2025 catering menu image are served from the site.1 “ — first-party menu prices. Aggregator prices were deliberately not used.

Items confirmed by the KC BBQ Bible’s 2025 review:2

  • Beef burnt ends — served Thursday, Friday and Saturday only; plate comes with buttered toast and a choice of two sides
  • Smoked wings
  • Thinly-sliced brisket
  • Cheesy corn — made with Judy’s smoked ham
  • BBQ beans — described as sweet, vinegary
  • Pastries, breakfast and lunch service

Sources

Footnotes

  1. “Judy’s Q | Breakfast & BBQ | Pleasant Hill, MO,” Judy’s Q official website. Accessed 2026-08-26. URL ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. “The KC ‘BBQ Bible’ (MO)” — Judy’s Q entry, by the Fountain City Foodie, disKCovery / KC Discovery; entry added February 2025. URL ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/judys-q · record updated 2026-08-26