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

The Rino is North Kansas City’s grassroots live-music and comedy room at 314 Armour Rd — an intimate ~100-cap venue opened in July 2017 by lifelong Kansas City musician Ben Wendt, doubling as a daytime “coffee dive.” It survived COVID on a 12-hour community telethon and a 2023 rent squeeze by downsizing to a single storefront, and hosts the free Laugh Lab standup open mic every Wednesday and the Song Lab music mic on Mondays.

Description

The Rino is the small room where Northland music happens — a deliberately intimate venue whose owner describes the goal as “a true sense of community and belonging.”1 By day it operates as a coffee spot; by night it runs an active calendar of local and touring rock, plus the Wednesday Laugh Lab standup open mic (free, signup 7pm) and Monday’s Song Lab.23 Its booking economics are unusually artist-forward — 100% of the cover goes to the bands and promoter — and the daytime side runs as a free co-working room opening at 7am, sharing the block with neighboring Cultivar and pouring Post Coffee’s locally roasted coffee and Lucky Elixir kombucha.4 The Laugh Lab mic gives comics stage time roughly 8–10:30pm after 7pm signups.3

Ownership and history

PeriodOwner / operator
July 2017 → presentBen Wendt — lifelong Kansas City musician (first band in middle school; ex-The Way Way Back; fronts Land Lion), formerly bartender/projectionist at Screenland Armour, which he left to open the venue.15 No sale or transfer found; co-owners.

Key events: October 2020 — “Save the Rino” 12-hour telethon covered COVID-era rent.1 Late 2023 — rising NKC rents and Royals-stadium speculation forced downsizing from dual storefronts (312+314 Armour) to the single room at 314; subtenants (Sweet EMOtion, Leaf Eater, Triceratops Room, Post Coffee) relocated.1 The Royals ultimately chose Crown Center (announced 2026), relieving the stadium pressure.6 No recordBar operational connection found (an occasionally repeated claim).1

  • Website: https://www.therinokc.com
  • Instagram: @therinokc · Facebook: /TheRinoKC
  • Calendar: via site / Do816 / Bandsintown
  • Bar hours (re-verify): Tue–Thu 5–10pm · Fri–Sat 5–11pm · closed Sun & Mon; co-working from 7am.4

See also

  • Registry

Sources

Footnotes

  1. The Pitch, “Brink of Extinction: conservation efforts hope to save North KC’s endangered rock’n’roll hub.” https://www.thepitchkc.com/brink-of-extinction-conservation-efforts-hope-to-save-north-kcs-endangered-rocknroll-hub/ — founding, Wendt biography, telethon, 2023 downsizing. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. The Rino — official site. https://www.therinokc.com/welcome — address, Laugh Lab and Song Lab open mics. ↩

  3. KCUR comedy guide (2026-04-18). https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2026-04-18/kansas-city-comedy-stand-up-improv-classes — Laugh Lab cadence. ↩ ↩2

  4. RiverNorth District — “Live music in KC at The RINO in Northtown.” https://www.rivernorthkc.com/the-rino-live-music-venue/ — asserts: 100% of cover goes to bands/promoter; free daytime co-working from 7am next to Cultivar; Post Coffee and Lucky Elixir kombucha; bar hours Tue–Thu 5–10pm, Fri–Sat 5–11pm, closed Sun/Mon. ↩ ↩2

  5. The Pitch, Land Lion track premiere. https://www.thepitchkc.com/premiere-land-lion-track-ribs-is-a-ben-wendt-song-eight-years-in-the-making/ — Wendt’s musician history. ↩

  6. KCTV5 Royals stadium timeline (2026-04-22). https://www.kctv5.com/2026/04/22/timeline-royals-finally-announce-location-new-stadium-will-be-crown-center/ ↩

See also

Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/the-rino · record updated 2026-07-24