Waldo Pizza

a Waldo-neighborhood pizzeria since the late 1980s, known for KC-style pies; its St. Louis-style thin crust was named Missouri’s best slice by Food Network. (An earlier signature Jack Stack Barbecue collaboration pizza is no longer on the current 2026 menu.) Longtime operator Steve Kingery (with the restaurant since 2000) owned it 2020–2024; in December 2024 it was acquired by W. VinZant Restaurants, a locally-owned KC restaurant group. Tier 2 — local-group operator (disclosure overlay).

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Description

Waldo Pizza has anchored the Waldo neighborhood at 7433 Broadway St since the late 1980s, serving KC-style pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and beer — “Kansas City’s Great Little Place… for well over 30 years.”¹² Its St. Louis-style thin crust — extra-thin and crispy with a five-cheese blend — was named Missouri’s best pizza slice by Food Network.³⁴ A longtime signature Jack Stack Barbecue collaboration pizza (Jack Stack sauce, baked beans, brisket and burnt ends, red onion, pickles, house mozzarella — a menu partnership, not a corporate tie) no longer appears on the current 2026 menu and appears discontinued or seasonal.⁵⁴

Ownership disclosure: In December 2024, Waldo Pizza was acquired by W. VinZant Restaurants, a Kansas City-based, locally-owned restaurant group led by Whitney VinZant (a confirmed Brookside native) that operated roughly 11 concepts at the time of the deal.⁶²⁷ Longtime operator Steve Kingery and his team stayed on to steward the transition, and the group pledged to honor the restaurant’s traditions. Waldo Pizza is therefore no longer an independent single-owner operation — it is part of a multi-concept local group (the basis for Tier 2).

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Ownership and history

Ownership timeline

Period	Owner / Operator	Notes
~1988 → 2020	Founders → Phil Bourne	Bourne became owner ~1993; ran it for decades.2
2020 → 2024	Steve Kingery	Started at Waldo Pizza ~2000 (dishwasher → GM 2014); purchased from Bourne July 2020.28
Dec 9, 2024 → present	W. VinZant Restaurants	Kingery initiated the sale; team stays through transition; group “carefully honors its traditions.”62

About the operator (W. VinZant Restaurants)

Locally owned, Kansas City-based group founded/led by Whitney VinZant, identified by KC Magazine and KCTV5 as a Brookside native; a Wake Forest finance grad who started as a 16-year-old pizza prep cook, also a local real-estate developer.²⁶⁷ At the Dec 2024 acquisition the group owned ~11 brands (Louie’s Wine Dive, BRGR Kitchen + Bar, Gram & Dun, Taco Republic, Va Bene, BrewTop, The Latin King, Café Trio, Heritage by Bo Lings, Merchants Pub & Plate, others); the portfolio has grown since.²⁷

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Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-16 · Source: official site (waldopizza.net food + drink menus) · URL(s): https://www.waldopizza.net/menu/food/, https://www.waldopizza.net/menus/ · Confidence: High

Crust styles

• Waldo Traditional Hand-Tossed — yeast-risen dough, mozzarella + provolone⁴
• St. Louis-Style Thin Crust — extra-thin, crispy, garlic-butter glaze, five-cheese blend (mozzarella, provolone, swiss, cheddar, muenster); the crust Food Network cited in naming it Missouri’s best slice⁴³
• Honey Wheat — 12” whole-grain wheat crust with honey⁴
• Cauliflower (GF) Crust — 10” seasoned cauliflower base (+$2.20)⁴

Specialty pizzas (10” $16.95 / 12” $21 / 14” $25; premium +$2)

• Combo, Choice Cut, The Greek, Local Pig, Philly Cheesesteak, Spicy BBQ, BBQ Pork Pie, Cheeseburger, El Diablo, The Hawaiian, Pesto Chicken, White Chicken, The Tex Mex⁴
• Vegetarian: Veggie, Five Cheese, Florentine, Margherita⁴
• Build-your-own with a large topping list; burnt ends available as a premium meat topping⁴
• (The Jack Stack Barbecue collaboration pizza described in the page narrative does not appear on the current 2026 official menu — current BBQ pizzas are Spicy BBQ and BBQ Pork Pie. The Jack Stack collab appears to be discontinued or seasonal.)

Appetizers

• Breadsticks ($6), Garlic Cheese Bread ($7.25), Cheese Crust ($10), Chicken Wings (5 pc $8 / 10 pc $15), Mozzarella Sticks ($11), Toasted Ravioli ($12), Waldo Meatballs ($12), Waldo Sampler ($18)⁴

Salads

• Insalata, Caesar, Garden ($7–$9.95 each); Sensational Salad Bar — all-you-can-eat ($7–$13.75)⁴

Sandwiches (on ciabatta, $13)

• Phil’s Philly, Don’t Be a Turkey! Pesto, On Top of Ol’ Meatball, The Hot Ziggity⁴

Pasta

• Spaghetti & Meatballs ($14), El Diablo Pasta ($15), Tuscan Chicken Alfredo ($15), Buffalo Mac The Ripper ($16), KC BBQ Mac Attack ($16); Build-Your-Own Mac & Cheese ($14 / kids $7.50)⁴

Dietary options

• Gluten-free crust + items marked “(GF option)” throughout; vegan cheese and vegan meats available on pizzas and mac & cheese⁴

Drink / craft-beer program

• Rotating, locally-leaning craft-beer list (~10 draught taps; “Build a flight $10”) featuring KC breweries — Boulevard, KCBC, Casual Animal, Brewery Emperial — plus bottles/cans, ciders, seltzers, NA, and GF beers; signature cocktails ($11–$14), mocktails ($7), and a by-the-glass/bottle wine list⁹

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Sources

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Disputes

*(None active.

Footnotes

1. Waldo Pizza — official site. https://www.waldopizza.net/ — asserts: Waldo location; “Kansas City’s Great Little Place… for well over 30 years.” ↩

2. Kansas City Magazine — “Waldo Pizza Transfers Ownership to Local Restaurant Group.” https://kansascitymag.com/waldo-pizza-transfers-ownership-to-local-restaurant-group/ — asserts: Kingery owner since 2020; W. VinZant owned 11 brands; VinZant Brookside native; >30 years in business. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Food Network — “50 Best Pizza Slices by State” (Missouri: Waldo Pizza). https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/photos/50-best-pizza-slices-by-state — asserts: named Missouri’s best pizza slice, citing the St. Louis-style crust + all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. Corroborated by KCTV5 — “Food Network recognizes Kansas City pizza restaurants as tops in Missouri, Kansas” (Aug 22, 2025). https://www.kctv5.com/2025/08/22/food-network-recognizes-kansas-city-pizza-restaurants-tops-missouri-kansas/ ↩ ↩²

4. Waldo Pizza — food menu. https://www.waldopizza.net/menu/food/ (accessed 2026-06-16) — asserts: four crust styles (hand-tossed, St. Louis thin, honey wheat, cauliflower GF); specialty pizza lineup + pricing (10”/12”/14”); appetizers, salads + salad bar, ciabatta sandwiches, pasta; burnt ends topping; GF/vegan options. No Jack Stack collab pizza on current menu (current BBQ pies: Spicy BBQ, BBQ Pork Pie). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

5. Waldo Pizza — menu. https://www.waldopizza.net/menu/food/ — asserts: Jack Stack BBQ pizza (Jack Stack sauce, baked beans, brisket + burnt ends, red onion, pickles, house mozzarella). ↩

6. KCTV5 — “Waldo Pizza sells to Kansas City restaurant group” (Dec 17, 2024). https://www.kctv5.com/2024/12/17/waldo-pizza-sells-kansas-city-restaurant-group-were-excited-about-this-new-chapter/ — asserts: deal closed Dec 9, 2024; Kingery approached W. VinZant; team stays; VinZant a Brookside native. ↩ ↩² ↩³

7. W. VinZant Restaurants — official site. https://wvinzantrestaurants.com/ — asserts: KC-based locally-owned multi-concept group; Whitney VinZant founder/CEO; portfolio of named concepts. ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. VoyageKC — interview with Steve Kingery. https://voyagekc.com/?post_type=interview&p=100777 — asserts: Kingery’s tenure (dishwasher ~2000 → GM 2014 → owner 2020). ↩

9. Waldo Pizza — drink/menus index. https://www.waldopizza.net/menus/ (accessed 2026-06-16) — asserts: rotating local craft-beer list (~10 taps, flight $10) — Boulevard, KCBC, Casual Animal, Brewery Emperial; bottles/cans, ciders, seltzers, NA/GF beer; cocktails $11–$14, mocktails $7, wine by glass/bottle. ↩