Wyandot Barbeque

Wyandot Barbeque is a counter-service barbecue restaurant at 84th and State Avenue in western Kansas City, Kansas, opened in 1977 by Ron Williams, a Wyandotte High School graduate who learned the trade mopping floors for Anthony Rieke at Rosedale Bar-B-Q. It smokes over hickory and oak, sells its ribs untrimmed and its burnt ends by the half-pound, and is known as much for its crinkle-cut fries and hot pickles as for its meat. Williams died in February 2023; his son Ron Williams II closed the family’s 44-year-old Overland Park satellite in January 2024 to keep the original going. Nearly fifty years on, it is one of the longest-running barbecue restaurants in Wyandotte County.

Description

Wyandot Barbeque sits in a low freestanding building on the north side of State Avenue at 84th Street, a few miles east of The Legends and the Kansas Speedway. Guests order, pay and pick up at the counter; there is a small bar (the founder kept a regular seat at it) and additional seating in a back room.¹²³ A signed photo of Kansas City native Eric Stonestreet (“Ronnie — Ham & a fry”) hangs by the order counter.¹

The kitchen has not changed its method in nearly five decades. Meats are smoked over hickory and oak; the restaurant’s own description of itself is “Big Plates, Small Prices” and “serve food that leaves you full without emptying your wallet.”⁴ Barbecue writer Ardie Davis, reviewing both locations for The Kansas City Star in 2015, called the untrimmed, unskinned hickory-smoked ribs “Wyandot’s specialty … fall-off-the-bone tender and kissed with smoke,” and described the sauce as “of the Rosedale genre but distinctly its own: tomato base, smooth, slightly spicy with a cayenne bite, sour with a touch of sweet.”¹ The burnt ends are sold as half-pound and full-pound portions and as a chopped sandwich; Kansas Travel’s reviewer found them “closer to smoked brisket than burnt ends” — large, fatty cubes — and recommended ordering meat dry.⁵³

The sides are part of the identity. Visit KCK’s listing leads with the “famously crispy crinkle cut fries,” Dawn Williams told KSHB in 2022 that “we’ve been told we have the best french fries in Kansas City,” and the founder’s obituary lists “tasty ribs, burnt ends, fries, and hot pickles” as the house staples.⁶⁷² The sauce is sold by the cup, jar and gallon at the counter and is shipped by mail.⁵

The name refers to the Wyandot people, for whom Wyandotte County is also named; they were removed to the Kansas City area in 1843 and, within a few years, removed again to Indian Territory.³

Ownership and history

Ron Williams (August 9, 1944 – February 18, 2023) was, in his obituary’s words, “truly an original Dotte”: raised in Kansas City, Kansas, a graduate of Wyandotte High School with an associate’s degree from Donnelly College.² He started in barbecue “mopping floors and washing dishes” at Rosedale Bar-B-Q, where he learned the business from Anthony Rieke — the founder of what is now Kansas City’s oldest continuously operating barbecue restaurant — and rose to manager before striking out on his own.²¹ KSHB dates the start of his barbecue career to more than 60 years before 2022, i.e., the early 1960s.⁷ See rosedale-bar-b-q.

Williams opened Wyandot Barbeque at 84th and State Avenue in 1977 (Yelp’s listing gives 1976; every press and family source says 1977).²⁸⁹ In 1980 he “duplicate[d] his concept in Johnson County” with Wyandot Barbeque No. 2 at 75th and Metcalf in Overland Park, 7215 W 75th St.¹⁰³ Kansas Travel records that there were once three Wyandot restaurants; the third is not documented elsewhere.³ Ardie Davis wrote in 2015 that the second generation, Ron Williams II, was “already an integral part of the business,” and that the elder Williams had “trained more than one person to keep an eye on the pit.”¹ By KSHB’s 2022 account Ron II had run the Overland Park location for 25 years, and his sister Dawn Williams also worked there.⁷

Outside the restaurant, Williams raised and showed Great Danes, followed Dale Earnhardt and collected and restored hot rods in his own shop. “When he wasn’t showing dogs, or restoring classic cars … you could find Ron at Wyandot Barbeque, enjoying a Miller Lite. From his spot at the bar, he would say hello to his many friends and family as they passed through the doors.”²

On December 4, 2021, a fire that started in the smoker box gutted the Overland Park kitchen; the building was taken to the studs and reopened the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2022, serving more than 900 customers its first weekend back.¹¹⁷ Less than three months later, on February 18, 2023, Ron Williams died unexpectedly of heart failure at 78; both locations closed on Saturday, February 25 for his funeral mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church — “the first time in its 46-year history” both had been dark at once.⁸⁹² He was survived by seven children, sixteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.²¹²

Ron Williams II took over both restaurants, but running two proved too much, and his father had already been planning to sell the Overland Park store. Wyandot No. 2 closed at 9 p.m. on January 2, 2024, after 44 years. “That’s what my dad wanted all along, to keep his original barbecue (restaurant) going,” Williams II told The Star. “It’s bittersweet.”¹⁰ The 75th Street building was listed with Block Real Estate and became Las Palomas Bar and Grill, a Mexican restaurant owned by Sergio Sevilla, in 2024.¹⁰¹³ The State Avenue original continues under the family; its website’s copyright and hours are current for 2026.⁴

Links

• Website: https://wyandotbarbeque.com/
• Menu (official): https://wyandotbarbeque.com/menu-1
• Online ordering (pickup): https://onlineorder.hotsaucepos.com/store/wyandotbarbeque
• Sauce by mail: https://wyandotbarbeque.com/order-bbq-sauce
• Catering quote: https://wyandotbarbeque.com/catering-quote
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/WYBBQ
• Visit KCK listing: https://www.visitkansascityks.com/listing/wyandot-barbeque/286/

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-28 · Source: the restaurant’s own “Menu / Price List” page on wyandotbarbeque.com · Confidence: High. Transcribed with the restaurant’s own item names; descriptions condensed.⁵

Ribs

• Full slab (spare ribs, slow smoked, with sauce and bread) — $18–26.99 by weight
• Half slab, short-end side — $12.99 · Half slab, long-end side — $11.99

Dinners (with beans, slaw and fries unless noted)

• Mixed Plate — ribs, beef and ham with fries — $14.99
• Rib Dinner — $14.99
• Beef, Turkey, Ham or Pork Dinner — $13.99
• Burnt End Dinner — half pound, with beans and fries — $13.99
• Chicken Dinner — half smoked chicken — $14.25
• Shrimp Dinner — five fried shrimp — $14.25
• Combo Plate — two sliced meats — $14.25
• Fish Plate — two pieces of Alaskan pollock, slaw, fries, tartar — $11.99

Burnt ends and smoked chicken

• Burnt ends — half pound with sauce and bread $9.00; full pound $17.75; chopped sandwich $9.00
• Half smoked chicken $9.50 · Whole smoked chicken $16.99 · Smoked chicken wings $9.75 · Chicken strips (3) $6.49

Sandwiches

• Beef, Turkey, Ham or Pork — $8.75 · Two Meat Combo — $8.75
• Pork Tenderloin — fried, with mustard, pickles, onions — $7.99
• Smoked Sausage — hoagie bun — $6.75 · Polish Sausage — $5.00
• Smoked Hamburger — $5.75 · Cheeseburger — $5.99
• Hot Dog — $4.25 · Chili Dog — $5.50
• Fish Sandwich — fried haddock with barbecue sauce and cheese — $5.25
• Chicken Sandwich — fried, with barbecue sauce and pickles — $6.25

Sides

• Fries $3.25 · Onion rings $3.75 · BBQ baked beans $2.89 · Cole slaw $2.89 · Potato salad $2.89 · Mac & cheese $3.50 · Chili bowl $4.50 · Dill pickle $2.50 · Hot pickle $2.50 · Jalapeño peppers $0.50
• Sides to go: pint $7.25 (feeds 5) · quart $11.75 (feeds 10) · gallon $45.00 (feeds 40)

By the pound and sauce

• Smoked meats by the pound (beef, turkey, ham, pulled pork, smoked sausage) — $16.50/lb; $16.00/lb for 10 lb or more
• Wyandot BBQ Sauce — 2-bit cup $0.65 · 8 oz $2.50 · 16 oz $3.75 · 32 oz $4.75 · gallon $17.00 (“we ship worldwide”)

Sources

Footnotes

1. Ardie A. Davis, “Count on traditional Kansas City-style smoked meats at Wyandot Bar-B-Q,” The Kansas City Star (Chow Town), 2015-04-09 — Confirms: Eric Stonestreet signed photo at the order counter; order-pay-pickup counter format; Williams learned from Anthony Rieke at Rosedale; “almost 40 years”; Ron Williams II “integral part of the business”; rib, beef and sauce descriptions; both addresses and phones. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. “Ronald ‘Ron’ Eugene Williams, August 9, 1944 – February 18, 2023,” obituary, Chapel Hill–Butler Funeral Home via Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: birth and death dates; “original Dotte,” Wyandotte High School, Donnelly College; Rosedale BBQ start under Anthony Rieke, manager; opened Wyandot in 1977 at 84th and State, later 75th and Metcalf; “ribs, burnt ends, fries, and hot pickles”; Great Danes, NASCAR, hot rods, Miller Lite at the bar; seven children including Ron Williams II and Dawn Williams; funeral February 24–25, 2023 at St. Patrick Catholic Church. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

3. “Wyandot Barbeque – Kansas City, Kansas,” KansasTravel.org (Keith Stokes), undated, updated after 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: “once three Wyandot Barbeque restaurants,” only the original remains; named for the Wyandot people (1843 arrival, later removal to Oklahoma); opened 1977 by Ron Williams; Overland Park location 1980–2023; son found two locations too much; back-room seating; burnt-end and sauce descriptions; slabs $18–24.99 at time of writing. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. Wyandot Barbeque — official website, home page. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: “Serving Kansas City since 1977”; hickory and oak smoke; “Big Plates, Small Prices”; address 8441 State Avenue; phone 913-788-7554; email; hours “10:00 am – 09:00 pm,” closed Thanksgiving and Christmas; online-ordering and sauce-order links; © 2026. ↩ ↩²

5. Wyandot Barbeque — official website, “Menu / Price List.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: every item and price in the Menu section; sauce sizes and “We ship worldwide”; meats by the pound. ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Visit Kansas City, Kansas — listing “Wyandot Barbeque.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: address 8441 State Ave, KCK 66112; phone; email wyandotbbq@hotmail.com; “Daily 10AM-9PM”; description (“meaty ribs, piled-high sandwiches, homemade sauce and famously crispy crinkle cut fries”); ADA, family- and group-friendly, take-out; Tripadvisor rating 2.8; listing live in 2026. ↩

7. Megan Abundis, “Wyandot BBQ’s 2nd location reopens after oven fire,” KSHB 41, 2022-11-28 — Confirms: Dawn Williams quotes; father began “mopping floors at Rosedale’s BBQ more than 60 years ago”; Ron Williams II “has owned the restaurant’s second location for 25 years”; fire on Dec. 4 (2021); rebuilt to the studs; “best french fries in Kansas City.” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. David Medina, “Owner of beloved KCK barbecue joint, Wyandot BBQ, dies,” KSHB 41, 2023-02-20 — Confirms: death at 78 after heart failure; first location opened 1977 at 8441 State Avenue “which still runs today”; both locations closed Saturday, Feb. 25 “for the first time in its 46-year history.” ↩ ↩²

9. “Wyandot BBQ restaurant owner dies at 78,” KCTV5, 2023-02-21 — Confirms: 1977 opening at 8441 State Ave; Overland Park kitchen fire December 2021 and reopening November 2022; funeral Feb. 25 with both locations closed. ↩ ↩²

10. Jenna Thompson, “This Johnson County barbecue restaurant is closing after 44 years. ‘It’s bittersweet,’” The Kansas City Star, 2024-01-02 (via Yahoo News) — Confirms: 7215 W. 75th St closing at 9 p.m. Jan. 2, 2024; original opened 1977 at 8441 State Ave; 1980 Johnson County duplicate; Ron Williams II took over both after his father’s death; father had planned to sell OP; original to remain open; Williams II quote; Block Real Estate listing; Ardie Davis 2015 rib quote. ↩ ↩² ↩³

11. Kyle Palmer, “Wyandot BBQ 2 reopens in Overland Park, year after fire,” Johnson County Post, 2022-12-05 — Confirms: 7215 W. 75th St; reopened the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2022 after a December 2021 kitchen fire that started in the smoker box; “family-owned satellite of Wyandot BBQ’s original location in Kansas City, Kan.”; 900+ customers first weekend. ↩

12. Kyle Palmer, “JoCo Notes: Wyandot BBQ founder Ron Williams dies,” Johnson County Post, 2023-02-28 — Confirms: died unexpectedly Saturday, Feb. 18; original location at 84th and State in 1977; Wyandot BBQ 2 at 75th and Metcalf; survived by seven children, 16 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren. ↩

13. Jenna Thompson, “After longtime Johnson County BBQ place closed, Mexican bar and grill will replace it,” The Kansas City Star, 2024-05-02 (via Yahoo News) — Confirms: Las Palomas Bar and Grill, owned by Sergio Sevilla, taking the 7215 W. 75th St space by end of May 2024. ↩