Bill Rauschelbach

William “Bill” Rauschelbach (August 31, 1938 – March 7, 2020) was a Kansas City restaurateur who, with partner Gary Berbiglia, reopened Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque in March 1983 after the death of pitmaster Arthur Bryant. The Rauschelbach family went on to own the legendary restaurant for nearly four decades, preserving its recipes and its place in the Henry Perry barbecue lineage until selling it in 2022.

Biography

Born in Winslow, Arizona, on August 31, 1938, Rauschelbach made his career in Kansas City hospitality.¹ In December 1982, after the death of namesake Arthur Bryant, he was approached to operate Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque at 1727 Brooklyn Avenue. In March 1983, Rauschelbach and his management team — with partner Gary Berbiglia — reopened the restaurant, committing to maintain the barbecue style and recipes that had made it internationally famous.¹

Under Rauschelbach family ownership, Arthur Bryant’s remained a continuously operating Kansas City institution and a national barbecue destination, expanding to satellite locations including Ameristar Casino and near Kansas Speedway.² Bill operated the restaurant until his death, and family members were active in management across the decades — his son Jerry Rauschelbach served as president of the company.¹³ Rauschelbach was also associated with the historic Golden Ox restaurant and the Livestock Exchange Building in the West Bottoms.¹

Bill Rauschelbach died on March 7, 2020.¹ The family held the restaurant, its Brooklyn Avenue property, and the Arthur Bryant’s trademark until November 30, 2022, when these were sold to MMD Acquisitions LLC — principals Chris Stuewe and Andrew Miller.⁴⁵

Legacy

For thirty-nine years the Rauschelbach family safeguarded one of the most famous barbecue restaurants in the United States — and with it the unbroken thread back to Henry Perry, the father of Kansas City barbecue. Bill Rauschelbach’s stewardship, alongside Gary Berbiglia’s, is a central reason that thread survived into the 21st century.

See also

• arthur-bryants-barbeque
• gary-berbiglia
• henry-perry

Sources

Footnotes

1. William “Bill” Rauschelbach obituary, The Kansas City Star / Legacy.com and Jefferson City News Tribune (2020) — born August 31, 1938 in Winslow, Arizona; approached December 1982 to operate Arthur Bryant’s and reopened it March 1983, operating it until his death; father of Jerry Rauschelbach (company president) and Rhonda Sarrazin; died March 7, 2020. The obituary explicitly identifies the subject as the Arthur Bryant’s owner. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kansascity/name/william-rauschelbach-obituary?id=4538014 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. “Arthur Bryant’s,” Wikipedia — the Rauschelbach family owned the restaurant at 1727 Brooklyn Ave. from 1982 until the 2022 sale; satellite locations at Ameristar Casino and near Kansas Speedway. ↩

3. “Kansas City: Through the eyes of Jerry Rauschelbach, Arthur Bryant’s BBQ,” Google Arts & Culture — Jerry Rauschelbach as the operating face/president of the restaurant. ↩

4. “Meet the new owners of Kansas City’s Arthur Bryant’s BBQ,” The Kansas City Star / The Mercury — deal closed November 30, 2022; buyer MMD Acquisitions LLC; principals Chris Stuewe and Andrew Miller. ↩

5. “Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque property in Kansas City sells to local entrepreneur,” Fox4KC (2022). ↩