3 Gates Bar-B-Q Rules Missourians Learn on Their First Visit

Gates Bar-B-Q runs on its own shorthand, and the counter staff expect you to speak it.

Missourians pick it up fast, or they slow down the line.

Here are the Gates Bar-B-Q rules Missourians learn on their first visit.

1. Ordering at the Counter

The Takeout’s 2019 guide describes Gates as a counter-order restaurant with no frills.

You order the meats you want at the counter.

It’s a plain setup.

Order a Four Bone, and you get four ribs, two meats and two sides or fries.

Bring an appetite because a plate tends to come piled high with the meats you choose, plus sides, pickles and bread.

Everything tends to come slathered with sauce, too.

Visit KC advises showing up early at Kansas City barbecue spots as the quickest way to satisfy your taste buds.

2. Shorthand Orders

Visit KC’s guide to Kansas City barbecue says Gates operates on a special language.

Shorthand speech is preferred when you order at Gates.

One example is “beef on bun.”

The example starts with the meat and ends with the bun.

Gates’s menu lists sandwiches such as Single and Double-Decker.

Many first-timers pick up the language on the first visit.

You’ll catch on.

3. Staff Greeting

Gates says good food, fast personalized service and the immediate greeting “Hi, may I help you?” act as its trademark.

Staff use it when you enter the service line at the 12th and Brooklyn restaurant.

Ollie Gates told Kansas City Magazine for a March 2025 profile that he adopted it so staff would recognize everyone who came through the door.

He also wanted customers to know the staff were ready for whatever services they wanted.

You’ll hear it right away.

Burnt Ends on a Hoagie

Visit KC lists burnt ends among its how-to-order tips, calling them a Kansas City rite of passage.

Burnt ends are arguably a Kansas City innovation, and Gates is known for them.

A 2012 NPR report called burnt ends Gates's specialty.

You'll find burnt ends on Gates's menu as a sandwich served on a hoagie.

Start with the hoagie.

Inside the Pits

A 2012 NPR report described Gates's closed pits, which trap the wood smoke.

The meat sat directly over the fire until it turned black and blistered.

There were no timers or buzzers at the pits.

Cooks went by feel.

You'd smell wood smoke inside without wearing it for most of the day.

What Else to Order

Once you reach the counter, Gates's menu has plenty to choose from.

Gates's menu lists Slab, Center-Cut, Short-End and Long-End among its entrees.

Chicken, Sausage and Mutton are on the entree list too.

The Mixed Plate is listed as Ribs/Beef/Ham & Fries.

If you want chili, look under the 1221 Brooklyn Avenue address on the menu.

That's the 12th and Brooklyn restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri.

Gates's menu lists six sides: Gates Fries, Onion Rings, BBQ Beans, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad and Pasta Salad.

You can get the beans, slaw, potato salad and pasta salad in Small, Large or Jumbo.

If you want dessert, the menu lists Yammer Pie as available year-round.

It also lists a seasonal pie in Peach/Blueberry and Apple.

Save room.

Meat by the Pound

Sliced meat by the pound is on Gates's menu, in half-pound and one-pound orders.

The choices are beef, ham, turkey or pork.

Visit KC lists ordering by the pound among the ways Kansas City barbecue is served.

Ordering by the pound suits you if you're taking food to go or sharing with a group.

For to-go orders, Gates's site links to online carry-out ordering.

If you're feeding a crowd, the menu also lists party trays that serve four to five people or seven to eight.

The President's Choice tray serves seven to eight, with chicken and sausage included.

Size is up to you.

Gates Sauce

The Takeout's 2019 guide says Gates is known for a thick sauce that balances a serious kick with a good bit of sweetness.

Arthur Bryant's sauce, by comparison, is much thinner, with more noticeable spices and vinegar tang.

Like many Kansas City joints, Gates has a few sauce variations.

Gates began selling its sauce in grocery stores in 1975.

National distribution followed in 1983.

If you want a bottle for home, Gates's online store sells its sauce in flavors including Original, Extra Hot, and Sweet and Mild.

Its gift pack comes with three 18-ounce bottles of those flavors.

The store also sells seasonings, and its combo pack pairs two bottles of sauce with one seasoning.

Heat is optional.

Growth Since 1946

You can trace Gates to 19th and Vine, where George W. Gates opened Gates Ol' Kentucky.

That was in 1946.

In 1956, Ollie Gates joined his father in the business.

That year, the business became Gates & Son's Bar-B-Q.

Ollie took over in 1960, after his father died.

In 1970, a restaurant opened on Swope Parkway.

Gates added a location in Independence, Missouri, in 1979.

Linwood and Main followed in 1994.

In 1997, a new restaurant went up on Emanuel Cleaver Boulevard.

You'll find that restaurant next to the company headquarters and a training program called Rib Tech.

The American Royal inducted Ollie Gates into its Barbecue Hall of Fame in September 2021.

The Missouri Restaurant Association Hall of Fame added him in August 2023.