For years, neighbors of Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que have loved the barbecue but balked at the restaurant’s lines.
As the restaurant’s original gas station off 47th Street and Mission Road has become more of a tourist destination, it’s left some Johnson County and Kansas City, Kansas, regulars feeling intimidated by long waits and big crowds. During peak hours, wait times can stretch up to an hour, with lines trailing outside the restaurant’s door.
It has created what Eric Tadda, director of marketing for Joe’s, calls a “wait in line, eat a lot of barbecue, and leave” pattern. But a new restaurant across the street, under the same ownership, aims to help flip that script.
“It’s a more relaxed vibe, more of a neighborhood hangout,” Tadda said about the new venture, Joe’s Next Door, which opened its doors on Friday.
Joe’s Next Door opened at 500 County Line Road
- The restaurant took over a space off 47th Street and Mission Road — where Westwood, Roeland Park and Kansas City, Kansas, all meet.
- The space was previously occupied by Taco Republic, before that restaurant closed in early 2023.
- Joe’s Next Door is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
HJoe’s Next Door serves barbecue staples old and new
Long before tacos or barbecue was served there, the restaurant was once a gas station, just like the original Joe’s space across the street. A vintage Conoco sign hung on the wall inside nods to that history.
With garage bay doors that can bring in fresh air on nicer days, and a fire pit and dog-friendly patio outside, Tadda said the goal is for Joe’s Next Door to feel like a place where people can stay for a while over family dinners, date nights, or catching up over drinks with neighbors.
The space, which has the capacity for 100 customers, is also equipped with multiple TVs — which aims to make it more of a game-watching destination (including Chiefs games, since Joe’s Next Door is open on Sundays).
“We want it to be multipurpose,” Tadda said. “If you want to have a Z-Man and fries, you can do that, but you can also have a great date night with a couple different appetizers. And there’s no rush. The cocktails allow you to kind of slow down.”
A totally refreshed menu
Though the menu at Joe’s Next Door looks different from the one at Joe’s, regulars will recognize a few headliners.
Joe’s Next Door serves the brand’s most popular sandwich, the “Z-man” (with the customer’s choice of meat, provolone cheese, crispy onion rings and barbecue sauce), as well as sides like French fries and mac and cheese.
Aside from that, most of the entrees on the Joe’s Next Door menu will be new to customers — while still incorporating the barbecue style that Joe’s is known for. Some highlights include tejano brisket tacos, smashburgers (made with chuck and brisket), and smoked salmon Caesar salads.
“It’s a very simplified menu, but kind of has a little bit of a Joe’s feel to it,” Tadda said.
Customers also have a new variety of craft cocktails to enjoy alongside their sandwiches or burgers. Some early standouts include the coconut margarita (with toasted coconut on the rim), vodka cherry lemonade, and frozen paloma.
Joe’s has been in Kansas City for 30 years
Owners Jeff and Joy Stehney opened the first Joe’s in 1996.
Since then, the popular barbecue restaurant has opened two more locations in Leawood and Olathe.
The corner of 47th Street and Mission is becoming an important spot in Joe’s history, and the team behind Joe’s plans to make that a bit more official. Soon, the Shamrock sign at the original Joe’s will come down, to be replaced with “Joe’s Corner” signage.
Though Joe’s has attracted many tourists (and will likely see more during the impending World Cup in Kansas City), Tadda said, the owners ultimately hope Joe’s Next Door provides something new and exciting for the community that played a crucial role in making Joe’s what it is today.
“The owners wanted to create a spot that was for the community and for the neighborhood,” he said. “We’ve (already) had couples walk over with their dog from just a couple blocks away, and they just have a drink on the patio. That’s exactly what we want it to be.”
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