Arthur Bryant (restaurateur)
Encyclopedia
Arthur Bryant was a purveyor of Kansas City barbecue who operated Arthur Bryant's
in Kansas City, Missouri
.
Bryant was born on a farm in Branchville, Texas
in Milam County, Texas. He attended Prairie View A&M College, an all-black school in Texas. He graduated in 1931 with a degree in agriculture and an offer to teach school.
He came to Kansas City to visit his brother Charlie Bryant who was working for barbecue master Henry Perry. Perry offered Arthur a job and he settled in Kansas City. Charlie assumed control of the barbecue operation in 1940 when Perry died; Arthur took over 1946 when Charlie retired. Arthur added molasses
to sweeten Perry's original recipe. Bryant was quoted, "I make it so you can put it on bread and eat it."
The restaurant was located for many years at 18th and Euclid Streets in the inner city
neighborhood of 18th and Vine. Bryant moved the business to its present location, 1727 Brooklyn, in 1958. In the 1950s and 1960s it was visited by fans and players visiting Municipal Stadium
In 1974, Kansas City native Calvin Trillin
pronounced it the "single best restaurant in the world" in a piece in Playboy
. Harry S. Truman
was a regular customer and Jimmy Carter
dropped in unannounced in 1979.
The restaurant under Bryant never strayed far from its unpretentious decor, with Formica
tables, fluorescent lighting, and five-gallon jugs of sauce placed in the windows.
Bryant was found dead of a heart attack
in a bed he kept at his restaurant. He was buried in Branchville, Texas
.
Arthur Bryant's
Arthur Bryant's is a restaurant located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is considered by many to be the most famous barbecue restaurant in the United States.-History:...
in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
Bryant was born on a farm in Branchville, Texas
Branchville, Texas
Branchville, Texas is an unincorporated area of Milam County, Texas, in the United States.Among its natives was Kansas City barbecue icon Arthur Bryant who operated Arthur Bryant's and who is buried there....
in Milam County, Texas. He attended Prairie View A&M College, an all-black school in Texas. He graduated in 1931 with a degree in agriculture and an offer to teach school.
He came to Kansas City to visit his brother Charlie Bryant who was working for barbecue master Henry Perry. Perry offered Arthur a job and he settled in Kansas City. Charlie assumed control of the barbecue operation in 1940 when Perry died; Arthur took over 1946 when Charlie retired. Arthur added molasses
Molasses
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
to sweeten Perry's original recipe. Bryant was quoted, "I make it so you can put it on bread and eat it."
The restaurant was located for many years at 18th and Euclid Streets in the inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
neighborhood of 18th and Vine. Bryant moved the business to its present location, 1727 Brooklyn, in 1958. In the 1950s and 1960s it was visited by fans and players visiting Municipal Stadium
Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954 and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during the same period...
In 1974, Kansas City native Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist.-Biography:Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and was a member of Scroll and Key before graduating...
pronounced it the "single best restaurant in the world" in a piece in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
was a regular customer and Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
dropped in unannounced in 1979.
The restaurant under Bryant never strayed far from its unpretentious decor, with Formica
Formica (plastic)
Formica is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation now based in Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, a division of the New Zealand company Fletcher Building. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, plastic laminate of paper or...
tables, fluorescent lighting, and five-gallon jugs of sauce placed in the windows.
Bryant was found dead of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in a bed he kept at his restaurant. He was buried in Branchville, Texas
Branchville, Texas
Branchville, Texas is an unincorporated area of Milam County, Texas, in the United States.Among its natives was Kansas City barbecue icon Arthur Bryant who operated Arthur Bryant's and who is buried there....
.