Gates BBQ in great hands!
Colin Shipley-Gates, Gates & Sons BBQ
GATES & SONS BARBECUE IS READY FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM by Wayne Hodges
KANSAS CITY, Kan – There’s nothing sweeter than the joyful sound of “HI MAY I HELP YOU?” when you walk through the front door of a Gates & Sons BBQ restaurant. Why? Because it usually means a flamin’ hot slab is soon to follow. Recently, I had a chance to sit down and talk with one of the present and future leaders of Kansas City’s most popular BBQ establishment, 25-year-old Colin Shipley-Gates.
A five-year football letterman at Morehouse College of Atlanta, Colin has emerged upon the scene as a true leader in Kansas City. And, as a graduate of O’Hara High School, he’s certainly aware of the local business landscape. My Q&A interview with Colin went as follows.
HODGES: Colin, first of all, thanks for granting this interview. For starters, can you talk a little bit about the history of the Gates Barbecue establishment?
COLIN: We opened business in 1946 at 19th Vine in Kansas City, MO. My great grandfather, George Gates I, started the restaurant. Prior to opening the business, he was a railroad dinner worker for many years. Then he decided to leave the railroad and go into business for himself. When he left, several railroad workers went with him. And Arthur Pinker, a family friend, brought along his barbecue expertise to help get the business started. Grandpa was a great motivator. I’m serious. He could lead a horse to water and make him drink.
HODGES: Are there any future plans of expansion for Gates BBQ? Many people are wondering if there’s a chance Gates & Sons will open a new restaurant at the Legends of Village West in Kansas City, KS. Can you provide a glimpse of any new projects? Is there something in the works?
COLIN: Yes, we are in the process of expanding. Right now we’re building a new Smokehouse to improve distribution of goods and products to our customers. The project is expected to be completed sometime in 2010. We don’t have an interest in expanding to the Legends of Village West, Zona Rosa or any of these types of locales. And I don’t see it anytime soon. We are our own destination. And we take pride in that. We are, however, looking to expand to the south Kansas City market. I don’t have a time-table yet, but it should be in the works soon.
HODGES: In my opinion, the overall quality of mentoring/leadership in our nation leaves much to be desired. Gates, however, has traditionally done an excellent job of hiring and employing young workers. Can you describe your company’s organizational goal when it comes to improving leadership within our nation’s youth?
COLIN: Ever since my days at Morehouse, I’ve always been an advocate of mentoring programs and improving leadership. At Gates, we do our part by providing and promoting equal employment opportunities. And under no circumstances do we deviate from this policy. Employee satisfaction is very important to us. And customer satisfaction is equally important. Here, we do what we can to work with you. And, as a family, we make every attempt to help those who do not have.
Gates & Sons BBQ delivers great food at affordable prices
HODGES: And, in closing, can you talk about the recession’s impact on your business?
COLIN: I believe every business has been affected by this recession. And we’re no exception. However, we have fought the crisis by cutting prices and expanding services. For instance, recently, we lowered the price on a slab from $19.99 to $18.00. And, right now, we’re working on adding a Sunday brunch buffet from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Also, we’re in the process of expanding advertisements to the web. This includes opening a “Twitter” account.
Since I’m one of the youngest, I decided to spear-head most of our technology projects. But, overall, we’ve done really well during this recession because we’ve been very consistent in our 3 core areas: 1) Providing good products, 2) Delivering fast service, and 3) Maintaining clean facilities.
Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He is also a candidate for Kansas Senate District #7, an adjunct professor, and MPA at Kansas University. Wayne welcomes your comments at whodges@massappealnews.com
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October 26th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
just wanted to say excellent feature…keep up the good work
October 28th, 2009 at 6:47 am
i agree, nice interview. i love Gates. i go every Friday. But tell Mr. Gates those prices are gettin a little expensive. and they should allow free re-fills on drinks. most restaurants do. i like the sunday brunch idea though.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
very informative…lots of good info
consider it bookmarked
October 29th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
I love Gates but i would like to see the prices come down a little bit and i would like to see more sides added to the orders. it can get really expensive buying side orders on top of the main dish. But i love Gates no matter what. I usually go on payday.
October 31st, 2009 at 10:18 am
What did my boy DJ say in the movie Hustle & Flow? “If you want quality, you gotta pay fer it.” LOL
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:23 am
great interview! i like the brunch idea. i was wondering if Gates could offer a variety of daily specials.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:53 am
gates got some nice barbecue sauce but those prices are too damn high and the volume is alot less. i think the sunday brunch is a great move. the barbecue is second to none but the prices need to come down a bit.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:48 am
I love Gates. I eat there twice a week. The BBQ is worth every penny.
December 12th, 2009 at 5:57 am
lots of good info…consider it bookmarked
December 30th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I think Celeste makes a good point about Gates BBQ prices. I remember when a Beef on Bun cost $5. Now it costs $7. The food is good no doubt about it. But I think they would get more customers if they came down on some of the prices or give more food for the buck.