Woodyard Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in Kansas City

Here is our experience with Woodyard Bar-B-Que.

Yesterday May 14th 2022, my husband and I went to Woodyard Bar-B-Que to meet up with a party of approximately 20. A long time friend, (who'd wanted to surprise her husband for his birthday), asked that we all meet there to surprise him. When my husband and I arrived and went into the area where the rest of the party was sitting, she was embarrassed and apologetic.

What was the problem?

Once we sat down we were quickly made aware that the plumbing was out and the restaurant also had NO RUNNING WATER. This restaurant was operating with no running water. Let that soak in. Our friend assured us that she'd called the restaurant twice this past week to make sure that they could accommodate her party of approximately 20 to 25 for her husband's birthday beginning at 5:30pm for Saturday May, 14th. She'd asked if they would have enough food and asked if they would have enough space, to which she was told, 'Yes. Absolutely. That shouldn't be any problem at all.' Famous last words apparently. My said, "Covid is still real. Why the heck are they open and running when people can't use the bathroom and no one (including them) can wash their hands?? And they certainly can't properly sanitize anything." No one had an answer. And yes a guy was still bringing food (that was in styrofoam containers and bags) out from time to time, to the individuals in the group, and a handful of other patrons I could have dealt with the lack of air on such a humid day (it was in the high 80s) but no running water? No hand washing?? It was disgusting. I found out that they were planning to be closed on Sunday, which is now today, to get the plumbing fixed. I do believe that this place staying open yesterday, with no running water and no ability for anyone to use the bathroom, constituted all kinds of code violations.

We stayed to fellowship with our friends but didn't order a thing. The entire experience left me feeling...yuck!! As we left, someone else also noticed that something else besides working plumbing and sanitary conditions was missing. The smoke. How were they cooking the meat? Boiling it? That's just a question I'm still wondering today, because I really don't know. I'm going to assume this is a one-time thing. Though, who knows? This is the kind of behavior that does not get a second chance from me and mine. Any restaurant that remains open for business, and is actively serving food to customers, in spite of not having working toilets and no running water, (which also means no way to properly sanitize), tells me I don't need to ever try to come back here and I certainly have no intention of recommending anyone go to this place. This was our experience yesterday, on the evening of May 14th, 2022. I am now responding to the reply, supposedly from the owner, to me. Yesterday, they were still stating that the bathrooms and plumbing were out of order when we left at closing. My husband, who talk to the young man at the register, states that the young man was unbelievably rude and unprofessional and unapologetic about the experience.

I find it ironic that my husband, who posted yesterday got this response from the owner on yesterday...

"Yep we had a bad day and we are very sorry. Not the way we run things. Please accept my apologies. Maintenance is being addressed now."

It appears yesterday during the however many hours of no plumbing and water, etc... it was all acknowledgment and accountability but today, after my review, it is a different story...or is someone else attempting damage control and answering my review, and not...

Earning a 5-star for BBQ in KC should be tough :)!! But they are really a 4.5 stars for me! Overall, very satisfied! Their RIBs were very good. I know Joe's has one of the best name for it (which I agree too!), but trust me their's were equally good, if not better. I have always tried to judge a place with free mind, not by location or popularity. To make it easy, let's just do some summary bullets of what I tried: Pork Ribs: Excellent, very tender and juicy (spare ribs were better than baby back!) Burnt End Chilli: Very good! tried the smallest portion - was loaded with burnt ends, and good ones! - Suggestion: tweaking a little sweet/sour balance can really enhance the savor! Heat was optimum. Cheesy Corn: Pretty good! although not the best in town. But really a different take, not the overtly sweet. Baked Beans: Not bad, but really not out of the ordinary. Chicken Wings: Hmm....good meat, good size, done well, but I needed the help of the BBQ sauce to fulfill expectation. Do we need a different rub for Chicken?! The Sauce: Pretty good! and yes, they do have unique flavor identity (relative to the other BBQs of town). I found 2 kinds- mild and hot. I kept confusing the two, you may blame my spice-tolerant palate! But it felt that the mild one was more tangy and the hot one had a generous dose of black pepper (and ginger?!): heat that you feel towards the back of your palate. But they are both good and the best part is that they are NOT overtly SWEET like some others around! And oh there wasn't a slice of bread anywhere in the order (of ribs, wings, chilli); not a complain, just observation!

They are a little generous with black pepper in all their preparations; and I am absolutely NOT opposed to it - Just an observation; you could see enough even in the sweet corn...but that could be one of the secrets of their unique flavors!

The place has a great feel, with the porches, the backyard,...the smoker upfront! The folks are also very nice! That is how a bbq place should feel!!! Not a fancy-fine dine-small portions-white napkins place, which much of the KC favorites (including some of mine!) are unfortunately becoming! ....may be just to be different and get business?!!

All-in-all Woodyard is very good!!! And you must detour to visit them, even if it is not by the side of your accessible road of daily commute! Let's not go with the crowd to pick favorites by popularity alone!! I wish I had tried...

I’m only giving this restaurant a 2 out of 5 stars because my last visit was very annoying. I will say prior to this visit, the food and Customer service have always been top-notch.

That being said..

I visited your location last Saturday, September 3 around 6:30 PM for dinner with my girlfriend. The line had three people ahead of us. Took us about 20 to 25 minutes to get all the way through. Didn’t think much of it. It was a little long of a wait, but we’re just happy to be there and have your food. We ordered the Turkey club to split, two sides, and a brownie. The turkey club was missing lettuce and wasn’t cut in half (usually comes cut in half) & also didn’t have any mayonnaise on it, even though I had requested it. Took it back have them fix it. Then I had to go back and ask for utensils because there was none in the bag. We got maybe five minutes into our meal before the young man who rang us up came into the back room while we were trying to eat our meal, with a bucket full of Fabuloso and water and a rag and started cleaning up all the tables around us even though none of them were dirty. It was very offputting to eat the meal with the room reeking of Fabuloso cleaning detergent. It was 7:10 PM and before he walked out stopped at our table to tell us that they were closing and that we would need to leave. If I’m not mistaken The hours for your restaurant on Saturdays are until 8 PM. At least that’s what it says on your Google info. I found it very rude to be shooed off the premises 50 minutes before close. Especially after having to spend such a long time in line and going back to fix their mistakes. I am a frequent customer here, I really love the food, and I have never been treated so poorly at your establishment in the past. It was a pretty terrible experience. It’s not like I showed up 15 minutes before close and ordered. I was there an hour and a half before they closed and still got the boot. Very very unprofessional....