Competitive barbecue cook, brisket master planning a new restaurant for west Wichita
A Wichita pit master who has spent the past eight years racking up accolades and awards on the competitive barbecue circuit is about to open his own restaurant in Wichita.
Buddy King, who also has been operating his Barrel Boys BBQ food truck for the past five years, says that he’s close to finishing up approvals to lease the little gray building that sits at 2202 W. 13th St. and that he should have a barbecue restaurant operating out of it by spring. He’s aiming for late March or early April.
The building, which sits on the northwest corner of 13th and McLean, has room for about 20 diners inside and more on a planned patio on the east side of the building. A grass lot to the building’s east also will be turned into a parking lot.
In addition to serving dine-in customers, King said, he’ll put special emphasis on carryout business and will offer family meal deals that people can pick up on the way home from work.
King, whose specialty is brisket, says he’ll serve that plus items like ribs, turkey, hotlinks and sides like cheesy corn, slaw, potato salad and brisket beans. His wife, Joana, also will occasionally prepare some of the Filipino-style barbecue that she’s become known for with the food truck’s fans.
King has earned many awards during his competitive career, and when barbecue season is underway — usually March through October — he and his family travel to at least two competitions a month. Cooking has become a family affair, and the Kings’ sons Rainen, 12, and Chase, 9, also are learning their way around the pit.
To start off with, the restaurant will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, King said, but as the staff gets trained, hours will expand.
King, who grew up in Riverside and went to North High School, said he’s enjoyed running his food truck, which he’d frequently set up near 13th and McLean. When he did, he’d always sell out within a few hours, he said.
But he has always preferred the idea of serving his barbecue in a restaurant setting. With all the loading and unloading, a food truck is a lot of work, he said, and King still works three days a week at a local aircraft plant.
“I’d rather come in , turn the lights on and light a fire,” he said.
The building is in a busy spot, he said, on the path that many people he knows take home and nearby lots of apartments. It’s also right across the street from the new duplexes going up on the southeast corner of the intersection.
The restaurant, he anticipates, will keep him so busy that he’ll have to sit out the competition circuit for at least a year. He also plans to park the truck for now.
King hasn’t settled on a name for the restaurant just yet, he said, though it’ll likely either stay Barrel Boys or become Tender Town — a reference to his slogan “We Take it to Tender Town.” He might put up a poll on his Facebook page and ask customers to decide for him, he said.
I’ll keep you posted on the restaurant’s progress.
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 2:42 PM.
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