Arthur Bryant (restaurateur)
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Arthur Bryant (1902–December 28, 1982) 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 (Kansas City)
In 1974, Kansas City native Calvin Trillin pronounced it the “single best restaurant in the world” in a piece in Playboy. Harry Truman was a regular customer and Jimmy Carter dropped in unannounced in 1979 [[1]
The restaurant under Bryant never strayed far from its unpretentious decor with Formica tables and fluorescent lighting. Five-gallon jugs of sauce were 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.
