Kelly Magee, owner of Q39 barbecue restaurants, was named the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association 2024 Restaurateur of the Year.
The association surprised Magee with the award at a private event Tuesday at Q39’s original Midtown location (1000 W. 39th St.). Employees, friends, family, area restaurateurs and others attended the event.
Past winners of the award include Richard and Theresa Ng of Bo Lings Chinese Restaurant; Jack Fiorella of Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue; Rick Renfro and Louie Riederer of Johnny’s Tavern; Domhnall Molloy and Andy Lock of Summit Grill; and Gregg Johnson of Minsky’s Pizza Cafe & Bar, Osteria Il Centro and Eggtc restaurants.
Criteria for the award include being a member in good standing of the association, community minded and active in civic affairs, passionate about building a positive image for the food service industry, and in business for more than 10 years.
Magee’s late husband and co-founder, Rob Magee, earned a degree from the Culinary Institute of America and worked as a hotel executive chef and food and beverage director for 30 years. He also won numerous national barbecue championships and honors.
He combined those experiences in Q39, which he opened with Kelly in 2014. They added an Overland Park restaurant (11051 Antioch Road) in 2018.
The restaurants focus on wood-fired, championship barbecue with the area’s first barbecue scratch open kitchen restaurant with no microwaves. The cocktail program emphasizes local liquors, along with beers and wine. It also offers full-service catering.
Kelly continues to lead Q39, following Rob’s passing from cancer in 2021.
She had long handled technology, marketing business plans, accounting and human resources, and other duties for the company. It currently has about 250 employees, including executive chef Philip Thompson who continues Rob’s legacy of chef-driven, competition quality barbecue.
Magee says she’s a “reluctant restaurateur.”
“Restaurants are hard, they are tough,” she says. “But I’m such a foodie and it was an honor to take what (Rob) did and find the right people to continue his vision.”
But restaurants also have to evolve, she says, so she wants to bring new reasons for people to enjoy Q39.
The company is committed to rolling out some new menu items and cocktails twice a year. Most recently that included a salmon salad, shareables such as crispy cauliflower bites and corn fritters, a Q’Ban sandwich and a smoked brisket bánh mì, along with such desserts as sticky toffee cake.
“Kansas City is a foodie town, they don’t want ordinary things,” Magee says. “They like things that are high quality and different and they expect it.”
She also is making Q39 more accessible by now offering delivery via Uber Eats, and a new grab-and-go area at the Overland Park restaurant.
“Finding new ways to meet customers’ lifestyles and how they are dining and what they need,” she says.
Q39 also continues to expand. A Lawrence location is scheduled to open at Sixth and New Hampshire streets in mid-2025. Then, in late 2025 or early 2026, a Q39 is scheduled to open as part of the 50-acre Oldham Village development, off Oldham Parkway, southwest of Missouri 291 and U.S. 50 highway in Lee’s Summit.
The Missouri Restaurant Association also selected Heartland Coca-Cola as its Company of the Year.
Magee and Heartland Coca-Cola will be honored at the association’s inaugural ball to be held on Feb. 1 at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Tyler Banker with Third Street Social will then become president of the association.
Tickets for the event are $150 a piece. It will include a 3-course dinner, a pre-reception happy hour, and an after-party reception.
