Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue

Infobox_Company
company_name = Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan =
foundation = 1974
location = Kansas City, Missouri
key_people =
industry = Food
products =
num_employees =
revenue = | homepage = [http://www.jackstackbbq.com/wikipedia www.jackstackbbq.com]

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue is a small chain of barbecue restaurants, catering, private dining facilities, and nationwide shipper of barbecue located in the metropolitan area of Kansas City, Missouri.

Originally a part of the Fiorella family-owned chain of Smoke Stack Barbecue restaurants, with the original restaurant located in south Kansas City on Prospect Avenue. Founded by family patriarch Russ Fiorella in 1957, it eventually leads to the opening of four more restaurants for the Fiorella family. One of these restaurants, Smoke Stack Barbecue of Martin City, was opened in 1974 by the eldest son Jack Fiorella and his wife Delores.

It was sometime in the mid-1980s, after a failed attempt to expand into a second location under the name of Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, Jack and Delores realized they needed to make some changes in order to stand out in the competitive Kansas City barbecue market. It was at this moment they set about expanding their menu selections. To the chagrin of barbecue purists, they also began offering a higher level of comfort and service than most people were accustomed to experiencing at a barbecue restaurant. They added non-traditional barbecue menu items like hickory-grilled steaks, lamb ribs, Crown Prime Beef Short Ribs, along with an extensive wine and bar selection. From an idea acquired from their travels along the Yugoslav coast, they also started offering fresh seafood grilled over a hickory wood fire.

In the mid 1990s, Jack and Delores successfully expanded into neighboring Overland Park, Kansas. It was at this time, they decided to change their name to Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue to set themselves apart from the family chain of Smoke Stack Barbecue restaurants. They also opened a full-service catering operation in Martin City, along with Private Dining facilities in both Martin City and in their third restaurant location in the historic Freight House building across from Union Station in mid-town Kansas City. In October 2006, they were proud to open a fourth restaurant on The Country Club Plaza.

Seizing upon the opportunity to expand their Kansas City-style barbecue beyond the borders of Kansas City, Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue began shipping their barbecue nationwide via their World Class shipping division in 2000. Media exposure on The Food Network and Modern Marvels on The History Channel has led to explosive growth for their World Class shipping division located in the Hunt Midwest SubTropolis. Fiorella's Jack Stack has also been rated as some of the best barbecue in the United States by several national organizations and magazines. Most notably, the Zagat Survey has named it the "#1 Barbecue House in the Country."citeweb|url=http://americanairlines.wcities.com/en/record/34,282803/326/record.html|title=Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue|publisher=American Airlines|accessdate=2008-01-17] [citeweb|url=http://www.visitkc.com/visitor_info/dining_basic.cfm?ID=32494|title=Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue at the Freight House|publisher=The Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association|accessdate=2008-01-17]

Jack Fiorella has passed restaurant operations along to his son Kevin, and son-in-law Case Dorman. However, he still remains active in the World Class shipping division.

References

External links

* [http://www.experiencekc.com/barbeque.html Experience KC history of barbecue]
* [http://www.kcbs.us/ Kansas City Barbeque Society]
* [http://www.rbjb.com/rbjb/bbq.htm Kansas City BBQ Capital of the World]
* [http://www.kansascitybarbecue.com/ KansasCityBarbecue.com is Your Internet Guide To The Finest Barbecue on The Planet]