Oklahoma Joe's is a barbecue restaurant owned and operated by Joe Davidson, with all locations in and around

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

and

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

History

Oklahoma Joe's was originally started by Joe Davidson as a smoker manufacturer, then a decade later launched its barbecue restaurant. The first Oklahoma Joe's opened in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in January 1996. A Kansas City location followed later that year, located inside a gas station at the corner of W 47th St and Mission Rd in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

. During the 1990s, Joe Davidson met Jeff and Joy Stehney while they were on the competition barbecue circuit with their team Slaughterhouse Five. Davidson and the Stehneys decided to go into the restaurant business together, and they opened Oklahoma Joe's in

Stillwater, Oklahoma Stillwater ( iow, Ñápinⁿje, ''meaning: "Water quiet"'') is a city in, and the county seat of, Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177 and State Highway 51. As of t ...

and in

in 1996. Davidson sold Oklahoma Joe's Smokers in 1997 and moved to Texas. With Davidson out of Oklahoma, the partners decided to close the Stillwater location, and the Stehneys bought out Davidson's ownership and assumed full control of the Kansas location.Great American Bites: Award-winning Kansas City BBQ at Oklahoma Joe's - USATODAY.com
/ref> When Joe Davidson returned to Oklahoma and opened his own version of a new Oklahoma Joe's in 2011, he made an agreement with the Stehneys to change the name of their Kansas City area restaurants. In August 2014, the Stehneys announced that the name of their three Kansas City area restaurants would be changed to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Davidson opened his first of the current Oklahoma Joe's restaurants in

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County, with a portion in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 census, Broken Arrow has a popu ...

in 2011. He opened his second location in 2012 inside

Cain's Ballroom Cain's Ballroom is a historic music venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was built in 1924 as a garage for W. Tate Brady's automobiles. Madison W. "Daddy" Cain purchased the building in 1930 and named it Cain's Dance Academy. In 2021, Pollstar ranked Ca ...

. In 2014, Davidson announced that he was planning new locations in South Tulsa and in the

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

area. The location in South Tulsa opened in May 2016. He also announced plans for a one-of-a kind Barbecue Factory in Oklahoma. A location in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

's Haymarket District opened on July 25, 2017.

Locations

Current Locations

- opened in 2011 at 333 W Albany *

- opened 2012 inside

at 423 N Main St *

- opened May 27, 2016 at 6175 E 61st St * Catoosa, Oklahoma - opened in July 2017 at 19361 NE Robson Rd. The fourth Tulsa-area location, the restaurant is located inside the Pythian Building in space that formerly housed a

Dickey's Barbecue Pit Dickey's Barbecue Pit is an American family-owned barbecue restaurant chain based in Dallas, Texas, and is a subsidiary of Dickey's Capital Group. Since Travis Dickey established the restaurant in 1941, it has become the largest barbecue franchis ...

- opened in November 2018 at 1912 S 67th St in the Aksarben neighborhood of Omaha.

Former Locations

- opened in 1996 inside a gas station at the corner of W 47th St and Mission Rd. Joe Davidson sold his interest in the Kansas City location in 1997; however, it retained the Oklahoma Joe's name until 2014 when it was re-branded as Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que to avoid confusion with the restaurants operated by Joe Davidson. The Kansas City locations, owned and operated by Jeff and Joy Stehney, have been named by numerous publications as being among the top barbecue restaurants in the United States. The Stehneys have expanded their operation by opening additional restaurants in

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 population of 141,290. History 19th century Olathe wa ...

and

Leawood, Kansas Leawood is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 33,902. History 19th century After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the area ...

. *

- A franchised location opened July 25, 2017 at 800 Q St. The location was only open for 6 months. The franchisee was involved in a legal dispute over failure to pay past rent and using funds to subsidize a previously failed restaurant. *

Merrifield, Virginia Merrifield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,212 at the 2010 census. Geography Merrifield is located in eastern Fairfax County at (38.873144, −77.242994). It is bounded by I-6 ...

- opened May 30, 2016 near

Dunn Loring station Dunn Loring is a Washington Metro station in Fairfax County, Virginia, on the Orange Line. The station is in Merrifield, with a Vienna mailing address. The station is in the median of Interstate 66 at Gallows Road, just outside the Capital Bel ...

One year after opening, in June 2017, the investing partners cut ties with Oklahoma Joe's and re-branded the restaurant as District BBQ. The partners, Kansas City-natives Ahmad and Aladdin Ashkar, indicated a desire to do things the Kansas City way and had differences of opinion with franchise owner Joe Davidson. Since severing ties with Oklahoma Joe's, District BBQ has been named by the Washington Post as one of the best barbecue restaurants in the Washington, DC area.

References

{{coord, 36.07331, -95.79457, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-OK, display=title Barbecue restaurants in the United States Restaurants in Oklahoma

History

Locations

Current Locations

Former Locations

See also

References