Michael Cripe
Special to the Citizen
Iron Horse BBQ opened its doors to in Platte City just weeks ago, and its owner, Anthony Kasl, is already starting to feel at home.
Iron Horse offers a variety of different smoked meats at its new location, and it brings with it some history as well. Those who noticed the new authentic barbecue restaurant — which can be found at 2405 NW Prairie View Rd. — may not realize that the business had previously been located in Atchison, Kan. Kasl says he decided to move Iron Horse in order to pursue growth for the restaurant.
“We grew as much as we could,” Kasl said. “There wasn’t that traffic that I needed to go and do another 10 years. It was either grow or find something else to pursue, you know?”
Though Platte City is only the business’ most recent open door, Iron Horse actually got its start in February of 2009. Since then, Kasl has only ever watched over one Iron Horse location, making this restaurant his sole focus.
Even though Iron Horse moved to an entirely new area, that doesn’t mean the business has not already rooted itself in a thematic atmosphere. Iron Horse communicates its history with train imagery and decades-old photographs from Atchison. Some pictures even contain a little family background, too.
“Both of my grandfathers worked for the railroad,” Kasl then pointed to picture frames on the walls that held photos of his family. Landmarks from all around Atchison can be seen throughout the pictures displayed, too, making it clear that the name “Iron Horse” refers just as much to trains as it does family.
Though Iron Horse has grown to be an established restaurant, the story of its inception is much more humble.
“I had done my own backyard barbequing just for myself — I was living it Portland, Oregon at the time,” Kasl said. “I was working for a paint company, and I mentioned that I could do some barbecue for an event they had coming up. They wanted me to bring in a sample, they liked it, and I did the catering for (the event).”
Up until this point, barbecue had not been anything more than a hobby for Kasl — a pastime to encourage experimentation with his own recipes. But the moment he realized others enjoyed his food just as much as he did, the spark that led to Iron Horse was ignited.
Deciding to start up his own business did not only come from letting others try his food, though, as there was another potential benefit that pulled Kasl in: being his own boss. Kasl enjoyed making food, but now he had a way to ensure he would be able to keep his family fed by means of doing what he loved, even if it meant making a few sacrifices along the way.
“When I first had the idea of opening a restaurant, I thought it would be a breeze,” Kasl said. “You don’t think about how many hours it’s really going to take. I missed both my kids’ first words so I could be at the restaurant open to close. There are a lot of times in those first few years when you’re trying to get established where you can’t always take a paycheck. Sometimes you have to keep every penny in the business just to keep the doors open.”
Kasl says that even nearly 11 years in he still finds new battles to overcome. He says that some days he thinks he knows exactly what to do to get customers in the door, while others prove to be more difficult. Just adapting to when the store will be busy is something the Iron Horse crew is still latching on to.
“Every day I’m still learning,” Kasl said.
More challenges have, of course, cropped up thanks to the recent move. For instance, the first few weeks of business have been hit or miss for Iron Horse. While everything behind the scenes seems to be running as planned, raising community awareness to get more customers in the door has proven to be a daunting task. On top of fighting to practically build an audience from scratch, employees need to be trained and marketing tactics need to change.
The long, grueling nights seem to have paid off for Iron Horse though, as proven by fans who are willing to drive from Atchison to the new location just to say hello. In those moments where a friendly face walks through the door, Iron Horse’s true pull shines through.
“When I had this opportunity to move here, I had to jump on the chance,” Kasl said. “Platte City has a small town feel and we wanted to get up here and be a part of this community. Everybody I’ve met from Platte City has been fantastic; they’ve been the nicest people.”
Kasl saw the chance to join a new family of citizens that have welcomed Iron Horse with open arms. The pictures on the wall, the returning customers, and Kasl’s reason for moving all add up to the tight-knit values instilled in Iron Horse.
Iron Horse has the potential to grow into something more than just a small-town barbecue business, but Kasl is more interested in maintaining a family atmosphere.
“I would love to expand, but right now I’m focused on this location,” Kasl said. “I want to be successful here. I would be happy staying here. You know, really the big thing is just taking care of my family. That’s what it comes down to. I’m not looking to be a millionaire.”
Kasl says that he wants Platte City citizens to know that he is committed to growing with the town, and he hopes that he’ll have the opportunity to be more involved with the community. He says everyone he has met has been nothing but welcoming, so he hopes to show that he is willing to fit right in.