A favorite Northland barbecue restaurant is closing.
of freedom Jousting Pigs Barbecueinside 3Halves Brewing Co.. at 110 E. Kansas St., he posted a notice on his Facebook page Wednesday saying he will close at the end of the business day on Nov. 27, “with a heavy heart.”
“Our time with 3HalvesBrewingCo ended and we tried to find a new location in Liberty for a standalone location, but we were unsuccessful. … We can’t thank Liberty and the surrounding communities enough for their incredible support over the past 3 years. We are very proud of everything we have achieved considering all the challenges of the last few years and we look forward to returning to the area.”
By Thursday morning, the post had more than 620 comments.
▪ Well this is one of the saddest things I’ve heard in a long time. It has been a great addition to the Liberty Square area.”
▪ “This is so sad. Your burnt ends will always be the best I’ve ever had.”
▪ “The City of Liberty needs to step up and help find a place for you. I felt very lucky to have this quality of barbecue here at Liberty.”
▪ “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Truly our FAVORITE BBQ place in town! We recommend it to everyone!”
Jousting Pigs opened with the brewery in September 2019.
John Atwell, owner of Jousting Pigs, said 3Halves wanted to offer more menu items besides barbecue, and he wanted his own restaurant. He lives less than a mile from the current location and was close to signing leases for a couple places in the area.
“There aren’t many spaces that are ‘restaurant ready’ or want rents that are more than we’re willing to pay. It sucks,” she said. “We love the Liberty area, they have been incredibly good to us in that community, how they have supported us during COVID. This is our home and where we want to be”.
3Halves will take over the kitchen for a new operation, 3Halves Brew Pub & BBQ, set to open in early December. It will then add rotating seasonal menu items to the BBQ menu beginning in early 2023.
“They decided not to renew their lease, so we decided to go ahead. I am passionate about barbecue,” said John Kennebeck, owner.
A year ago, Jousting Pigs opened a second location, taking over the former Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque building at Legends Outlets Kansas City in Kansas City, Kansas.
Barbecue in the Kansas City area that occupies the former Arthur Bryant building in Legends
The menu includes brisket, pulled pork, ham, chipotle pepper sausage, ribs, burnt ends of pork belly, cheesy corn with chile verde, vinegar coleslaw and bacon ranch potato salad.
Jousting Pigs BBQ also has a couple of food stands at Arrowhead Stadium, offering items like pulled pork sandwiches and BBQ brisket nachos.
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