Zarda History
The Zarda name was first introduced to the Kansas City Metro in 1910 with the inception of the Zarda Dairy. It was truly a family business – with many members of the Zarda family working in sales, in the plant, and driving route trucks. In 1964, at the urging of their father, Norbert Zarda, brothers Jerry and Mike first ventured into the restaurant business. Zarda Drive-In quickly became a local hot spot for those looking for some of the best burgers in town. The success of the drive-in led the brothers to open two additional locations a short time later – in Gladstone and Overland Park.
With the success of the drive-ins, Jerry and Mike planned their next move. They recalled fond memories of their father bringing home slabs of ribs and smoking them in the backyard – in Norbert’s homemade cinder block smoke pit. They knew immediately that a barbecue restaurant was in their future.
So, in 1975, Jerry and Mike set out researching their “first love.” The brothers sampled barbecue from all over – tasting, taking notes and eventually incorporating the “best of the best” into their new restaurant. In 1976, the first Zarda Bar-B-Q opened in Blue Springs – on the corner of 7 Highway and R.D. Mize. It was a family affair from the beginning with 3 of the 5 Zarda brothers manning the new restaurant – Jerry managed the front end, Mike perfected the recipes and younger brother Steve cooked and developed procedures.
“We were shocked by the interest and excitement in that first restaurant. People were literally lined up to get in when we opened,” Mike recalled. It was the unique flavor of the barbecue, signature sauce and “Grandma Lucy’s Bar-B-Q Beans,” coupled with the strong work ethic instilled in them by their parents, that would be the start of unimaginable growth for the Zarda family.
The original restaurant was such a success that 3 short years later, in 1979, the Zarda’s opened a second location in Lenexa, Kansas. From day one, the brothers saw a packed restaurant for lunch. It seemed that their stellar reputation for bringing quality barbecue to the area had preceded them. Despite the Zarda’s great success, their story is not without heartache. In 1982, older brother Jerry unexpectedly died, leaving Mike and Steve to run the thriving family business without him.
Determined to keep the family business moving forward, in the early 1980s, the brothers began distribution of their Zarda Bar-B-Q Sauce in local grocery stores. The sale of Zarda beans followed shortly thereafter. Zarda products were sold in every major grocery store within the Kansas City Metro. In time, the distribution of the Zarda products moved beyond the Kansas City market – providing that authentic Zarda taste to an even wider audience in over 25 states. The brothers had to expand their production plant to accommodate the increased demands for their beans and sauce. Each year, Zarda produces over 7 million pounds of Bar-B-Q beans along with 5 varieties of their sauce.
From Zarda Dairy’s humble beginnings to the Zarda Drive-Ins, the Zarda name has now become synonymous with great tasting barbecue throughout the Kansas City Metro. For decades, Zarda has been a Kansas City tradition, but now, thanks to their distribution in over 25 states, Zarda is taking that same Kansas City tradition all over the country.
