A full sensory experience and feast for the eyes and appetite awaits guests with the opening of Backfire BBQ™ Featuring Orange County Choppers® (Bikes, Burgers, Barbeque) at The Legends at Village West in Kansas City, Kansas.
This one-of-a-kind attraction features dining, entertainment and retail in an interactive environment. Backfire BBQ showcases iconic American cuisine serving burgers, barbeque and comfort food in a full throttle, immersive setting complete with live music, a retail store, an outdoor patio and a fire roasting S‘mores pit.
Backfire BBQ is the brainchild of Steven Schussler, best known as the founder and creator of Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex, Yak & Yeti, and Schussler Creative, Inc. With the culinary direction and management of Levy Restaurants, this new BBQ and comfort food concept is the first restaurant to feature the custom motorcycles of Paul Teutul, Sr.’s Orange County Choppers. Paul Teutul Sr. is famous for his leading role on the hit television show, ‘American Chopper.’
“Orange County Choppers is proud to partner with the innovative team at Schussler Creative, Inc. and the family of passionate restaurateurs at Levy Restaurants to bring you Backfire BBQ. Together, we’ve created an incredible attraction with great food, entertainment and retail that I know you will enjoy, " said Paul Teutul, Sr., CEO of Orange County Choppers.
Steven Schussler, CEO of Schussler Creative, Inc. said, “You have to have a lot of confidence in your food and branding to open a BBQ restaurant in Kansas City. Kansas City is known for outstanding BBQ. Our confidence stems from the powerhouse expertise of the team we have assembled. A trifecta of talent! Schussler Creative, Levy Restaurants and Orange County Choppers come together to showcase a new BBQ restaurant design, a new brand attitude, and customized culinary wizardry. We are lucky to have Dan Lowe, his team at RED development, along with the owners of The Legends at Village West, the Honorable Mayor Joe Reardon and the Unified Government to thank for having Kansas City as the home of the first Backfire BBQ featuring Orange County Choppers.”
"As restaurateurs, we’re excited to collaborate with the innovative teams at Schussler Creative, Inc. and Orange County Choppers to bring guests a truly amazing experience at Backfire BBQ, " commented Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy Restaurants. Schussler added, “Everything on the menu at Backfire BBQ is made in house and on premise from the salad dressings and smoked meats, to the barbeque sauces and desserts. Backfire BBQ sources many items and ingredients from local producers and purveyors, as a way of connecting with the community and finding the best products for our guests to enjoy. The menu consists of wings, snackatizers (an appetizers section), soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, barbecue, fish, chops, sides and desserts. Some of the signature items of the menu include the Flight of Fancy – choose three of five flavors of wings; NOLA Spiced BBQ Shrimp –six shrimp sautéed in butter, garlic and spiced and served with bread for dipping; KC Rocker Reuben – thinly sliced brisket topped with slaw, Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese on Texas toast; Singing the Blues Burger – dusted with house spice and grilled over hardwood coals, lettuce, tomato, picked red onion, blue cheese fondue and blue cheese crumbles; The Trike – a sample of three meats: hand pulled slow hickory smoked pork, hill country style brisket and pork ribs; and Sack of Nuts – donuts made to order and tossed tableside by paper sack in cinnamon and sugar.”
Schussler’s team spent three years creating the menu, design, décor, and overall atmosphere. Schussler commented, “Our team set out to create a memorable experience for our guests. Backfire BBQ features 14 custom motorcycles, two rare antique racing automobiles, two vehicles built from motorcycles that appear to be cars, two infinity water fountains topped with spinning Orange County Choppers bikes, featured artwork by the world’s preeminent relief sculptor Bill Mack, multiple antique jukeboxes, award winning 3-dimensional stage scenery, an open flame Hog Pit BBQ and one of the largest smokers in Kansas City, 13 large screen plasma televisions, and a S’mores pit. Thursday through Saturday there are live musical performances by top local singers and musicians. A NASCAR-themed room for private dining, private parties and special events features race car uniforms, checkered flags and NASCAR and car racing memorabilia and antiques.
The retail store is filled with Orange County Choppers memorabilia, collectables and gear for all ages. Backfire BBQ’s signature line of sauces, rubs and mixes are prominent, as well as t-shirts, hats, jewelry, leather jackets, and toys. There are items for all ages and walks of life so that everyone can savor aspects of the open road.
Backfire BBQ Featuring Orange County Choppers is located in The Legends at Village West at 1855 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas 66111. The restaurant is open on Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m and will feature Sunday Brunch from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.; and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. The retail store is open Monday – Saturday at 10 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m.; on Sunday the retail store is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dress is casual. All credit cards are accepted. Reservations are suggested and may be made online at www.opentable.com or by calling 913-788-3838. For more information about Backfire BBQ, visit www.backfirebarbeque.com.
About Schussler Creative, Inc.
Schussler Creative, founded by Steven Schussler (Creator and Founder of Rainforest Cafe™ – A Wild Place to Shop, and Eat™) creates theatrical environments for attractions, restaurants and retail stores worldwide. Schussler Creative has developed innovative, one-of-a-kind restaurants including T-REX Café: A Prehistoric Family Adventure™, A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover™, which is located at The Legends in Kansas City, Kansas, and at Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida; the world-famous Yak & Yeti™: Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park in the Walt Disney World® Resort, near Orlando, Florida; Betty & Joe’s Baker & Coffee Maker™: You Can’t Have One Without the Other™, located at the Mohegan Sun Casino at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; and Hot Dog Hall of Fame™: Frankly the Best Hot Dogs, Sausages, Dumplings and French Fries in the World™, which is located at the Mohegan Sun Casino at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; Galaxy Drive In™: Aliens, Humans, and All of our Four Legged Friends Welcome™, located in St. Louis Park, MN. Other theatrical attractions, which are featured on the Schussler Creative Web site (www.schusslercreative.com), include Pizza Market: Italian Kitchen, Wine & Pizzeria, The Place to Ciao!; Zi Imperial Kitchen™: Asian Antiquities & Culinary Art™; Aerobleu™: The Spirit of Cool™; Winter Wonderland™: The Magic of Winter™; Water, Fire & Ice Polar Ultra Lounge™: The Hottest Place on Ice™; Sorcerer’s Kitchen™: School of Wizardry, Food & Magic™; and Musical Garden™: A Living Work of Art, Food and Music. To learn more about Schussler Creative and its worldwide theatrical dining attractions, please visit www.schusslercreative.com.
About Levy Restaurants
Levy Restaurants, founded in Chicago in 1978, is recognized as one of America’s most critically acclaimed restaurant companies, and is the leader in premium sports and entertainment dining concessions. Levy was recently named one of the 10 most innovative companies in sports in the world by Fast Company magazine. The company’s diverse portfolio includes award-winning restaurants such as James Beard-winning Spiaggia and Bistro 110 in Chicago, Fulton’s Crab House, Portobello and Wolfgang Puck Grand Café at Walt Disney World Resort, renowned sports and entertainment venues like Sprint Center and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, and STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, and events including the Super Bowl, World Series, Kentucky Derby, NHL and NBA All-Star Games and the Grammy Awards. For details, visit www.levyrestaurants.com.
About Orange County Choppers
Paul Teutul, Sr., metalworker by trade and founder of Orange County Choppers, Inc., first began his business of building custom choppers out of the basement of his home in Montgomery, NY. With the creative help and following of his oldest son, Paul Jr., the two were soon on their way to the top with the success of Paul Sr.’s first bike, “True Blue” at Daytona Biketoberfest in 1999. From that point on, Paul Sr. knew he had something and established Orange County Choppers, Inc. that same year. The Teutuls were quickly becoming recognized by chopper enthusiasts everywhere. They were not only making a name for themselves in the custom choppers world, but were picked up by the Discovery Channel in 2002 as the basis of what is now the hit television series, American Chopper. Their popularity has led them to build custom theme bikes for some of the biggest names in corporate America such as Microsoft, Lincoln and Coca-Cola. Today, Orange County Choppers is regarded as one of the world’s premier builders of custom motorcycles. Visit www.orangecountychoppers.com for more information.
See also:
Themed Restaurants: Chad Emerson Interviews Steve Schussler
Themed Design: Levy Restaurants Signs Development Deal With Schussler Creative, Inc.
