These brothers SMOAK’d gameday concepts at Kauffman, Arrowhead; now their craft BBQ, burritos are delivering downtown
March 7, 2024 | Startland News Staff
A popup business that launched stadium-based concepts alongside two of Kansas City’s biggest sports teams will now be serving its popular handcrafted barbecue and burritos from an East Crossroads-based hub for ghost kitchens.
SMOAK Burritos and SMOAK To-Go — the latest ventures from brothers Cade and Seth Colson’s SMOAK Craft Barbecue+ — open today at 1600 Campbell St. at the Crossroads Food Stop.
The duo is looking forward to giving Kansas Citians another vehicle to enjoy their barbecue any day of the week, not just at pop-ups or on game day.
“I smoked my first brisket in 2017 and was hooked at the level of quality that I could produce with not a lot of experience,” said Cade Colson. “Of course the first brisket was totally beginner’s luck, because the next half dozen were not good at all. What keeps me in barbecue and what I love most about Kansas City is the absolutely incredible passion for barbecue the city exudes. The city is truly peerless when it comes to the love of barbecue and support for those who excel at making it.”
The menu at SMOAK Burritos will feature handcrafted SMOAK’D meats with fresh fillings served on Caramelo Tortillas or in bowls. The menu at SMOAK To-Go will include BBQ plates, sandwiches, burritos, and bowls with signature BBQ meats and homemade sides.
Click here to explore offerings at SMOAK Burritos and here to see what’s smoking at SMOAK To-Go.
Both menus will be available for pickup or delivery on the major delivery platforms (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub) with a delivery radius of 5-plus miles from the ghost kitchen location.
The Colson brothers debuted SMOAK Craft Barbecue+ in 2020 as a pop-up outside of Carmen’s Cocina II in Olath. Since then, they’ve built a loyal following at pop-ups hosted by multiple local craft breweries and wineries, as well as a regular pop-up schedule at Maps Coffee and Chocolate in Lenexa.
In the spring 2023, SMOAK was offered an opportunity to partner with Aramark Sports + Entertainment to serve their barbecue out of the KCQ concept at Kauffman Stadium, followed by an opportunity for a SMOAK branded stand at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in the 2023-2024 season. The Colson brothers also had the opportunity to serve at the NFL Draft Fan Experience in April 2023.
Click here to follow SMOAK on Instagram.
Many of SMOAK’s menu items highlight ingredients that pay homage to the Colson Brothers’ home state of New Mexico and Cade’s decade long residence in Dallas, including their signature hatch green chile sauce.
“I am fortunate enough to have tried a lot of different cuisines from all around the world, and I really enjoy bringing flavor combinations together in ways that not many people have tried,” said Cade Colson. “I also believe that being from New Mexico helps me bring in spice to our food that really compliments the flavors of the barbecue, rather than having heat for the sake of heat.”
SMOAK Burritos is open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday. SMOAK To-Go will be open for lunch Wednesday through Sunday.
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
1MC recap: program traces roots, features The Swapping Co., OneDayKC
Kansas City’s 1 Million Cups tried something new today. And by new, it was actually old. The event met in its original venue, Kauffman Labs, which served as an intimate setting for attendees. Entrepreneurs and community members gathered around desks and viewed presentations projected onto a white board. “The venue change happened today because our…
Coming UMKC innovation center to serve students, entrepreneurs
With funding shored up from private and public donors, the University of Missouri-Kansas City is planning to move ahead with its plan to build the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center to support students and entrepreneurs. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced Tuesday that the state is allocating $7.4 million to the center, which represents half…
Security firm Nodal nabs $100K, ramps up hiring
Good news is stacking up for Kansas City-based Nodal Industries. The security hardware tech company recently snagged $100,000 in seed funding as part of an opportunity to participate in the 500 Startup accelerator program, based in Mountain View, Calif. The funding will allow Nodal to hire up to eight people, as well as ramp up production…
Play-It Health lands in top-ranked digital health accelerator
As with many successful startups, the idea for Play-It Health was born out of personal experience with an unsolved industry need. Kim Gandy, a former clinician and now the founder and CEO of Play-It Health, recognized that patients were having trouble engaging and adhering to their medical regimen. In the worst cases, this led to…






