Still the One:Best of Business Winners List Has a Familiar—and Local—Look
“So when Ingram’s wanted to know where the best restaurants, entertainment and cultural amenities, and the best business services and products could be found in the KansasCity area, we asked our readers.” That premise remains true today.
Throughout the year, Ingram’s honors companies with a variety of honors, and we take that responsibility seriously. Unquestionably, though, it’s “Best of Business” that our readers anticipate, because it’s you, our readers, who determine the winners.
This month we mark the 20th anniversary of presenting “Best of” awards to the finest wining and dining establishments, and the 10th anniversary of honoring the best in entertainment, business services and business products.
Much has changed in 10 years, most of it for the better. The addition of many new restaurants and entertainment venues has helped us dismantle our dusty image as a steak and barbecue town and to role out some of the finest restaurant concepts anywhere.
A brief history: Two major developments that transformed our city are worth noting. Highwoods Properties assumed control of The Country Club Plaza, it gave our city’s jewel a facelift, making The Plaza more vibrant than it had ever been—and did it largely with proven, national chain restaurants. Two, the Power & Light District helped bring energy back to a long-dormant part of Downtown. Downtown is alive again, and like The Plaza, it’s built largely with proven national chains and entertainment venues.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I’ve always applauded the entrepreneurs, duly reflected in the pages of this magazine. My admiration increases significantly for anyone who turns a long-held dream into a thriving business reality. To be successful requires incredibly long hours and equal parts artistry and business acumen.
And judging by the list of Best of Business winners 10 yearsago, it’s pretty clear that Ingram’s readers feel the same way. The American, Plaza III, Stroud’s, Garozzo’s, the Bristol were names that kept popping up in the Wining & Dining category. And among the inaugural class of winners in the Business Services and Business Products awards were J.E. Dunn, Bernstein-Rein, Aristocrat Motor Co. and Baron Automotive, Hall’s, Trapp and Co., bijin salon & spa and Tivol.
Since that list, many high-profile businesses have opened. The impact those new establishments have had on our city’s reputation as an entertainment center is unmistakably positive and significant. The impact the new restaurants have had on Ingram’s annual Best of Business Awards is virtually negligible.
Turn to Page 63 and scan through this year’s winners, especially in the Wining & Dining category. If the winners look familiar, there’s a good reason for that. Many of them still claim Gold and Silver honors, some for eight, nine and even ten consecutive years.
And most of them are products of Kansas City entrepreneurs.
In addition to the aforementioned, I salute JJ’s [ninth straight Gold awards for its Wine List], the Classic Cup [ninth straight Gold for Outdoor Dining], Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue [ninth consecutive Gold for Barbecue], and worth repeating: the American [eight straight Golds for Romantic Restaurant], and Plaza III [Best Steak 8 years running].
Jazoo has been your favorite charitable event nine straight years. Midwest Airlines has maintained our loyalty seven straight years. Tivol has been a decade-long champion, as has J.E.Dunn, The Country Club Plaza, Nelson-Atkins Museum and Saint Luke’s.
Some would argue that awards given out to many of the same recipients can lose luster, or worse, reader interest. I argue the opposite. I know what it takes to run a business and to give your customers a reason to keep coming back, continuing to earn their trust with every encounter. To be recognized as the best at anything you do is an honor. To be able to maintain exceptional levels of service every year for a decade, well, that deserves every possible honor and accolade available.
Kansas Citians as a group and specifically Ingram’s readers, appreciate quality, hardwork—and exceptional service. Year after year, it shows in the pages of the Best of Business awards.
To the businesses and owners who have shared their dreams, vision and their passion with us all these years, we thank you. And to the thousands of readers who have shared their passion for those businesses by casting Best of Business ballots over the years, we thank you—and a long list of familiar award winners thank you. 
Joe Sweeney
Editor-In-Chief & Publisher
Sweeney@IngramsOnLine.com