The major reason for the success of Gates Bar-B-Q has been the barbecue sauce, manufactured and used by the barbecue restaurants. From the inception of the business, in 1946, there was a constant demand for the sauce and as the business grew and expanded that demand became greater. Attempts to meet the barbecue sauce demands initially were met by the manufacturing of the barbecue sauce, but it eventually became apparent that it was impossible to keep pace with the demand by primitive methods. Therefore, automation of the barbecue sauce manufacturing began appearing in the warehouse in the l970's and barbecue sauce manufacturing was completely automated by the mid '70 s.

As the demand for the sauce continued to grow and the ability to respond to that demand through automation, was assured a decision was made in 1975 to introduce Gates Bar-B-Q sauce to the retail grocery stores. Sales calls were made to convince the buyers for the chain stores and the wholesalers who supply the independently owned stores to carry the barbecue sauce in their warehouses. Some favorably responded immediately, however, others displayed some reluctance to take a new item which they felt might yield questionable investment returns. Persistence and strong consumer appeal prevailed and all major supermarkets in the Kansas City metro area soon stocked Gates Bar-B-Q sauce on their shelves to their credit because the barbecue sauce each year has been a strong competitor and enjoys a significant share of the market among the top competition in barbecue sauce.

Gates Bar-B-Q is receiving national recognition due in large part to the strategic location of Kansas City. Being the hub of the nation, Kansas City attracts various groups of people from throughout the country for a variety of reasons including national political conventions, public officials conventions, business, industry, fraternal and professional conventions, as well as the American Royal, to name a few. Additionally, it is host to a number of college and professional sporting events. All these activities have brought many of these people into Gates' Bar-B-Q restaurants, thereby enhancing the Gates national image, but more importantly a continually rising demand for Gates Bar-B-Q Sauce on a national basis. People's views being that if they cannot have Gates Bar-B-Q in their own metropolitan areas, they will tout for the sauce being made available to them in their market areas.

This national barbecue sauce demand has culminated in a decision being made in 1982 by Ollie Gates to commence a methodical and intense national distribution effort in 1983. Plans are currently underway to concentrate on a few major markets in reasonably close proximity to the Kansas City market for two primary reasons: First, the closer those markets are to Kansas City the greater the familiarity with Gates products, and secondly, having limited knowledge of national marketing it seems imperative to be in close enough proximity to those experimental markets to react quickly as circumstances dictate during Gates' initial exposure in those markets.

This national demand for the barbecue sauce has brought forth a number of individuals and retailers with a few stores, who have sought out Gates to arrange for distribution on a very limited basis in their markets which include a few of the major markets across the country. Adversely affecting their ability to compete in the market place is the fact that they put in very small quantities, thereby considerably increasing an already exacerbating transportation cost. Moreover, economic feasibility impinges against much marketing assistance from the manufacturer, whose assistance dollars are limited unless or until distribution efforts can be concentrated in a given market area. Eventually, assistance to them will be forthcoming as the marketing efforts and resources of Gates Bar-B-Q sauce begins fanning out from Kansas City in a concentrated manner market by market with the ultimate goal of reaching every major and many lesser markets across the country within the next few years.

Gates will continue in the Family Tradition and pride ourselves in producing the best possible products.