Kansas City has never belonged to just one state. Neither have we. 916 HOSPITALITY Group was born at this crossroads a hospitality studio that acquires and develops real estate, then builds bold food, drink, and eatertainment concepts that define how Kansas City eats, drinks, plays, and gathers.
916 HOSPITALITY Group was founded in Kansas City in 2020 by two cousins who grew up in Kansas City and saw no reason the most exciting hospitality concepts couldn't be built right here, in the city they call home. Every venture has been funded entirely with their own Kansas City capital, no outside investors, because they've always believed in this city enough to put their own money behind it.
We are not a management company. We are not a franchise operation. We are a studio that creates creative hospitality concepts. A small, tightly focused team that conceives, builds, and operates original hospitality concepts from the ground up with full creative control at every stage.
Today, 916 HOSPITALITY Group operates six active ventures spanning eatertainment, craft cocktails, neighbourhood bars, smash burgers, wine and dart games software. Each built to be a genuine destination, not just another place to eat and drink.
What gives 916 HOSPITALITY its long-term foundation is something most groups never have: the founders personally own the real estate behind every venue. They acquire the buildings, develop the spaces, and put their businesses inside them. No landlords. No lease negotiations. No outside interests determining the future of a concept. Just founders who are fully committed to the ground they stand on.
916 HOSPITALITY isn't a single company, it's a studio that designs hospitality concepts and controls every layer beneath them. Each venue operates on its own, and the real estate it sits on is held on its own as well. That structure keeps every concept independent, protected, and built on ground we own outright.
Every venture starts here. We design the brand, the story, and the guest experience from the ground up, with full creative control at every stage. This is the layer that makes a place worth remembering.
Before a concept opens, we acquire and develop the building it will live in, held in its own entity. No landlords, no rent escalations, no outside party with a say in how a space looks or operates. Just permanence.
Each venue runs as its own business, staffed and operated by a team that takes pride in their craft. The studio designs it, the real estate anchors it, and a dedicated crew keeps it running at its best.
Kansas City is a city split by a state line. The Kansas suburbs carry area code 913. The Missouri downtown carries area code 816. Both share the digit 1. We took 9 from 913, kept 1 as the common ground, and took 6 from 816 forming 916. Just like the city itself, we belong to both sides.
Every decision starts with one question: will this make the guest feel something? If the answer isn't an immediate yes, we start over.
Kansas City doesn't need more average places. We build concepts that challenge conventions and stand confidently apart from everything that came before.
Every concept we build is designed to become part of this city's fabric a place locals claim as their own, for decades to come.
We hold our service, our design, and our operations to the same uncompromising standard. If it can be better, make it better.
Two founders. One relentless pursuit of concepts worth building.
Meet the Founders