our history

The Making of Plaza III®

The name Plaza III was chosen as a tribute to the iconic location and the “three” founders—Joe and Bill Gilbert and Paul Robinson. While a first-of-its-kind Kansas City Steakhouse was born, so was a trio of restaurateurs that went on to build an empire, opening restaurants nationwide and creating some of the most recognizable concepts including Houlihan’s, Bristol, J. Gilberts, Fred P. Ott’s, Fedora Café & Bar and many more.

Opening in 1963, Plaza III served more than food. Plaza III embodied the feeling of a Friday night out on the town, butterfly-filled first dates and exciting milestone celebrations. Patrons would handpick their steak and seafood offerings right off a large platter presented by a waiter, and the famous steak soup was so popular it became a copied recipe throughout households across the country. 

EXECUTIVE CHEF, 25 YEARS

Linzie Davis

“For nearly six decades, the name Plaza III brought so much to the city and the region,” said Linzie Davis, who was Executive Chef at Plaza III for 25 years and is continuing in that role to ensure the classic menu is executed to perfection. “It became a staple of the community, a location for special occasions and THE place to take out of town guests. Now we are so proud to bring back its legacy.” 

“We have served people great food and better memories for so long, we honestly have missed it. When I had the chance to get back in the game and to serve people again, I jumped at the chance. But I was not going to sacrifice any quality, so we are still offering our boldest meats, our signature rub and steak butter and bringing back our signature recipes was, of course, a must.”

our history

The Making of Plaza III

The name Plaza III was chosen as a tribute to the iconic location and the “three” founders—Joe and Bill Gilbert and Paul Robinson. While a first of its kind Kansas City Steakhouse was born, so was a trio of restaurateurs that went on to build an empire, opening restaurants nationwide and creating some of the most recognizable concepts including Houlihan’s, Bristol, J. Gilberts, Fred P. Ott’s, Fedora Café & Bar, and many more.

Opening in 1963, Plaza III served more than food. Plaza III embodied the feeling of a Friday night out on the town, butterfly-filled first dates and exciting milestone celebrations. Patrons would handpick their steak and seafood offerings right off a large platter presented by a waiter, and the famous steak soup was so popular it became a copied recipe throughout households across the country. 

EXECUTIVE CHEF, 25 YEARS

Linzie Davis

“For nearly six decades, the name Plaza III brought so much to the city and the region,” said Linzie Davis, who was Executive Chef at Plaza III for 25 years and is continuing in that role to ensure the classic menu is executed to perfection. “It became a staple of the community, a location for special occasions and THE place to take out of town guests. Now we are so proud to bring back its legacy.” 

“We have served people great food and better memories for so long, we honestly have missed it. When I had the chance to get back in the game and to serve people again, I jumped at the chance. But I was not going to sacrifice any quality, so we are still offering our boldest meats, our signature rub and steak butter and bringing back our signature recipes was, of course, a must.”