About us

About us

Founded in April of 1938 by two close friends, Jess Kincaid and Jim Wright, this longtime steakhouse began at 135th and Holmes as a small bar and grill until a tornado in 1957 led them to move to their present location. Although located far south of the city, they believed that good food, attentive service, and fair prices would make the drive worthwhile. From that belief grew what is known today as Jess and Jim’s Steak House.

Jess eventually stepped away from the business to focus on his family, leaving Jim to run the restaurant. Jim later hired his cousin, R.C. Van Noy, to host evenings and manage the dining room, creating a partnership that worked well, with Jim in the kitchen and R.C. welcoming guests in the dining room. In 1972, Calvin Trillin wrote an article in Playboy Magazine that brought Jess and Jim's Steak House national recognition, and a steak was later named in honor of that moment. When Jim's health began to decline in 1977, R.C. took over daily operations.

Jess and Jim have since passed away, and R.C. passed in October of 2002. Mike and David, his sons, have owned the restaurant since 1990. Today, the fourth generation of the family works in the business and continues preparing to carry it forward. Jess and Jim's Steak House has remained a family owned and operated restaurant since 1938.

As noted in an August 1997 article from Kansas City Persona, the Van Noy family believes that customers are the reason for the restaurant's existence; that character in business today builds security and happiness tomorrow; that every organization should be guided by value, quality, and integrity; and that through service to others they justify the confidence placed in them.