About 54th Street Grill and Bar  |  History of 54th Street Grill

54th Street Grill and Bar is a casual dining experience founded in Kansas City, Missouri, by Thomas E. Norsworthy. Tom envisioned an establishment with the kind of quality that exceeded national chain competitors for a competitive price. The result is a nostalgic and cozy atmosphere where the majority of the food is made from scratch daily as opposed to the competitor's pre-manufactured products. He also noticed that most concepts concentrated on either the food customer or the bar customer only. While wondering why he couldn't appeal to both groups in the same facility, the 54th Street vision was born. Through clever architecture and attention to detail he was able to create a facility that accommodates a lively bar crowd with a consistently crowded dining room, translating into a great experience for all.

While things are going well now, it wasn't always so smooth. Opening the original location in September of 1990, only a couple of miles from his residence on Englewood Road, Tom endured a few tough years. "Five–Four", as we like to refer to it, started out as a place frequented mostly by Tom's friends and relatives. With virtually no advertising budget, he relied on word of mouth to get his name out to the public. And while at times it seemed as if it wasn't worth the effort, through hard work, determination and a relentless belief in his vision, business slowly began to materialize. As the restaurant became more and more successful, he began to wonder why his concept couldn't be successful in every neighborhood. It was now 1994 and expansion was the next hurdle. Our second location opened at I-29 and Barry Road in 1995. Since 1995, we have established eight locations and currently have one more under construction. The nine Five-Fours will serve over 3 million guests in 2005, most all in the Kansas City area.

We are currently evaluating franchise options and expansion outside the Kansas City area as we recently discovered there are more neighborhoods in the world that would gladly welcome their own Five-Four. This will prove to be the biggest challenge so far, but with the continued support of our loyal patrons and business partners we look forward to continuing our story…

Thank You,
Thomas E Norsworthy and KRM Management