KC Steakhouse was established in Kern County in 1939. The original restaurant location was off of Union Avenue, across the street from the Bakersfield Motel. We moved to our present location in 1967 with the foresight of the new Highway 99 being built and the traffic from Los Angeles to San Francisco being moved closer to where we are located now. We've been at the F Street location since 1967 and we haven't changed a whole lot since then. Aside from changes in the carpet and putting some new light bulbs in the place the restaurant has basically stay the same like a time capsule to a bygone era.  You can feel the nostalgia from when you walk in the door from the cozy atmosphere, the midcentury fireplace in the middle of the main dining area, the red tufted booths and the vintage lighting fixtures.  If your grandparents came here back in the 60's or 70's they would have had still the same experiences thier grandchildren do, which is kind of amazing.

My mother and I took over in 2012, but she was the bookkeeper here for about 10 years prior to that, so she really knew the business inside and out and then I came back to help in 2012, to which I became a bartender, a server, an expediter, a chef. I did absolutely everything in the building, so that way I would know every facet of my industry. So it's been a really a long process, but we've been here for 14 years now and I think I can finally confidently say there's not much in this building I can't do from scrubbing the toilets to cooking a steak. Hopefully not in that order.  

KC Steakhouse is definitley a step back in time. If you want to go back to a time where there were no cell phones, no cameras, and you don't have to worry about what was going on around you, this is the perfect place to be. Our lights are dim, we've got candles lit, you can barely see the person that's next to you and are able to capture those special moments and be present.

The best part of what we do is seeing our customers over and over again and having those relationships.  Our customers are so very loyal and appreciated. Seeing those families that come back generation after generation, from being here from 14 years, I've had the privilege of watching people get married, have their first child, then watching their children go through high school and seeing them during their formals and proms, and then now seeing them as they come back as young adults and professionals. We feel like we have become part of people's families and that's really cool to be a part of. I think it was the previous generations that set that culture for this restaurant. So in previous years, especially when we first bought it, we had employees that had been here for over 20 years and so they had been here through the generations.  The one thing that we kept emphasizing was on service being the number one thing.   Keeping the service up to the standard and having long term employees we've had different generations be able to train the next generation coming on. That's been really a driving force in what keeps us in this community for so long.  Also, Dave is our sous chef and he has been here 36 years. He's had a hand in making sure this restaurant has kept to level of service and amazing food that our forefathers wanted in the very beginning.

As far as the food, we like to keep it just as local and organic if possible. So we've worked really hard over the last eight years to look for those local producers.  We get our potatoes from KEI, which is Kirschenmann Enterprises. They are a local family that have been producing potatoes off Edison Highway for over 50 years. All of our vegetabless like broccoli, carrots, parsley all come from Cal Oganic.  Our onions come from Varsity Produce with a special delivery from Westchester residents The Rhodes Family. Our oil comes from Rio Bravo Ranches and OHansons Olive Oil which are all produced locally as well.  Our beef is sourced locally as well with several suppliers too. 

There are so many memories made within the walls of this place and even outside the walls too.  My favorite memory, I think that really shocked me was during Easter break of 2020. It was during COVID and we were doing the to go food, and so people were coming in to get their family meals, and we didn't think we were going to sell that many, but we ended up selling 155 Easter packages. The chef got here at three o'clock in the morning. My mom stayed home as we got everything going, and then at 11 o'clock when the doors open my mom showed up in an Easter bunny suit that my dad had ordered for her. She was standing out front greeting everybody coming to get their packages. I walk out that front door and see my mother standing in in Easter bunny costume with nothing but her face, just ready. Everybody was willing to do anything to keep this place alive that I think that's that's like one of the most surprising things. It was amazing how much support we had and the willingness that our customers had to make sure that this place survived. We are so grateful for all of the support then and now.

In 2022, after the pandemic, we opened The Stockyard which was an offshoot of what we had to do for the pandemic, doing our outdoor dining. We had to utilize an empty building that we had for the bathrooms, and once we had thought about that, we realize that it was a perfect place to be able to put different events. So after the pandemic came to a close, we focused on getting our licenses and so we got a liquor license and opened up a little speakeasy. So kind of poking fun at the fact that the pandemic kind of brought us back to those 1920s times. There's buzzers on the door and you have to have the password to be able to get in. We did the bookcase doors, same low lights, candle lit, and a really mysterious feel like we have at KC's. 

Speaking of events and the holidays coming up we always recommend making your reservations in advance and we are booking our private parties for companies and families now.  You have to see the place when it is decorated for Christmas.  We go all out and it is an amazing experience.  We love seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones and if you aren't a part of our family yet we would love to have you come in and experience our laid back vintage vibe where memories are made.