Meet the Team

Meet the players of the Q39 team!

Leadership

KELLY MAGEE

Owner
Kelly and her husband Chef Rob opened Q39 together in April 2014. Before becoming a restauranteur, Kelly worked in business development roles for over ten years and built a solid foundation of sales and leadership experience. Additionally, Kelly is well versed in strategic planning across a variety of industries, including retail, ecommerce, hospitality and non-profits.

One thing about Kelly— she's always on the move. When she's not leading the restaurant's award-winning team, Kelly has a passion for traveling. You may find her on Safari in Africa, or skiing on the slopes in Colorado with her friends and family.

JOHN BEDDALL

Catering Manager
John joined the Q39 team in early 2023 with over 20 years spent in the service and hospitality industry. Combined with his go-getter attitude, excellent operations management skills and a passion for fostering relationships, John found a perfect match with his role as Catering Manager.

When he’s not working with guests and partners planning events, John steps in the spotlight and performs live music at shows all over Kansas City. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for Member at Large, a non-profit that builds schools in rural Honduras. As Catering Manager, John gets to infuse both his creativity and passion for making an impact in his local community.

RANDY PIEBES

President
Randy’s career in the industry started as a dishwasher. He worked to become an Executive Sous Chef before moving to FOH roles. He later obtained a BS in Restaurant & Hotel Management from Johnson and Wales University in RI. This prompted a 17-year career with Hilton Hotels, where Randy traveled across the Northeast to open hotels and build restaurants.

Since joining the Q39 team as President in June 2022, Randy became a certified Kansas City Barbeque Society judge, and enjoys judging and even participating in competitions to honor Q39’s heritage.

CARRIE POWELL

Director of Human Resources
Carrie is a Kansas City native with many years of HR experience in the local hospitality industry prior to joining the Q39 team in 2021. Her personal hobby as a robotics coach fuels her passion for mentoring and supporting her team, which is highly reflected in her role as Director of Human Resources.

Carrie has supported the Q39 team through incredible growth, noting this as a dream come true for someone that loves to create, build and nurture. She’s a proud foodie and lover of Q39 BBQ!

PHILIP THOMPSON

Executive Chef
Chef Philip has been Executive Chef of Q39 since early 2022. Born in England and classically trained in French cookery, he found a passion for Seed to Table cuisine with contemporary flair.

Prior to Q39, Chef Philip worked for the finest hotel kitchens across the country and led the culinary and stewarding teams for numerous high-profile events, including the White House Correspondents Dinner and the United States Conference of Mayors.

In addition, Chef Philip is a Certified Pitmaster through Kansas City Barbeque Society.

DANIELLE WILSON

Controller
Before joining the Q39 team in November 2021, Danielle had over eight years’ experience as a controller. Danielle is goal-motivated, enthusiastic, and loves the challenge of overseeing all accounting operations and activities— and riding a motorcycle.

Like her passion for live music and the way it brings people together, Danielle enjoys being part of a company so ingrained and involved in the Kansas City community.

Midtown

MARK ADAMS

General Manager
Mark joined the Q39 team in early 2022 as Midtown’s General Manager. He is a hospitality pro with more than 15 years in restaurant management across Chicago and St. Louis. His experience managing multiple BBQ restaurants throughout his career and time as an Executive Chef aligns him with Q39’s mission to serve the best chef-driven BBQ in KC.

The charisma, professionalism and positivity he brings to the restaurant every day is felt across his team and every guest served.

TODD TUCKER

Assistant General Manager
Todd is a Texas native and a proud Q39 ambassador. He’s worked in various roles throughout the local food and beverage scene with several years of managerial experience, sporting his impressive sneaker collection every step of the way.

Todd joined the Q39 team as a manager in October 2021 and was promoted to Assistant General Manager in July 2022. He’s strongly aligned with our team values and takes pride in his work to help make Q39 one of the best restaurants in the city.

ISAAC MEIJA

Kitchen Manager
Born in Mexico City, Isaac moved to the United States in 2008 and worked his way through the high-volume kitchen at Cheesecake Factory for 13 years as a line cook and supervisor. Isaac joined the Q39 team in 2014 as a line cook, where he mastered all the kitchen stations and became a specialist on the grill before he was promoted to supervisor and later Kitchen Manager in 2021.

Isaac leads the Midtown team of over 35 members and managers and has been an integral part of the success and cohesion of the team.

ALBERTO MARTINEZ

Sous Chef/Lead Pitmaster
Also born and raised in Mexico City, Alberto has lived in Kansas City since 1994 and worked at the Hilton Kansas City Airport where he met Chef Rob in the early 2000’s and helped him create all his original sauces for the Munchin Hogs BBQ competition team.

Alberto learned BBQ techniques from Chef Rob and would eventually join him at Q39 in April 2014, becoming our longest serving employee. Alberto’s 20 years of experience in BBQ makes him the perfect trainer for all of our new pitmasters coming onboard to learn how Q39 does BBQ.

South

CHRIS DROPE

General Manager
Chris was a fan of Q39’s championship BBQ long before he joined the Q39 team in 2021 as the General Manager of the South location. He has more than a decade of managerial experience in the Overland Park, Kansas restaurant industry and a love for all things Kansas City (especially BBQ).

Chris’ professional passion is to help grow and foster the champion culture amongst the Q39 team and restaurant through delivering a top tier experience to every guest, every time.

GASPAR MAGANA

Kitchen Manager
Gaspar is one of Q39’s longest-tenured team members. He started in 2015 working on the grill station, and through his culinary talent, leadership abilities and drive for excellence, he was promoted to Kitchen Manager.

His career in the restaurant industry started in California in 1996 washing dishes, but Gaspar found his passion in the kitchen when he was trained in prep and cooking. Prior to Q39, he worked for the Cheesecake Factory for 17 years. His joy for cooking extends outside of the restaurant, as he loves to prepare meals for his friends, family and kids to gather and enjoy (preferably while watching a Chiefs game.)

LAURA DOCET

Assistant General Manager
Laura is a California native with over two decades of experience working up the ladder in the restaurant industry. Her passion for exploring new places led her to relocate to Kansas City in 2020, where she fell in love with Q39’s Kansas City-style BBQ.

Laura joined the Q39 team as Assistant General Manager in 2022. She embodies our fans-first culture by going above and beyond to serve each guest and leads the team with an unbeatable spirit.

Careers

Interested in joining the Q39 team? Check out our open positions and apply today!

IT'S OUR 10TH BIRTHDAY!

We’re celebrating with our favorite blasts from the past. Enjoy them before they’re gone!