In May 2022 when I heard that Bill Kunz had sold Highway 61 Roadhouse in Webster Groves I texted him congratulations. He replied, “Thank you. It’s a great feeling.”

He did take some time to travel a bit but in 2023 he was back in the game, helping guide the Trainwreck Saloons. And not long ago he came back to the Roadhouse. 

Sadly, Bill suffered a fatal heart attack last Wednesday, July 17. He was 64.

I met Bill when he came on my Food Talk STL radio show on KFNS in the summer of 2012. He was promoting the S.L.O.B.S. barbecue competition. (St. Louis Occasional Barbecue Society.) Then in December he talked about having the Roadhouse featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. 

The Triple-D segment featuring the Roadhouse first ran in December 2012 and resulted in a significant increase in traffic. And every time the segment ran again in succeeding months and years, more folks came in. 

Around that time, Bill had stomach surgery to limit his food intake and he went from being obese to being a slim guy. He went hard on cycling and got back on his bicycle after hitting an unseen curb out by Spirit airport in 2017 and suffering a significant injury. In 2020, he rode over 10,000 miles.

In 2013 I did PR work to promote the Roadhouse and in 2014 I worked to promote the S.L.O.B.S. series of events. Several TV and radio appearances were set up, mainly because of the events Bill staged at the Roadhouse. The Cigar Box Guitar Festival was not set up by Bill but he was happy to provide the venue for the folks who pulled it off. 

Bill also did the Freeze-Que, a wintertime BBQ competition, the “Halfway to Mardi Gras” celebrations in September, a screening of the movie Roadhouse on Patrick Swayze’s birthday and a huge crawfish boil. He put a strong emphasis on live music at the Roadhouse.

Bill was a warm and witty guy who obviously enjoyed the food and beverage world. He was collegial with other restaurant and bar people as well as customers. My favorite visits with him came when I would dine at the Roadhouse on a quiet mid-afternoon and he would often just sit and chat for a while.

I managed to hold back my tears when I attended his visitation this past weekend and saw the top hat he usually wore at the Roadhouse and his bike helmet both sitting on the edge of his casket as he lay there and I said a final goodbye.