Hey Beer Man: Beer Bob tells his story

By: Kurt Kloeblen, Staff writer
kkloeblen@sunpublications.com

BEER BOOK: Robert Gillis, better known as Beer Bob, has written about his experiences serving beer at Kauffman Stadium for 30 years.

Longtime Kansas City Royals fans have become quite familiar with Robert Gillis.

But they know him as Beer Bob, a fixture at the Truman Sports Complex for 30 years.

Beer Bob has published a book, “Beer Bob Speaks: Life with the Kansas City Royals,” talking about his experiences and memories as a beer vendor at Kauffman Stadium.

Gillis, Kansas City, said fans and friends urged him to share his stories.

“Fans were saying to me and my wife that I should write something,” Gillis said. “We just started talking and I thought it would be intriguing.”

Gillis said taking a look back at his time at the stadium has been nostalgic and enjoyable.

“It was a wonderful experience to write a book,” Gillis said. “One of the reasons I retired in 2003 was to write the book. It makes me keep coming back to the park.”

Gillis saw the Royals go to the World Series in 1980 and win the World Series in 1985. He also trudged through numerous 100-loss seasons in recent years.

Gillis said he feels the Royals organization is in the midst of righting its ship.

“With our new manager Hillman and our general manager Dayton Moore, it seems like things are starting to change,” Gillis said. “You can feel it. You can see it with the fans and their reactions. They are starting to turn the corner. This team is much better than the previous year. I’ve made the prediction we will win between 80 and 82 games.”

Gillis said fans chat him up during games and he has forged relationships with many of them. He said he has watched plenty of fans grow up.

“That’s one of the most captivating things with the book,” Gillis said. “You see fans when they were real young, 7 or 8 years old, and how they started and some are grown. Some are now getting really into watching the games. It’s been a joy to be a part of.”

Gillis said the season starts slow because of the cooler weather, but selling beer gets busy on hot summer days.

“On a good day, I can sell 10 cases or more,” Gillis said. “In the summer when the weather gets better, the fans really start to come out. It’s better when the Royals start to play well. The more competitive they are, the more fans we get to come out.”

In addition to selling beer, Gillis worked for the Kansas City Public Works Department. After leaving the city, he finished his career heading the Kansas City AFL-CIO chapter. Gillis said he also stayed busy raising three kids with his wife, a Central Missouri University professor.

Gillis started selling beer at Royals games after the 1976 American League Championship Series.

“I was working with the city and I had a little TV at the place I was at,” Gillis said. “People kept stopping by and everyone had to see that game. They lost that game at the end and I remember seeing the fans rush the field (at Yankee Stadium). I thought ‘I have to go work out (at Kauffman Stadium).’ I’ve been out there ever since.”

At Royals home games, Gillis is still selling beer, stopping to chat with old friends and signing copies of his book. He said he wants to write a second edition and hopes to release it when the Kauffman Stadium renovations are complete. He said he also is looking into writing a book about his work at Arrowhead Stadium, where he sells beer at Chiefs games.