Ted Lasso: Who Is Arthur Bryant? & What Does the Name Mean to Ted?

Episode six, titled “Sunflowers” of Ted Lasso, is a certified movie since it is an hour long. AFC Richmond is in a bad spot since the West Ham game and cannot string two good games. The New Ted Lasso episode takes the team to Amsterdam, where Richmond suffers another heavy loss in a friendly game, and understandably the team is in a bad spot. Ted permits the players to spend the night in the capital of the Netherlands in whatever way they want, and each character goes through some sort of therapy session. Thankfully, Ted’s night in the city steers something positive in Richmond’s manager, and it’s motivated by Arthur Bryant BBQ sauce that he tries in a local American-themed restaurant. This article will discuss who Arthur Bryant is and what that name means to Ted.

Arthur Bryant’s is actually the name of the real-life popular barbecue restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, which Ted Lasso absolutely adores. Arthur Bryant is so important to Ted Lasso that he has the restaurant as his desktop background, as seen in the series when Ted talks with his family via video call. In the most recent episode, Ted tries Arthur Bryant’s BBQ sauce and has an epiphany that helps him figure out a new football tactic for his Richmond team.

We will discuss this topic more by mentioning Arthur Bryant’s sightings in the show, what this name means to Ted, and if Arthur Bryant’s still exist in real life. If you are interested, stay with us until the end.

Arthur Bryant’s sightings in Ted Lasso show

During the Ted Lasso series, we saw references to popular culture, real places, or even easter eggs related to actors. As we learned in the last two seasons, Ted Lasso is more than a kind and goofy man and is more layered than one would expect. His mental health has been massively affected after the move to England, his divorce from Michelle, and the realization that his ex-wife is involved with their marriage counselor.

Missing his son Henry probably affected Ted more than we think, and Richmond’s bad results didn’t help the cause. Overall, Ted Lasso has been through a lot mentally in the last two seasons, and hints of him spiraling have been present in the show. The biggest part of Ted Lasso is his origin, specifically, his home state, Kansas. There are many hints of Ted’s heritage, from his accent to cultural references only Coach Beard can understand, but also the places that stayed in his memory even when he moved to the United Kingdom.

Arthur Bryant’s name has been displayed a few times in the show, specifically during Ted’s video calls with Henry and Michelle. For example, in the episode of the third season, “Big Week,” we see Ted Facetiming Michelle, and his desktop background showcase Arthur Bryant’s restaurant from his hometown, Kansas.

This restaurant exists in real life, located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is considered one of the most famous BBQ restaurants in the United States. Many celebrities visited Arthur Bryant’s – from Steven Spielberg to Jack Nicholson.

Nevertheless, this restaurant holds significant memory for Ted, who is shown to be homesick multiple times throughout the show. Of course, as it’s usual with Ted, this famous BBQ restaurant helped the manager of Richmond finally get his mojo back. Let’s find out how.

Arthur Bryant’s BBQ sauce helps Ted get his mojo back, which only emphasizes how much Ted misses his hometown

In the episode, we mentioned that the team went to Amsterdam to play a friendly match with AFC Ajax, the home team. Richmond lost, and to cheer the team up, Ted let the players relax and enjoy Amsterdam nights. Players couldn’t decide what to do, Leslie went to the jazz club to express himself, and Rebecca accidentally (possibly) fell in love. Coach Beard did … Coach Beard things, and Ted needed to find a way to relax and move away from his everyday problems. Before he leaves on an adventure, Beard offers Ted his special drug tea, who refuses to try it since he hates tea, but eventually falters and drinks it.

Of course, he loves his hometown and American culture, and Ted strolls through Amsterdam and finds a whole-in-a-wall American-themed restaurant. The restaurant isn’t anything special if we are to believe the in-show ratings of the place, but Ted still tries to feel like he is at home.

The American-themed restaurant, called Yankee Doodle Burger Barn, represents stereotypical American culture in one – American football, greasy food, and cowboys.

Of course, NBA basketball is also showcased in the Barn, and Ted sits and enjoys an old playoff game between Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. With ordered food, Ted is offered a special sauce, and the waitress brings the best sauce in the establishment – Arthur Bryant’s BBQ sauce. Of course, Ted looks at it oddly but tries it with his fries, which takes him on a “trip.” Ted thinks that Beard’s special tea made him hallucinate, but it helped him think of the new game plan for Richmond, combined with Arthur Bryant’s BBQ sauce.

Bulls gameplay from the 1990s, and Coach Beard’s talks about Netherland’s football legend Johan Cruyff, combined with special tea and his favorite BBQ sauce, give Ted the motivation and inspiration to think of new football tactics for his team. At the end of the episode, we find out that Ted Lasso essentially created the idea of “total football,” which was famously created by Johan Johan Cruyff, and that Coach’s tea was a “dud” – Ted’s inspiration came from within himself.

The showrunners did a great job in this episode showcasing Ted’s dealing with homesickness and his missing family in Kansas. It’s symbolic that Arthur Bryant’s BBQ sauce “helped” Ted get his mojo back as a manager since it is a piece of his home because his identity is so distinct in the Ted Lasso show.

Overall, the episode was great, and hopefully, the show will continue producing great episodes of Ted Lasso.