A Model of Consistency
Since 1958, Harold’s Drive-In has been in Columbus Park, serving up their double cheeseburgers and black walnut shakes to the last four generations of Kansas Citians.
Published January 12, 2022
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
These words from 1 Corinthians hover over the rather unassuming counter at the corner of Admiral Boulevard and Lydia Avenue. A Columbus Park staple, Harold’s Drive-In has been serving up their iconic double cheeseburgers, Italian steak sandwiches, and black walnut milkshakes, all made with love, to the people of Kansas City for over 60 years.
Harold’s Drive-In was founded by Harold and Patricia McBain in 1958. At its inception, the small walk-up was known as Harold’s Dairy Supreme Drive-In and featured a menu of hot dogs, French fries, and, of course, ice cream shakes. “In the beginning, when Harold opened the restaurant, there wasn’t anything but a walk-up window.” Deb Walker, owner of Harold’s, explained to me. Customers would get out of their cars, order at the window, and then take their food and leave.
Over time, Harold’s business evolved. “Harold kept adding products and growing the business and his customer base. He added hamburgers. He added a fish sandwich. And then, being in Columbus Park, the Italian neighborhood, he added the Italian Steak Sandwich,” Walker recounts. As the menu expanded, Harold dropped the “Dairy Supreme” and simply became, Harold’s Drive-In.
While not much has changed for Harold’s in 63 years, one recent change was the decision to be open on Mondays as well.
In 1999, the McBains sold their business to a former employee, Nancy Smith. It was through Nancy Smith, that Deb Walker came to be at Harold’s in 2003. Having spent years moving around the country with Wal-Mart, Walker was not only excited to work with her friend and take on a new professional challenge, but she was also eager to make her home in Kansas City. In 2020, when Nancy retired, it was Deb Walker who took control of the business.
There’s been a few changes to Harold’s Drive-In over the years but, by and large, it is still the same place it was all those years ago. Sure, nowadays, the ordering counter is indoors with a waiting area that protects customers from the elements. There is even an enclosed dining room, if you can even call it that, consisting of a single bar with less than a dozen bar stools that faces out towards Admiral Boulevard. However, Deb Walker is very cognizant of what has allowed Harold’s Drive-In to be successful for as long as it has. It’s still the same food, made-to-order, and served in a paper sack (that is not complete without a few grease spots). As someone who is always straight to the point, Walker reminds me that, “Consistency is what keeps places open.”
Walker is dedicated to providing the same quality of service and offering the same dishes that Harold’s Drive-In has always been known for. “I’ll tell you why [Harold’s has been open so long]. When you have a product that everybody likes, you maintain the quality of that product, and you give people the same thing every time they come in. You don’t change that.” So while Walker has added a few menu items - the triple cheeseburger, hand-made tacos, and breakfast burritos among them - she refuses to deviate away from offering the staple menu items that have kept a very loyal customer base coming back and helped to create a new generation of devotees.
Available as a daily special with a side of fries or tater tots and a medium soda for under $9, the most notable item that keeps people coming through the doors is the double cheeseburger. Served on a pillowy soft brioche bun, the hand-pressed beef patties are lightly seasoned and enveloped by melty American cheese. The patties have a bold beef flavor that is as straightforward as the current owner. When it comes to the burgers, “everything” is yellow mustard, mayonnaise, diced onions, shredded lettuce, and pickles. The signature blend of mustard and mayo, the crunch of the vegetable toppings, and subtle sweetness of the brioche buns are the perfect complements to the beefy flavor.
Harold’s double cheeseburger meal deal includes a medium drink and side for under $9. Like many customers, I opt to upgrade my drink to the black walnut shake.
“When you have a product that everybody likes, you maintain the quality of that product and you give them the same thing every time they come in. You don’t change that.”
Among other best sellers are the Italian steak sandwiches, the pork tenderloin, and the ice cream shakes, particularly the black walnut*. The pork tenderloin was the sandwich that turned me into a repeat customer years ago. It has a simply wonderful, crispy, country-seasoned breading and is served on the same brioche bun as the burger. When I do get around to ranking this city’s pork tenderloins, I cannot image that the one at Harold’s wouldn’t make my list. A remnant of a time past, the black walnut shake has an overwhelmingly nutty flavor and offers the texture of actual crushed walnut. While this is a thick shake, best eaten with a spoon, the nut fragments are not too large for a straw.
“And don’t forget the sausage, egg, and cheese [sandwich]!” Walker quipped when we were discussing popular menu items. How could I forget? It seems that the owner of Harold’s Drive-In and I have the same favorite menu item. She guesses that after the double cheeseburger and Italian steak, the sausage, egg, and cheese is the best-selling item on the menu. “Grilling it up on the grill with some butter is the key,” she tells me. It most definitely is. Served on two buttery slices of griddled honey wheat toast, the simple combination of hand-pattied sausage, over-easy fried egg, gooey American cheese, mayonnaise, and lettuce (which I tend to bypass for this particular sandwich) is absolutely delightful. The pronounced seasoning of the sausage combined with the perfectly mushy egg yolk cannot be beat. Harold’s serves the best breakfast sandwich that you will find in Kansas City! While also available with turkey sausage, turkey bacon, bacon, ham, or even a burger patty, it is hard to disagree with Deb’s assessment. The pork sausage, egg, and cheese is the best version of KC’s top breakfast sandy.
“Harold’s serves the best breakfast sandwich that you will find in Kansas City”
More than serving the same signature items, the priority that Walker places on consistency extends to every aspect of the business. This includes working with the same providers, using the same local meat and ingredients, and preparing the food that it has always been. The bread and buns come from Roma. The hand-pressed burgers are made with fresh beef. The beef along with the sausage for the biscuits and gravy and the breakfast sandwich comes from Independence’s L&C Meats. The belief in consistency extends to the personnel as well, many of whom have spent decades at the drive-in.
As mentioned, Harold’s has evolved over the decades, and even changed ownership twice, but while ownership has changed, the location and familiar flavors never have. That is why, when you get that brown paper sack from Harold’s, you can expect to dive into the same flavors and recipes that Harold McBain dreamt up all those years ago.
The sausage, egg, and cheese from Harold’s is the best breakfast sandwich in the city and owner Deb Walker’s favorite item on her menu.
As we discussed the staying power of this Columbus Park landmark, Walker shared her own business philosophy with me, loosely borrowed from Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. “If you pick one thing in your life that you are good at, then do that thing, “ she stressed. “If you have a hardware store – don’t add groceries, don’t add clothing. Focus on being a hardware store and you’ll be successful.”
Harold’s Drive-In has managed to serve four generations of Kansas Citians because of their focus on being a great restaurant, and nothing more. With a commitment to consistency, a dedication to serving up familiar favorites, and a bit of luck, Harold’s Drive-In will be around to serve their cheeseburgers, Italian steaks, and breakfast sandwiches, all made with love, to the city’s next four generations.
The 411
Harold’s Drive-In
1337 Admiral Boulevard
Kansas City, Missouri
HOURS: Monday through Friday - 6:00am - 2:30pm
https://www.haroldsdrive-in.com
“So, What Do I Get?” It’s really hard to go wrong. The breakfast and lunch menu are available all day. For me, it’s the Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich or the Pork Tenderloin sandwich. My one piece of advice, if you’re in the mood for hashbrowns - just go with the tater tots. It’s a personal preference but I prefer the bag of tots over the singular tri-tater hashbrown patty.
Those Pesky Endnotes That I Often Insist Upon
* Does anyone know the significance of black walnut shakes in Kansas City? Perhaps it has to do with how ubiquitous Black Walnut trees are in Missouri and Kansas or maybe it’s just a lasting remnant of a bygone era that was popular nationwide? Whatever it is, I have noticed that a number of old-school Kansas City burger stands and joints offer black walnut shakes or ice cream, but that you hardly ever see it anywhere else. It does make one wonder if this is an understated Kansas City delicacy or if there is more beyond the one-time popularity and staying power of this specific flavor of ice cream. Or, is it just another flavor like strawberry or butterscotch and I am over-thinking it?
Have you ever been to Harold’s Drive-In? What are your memories or familiar favorites? Please share them in the comments!
