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In a time when you rarely hear “home-style” and “family business” anymore, Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant in Kansas City proudly embraces both.
When looking for kid-friendly restaurants in the Kansas City area, it’s hard for Fritz’s not to come up. Over 50 years old, Fritz’s combines good, old-fashioned burgers and more at extremely reasonable prices. But what makes Fritz’s so unique is the way they deliver your food…by train!
You can watch your food made in the kitchen then delivered by train right to your table!
That’s right, owner Fred Kopfz engineered a delivery system where a train actually encircles the top perimeter of the restaurant that then drops your food in a basket directly to your table. Oh, and did I mention that you actually use the phone at your table to call your order in personally? All this was originally designed to help with labor shortages and has developed into a Kansas City tradition with three locations throughout Kansas and Missouri.
Fritz’s continues to be family owned and operated to this day, with even most of the specialties being named after family members based on their tastes and personalities. For instance, one of their most popular offerings that I sampled, the “Gen Dare Twin”, is named after “Genevive” and boasts two hamburger patties topped with crispy hash-browns, grilled onions, mustard, ketchup, lettuce and onion. Though skeptical at first, I quickly discovered why this is one of the most frequently ordered items on their menu.
Even the exterior of the Shawnee Mission location looks like a train station!
I also loved the “Fring” – an order of French Fries with two onion rings thrown in! (I always want onion rings when I see them on the menu, but can never finish an entire order, so this sampling was right up my alley!). Other unique notables include the chili, the kids hot dog (cut up and served on a round bun), and the old-fashioned milk shakes (our kids recommend the cookies & cream).
So whether you want to experience a rare piece of Americana, appreciate the spirit of invention, or just want to see your kids squeal with delight, make sure to add one of Fritz’s three locations to your Kansas City itinerary.
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[…] Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant: Another family owned staple, Fritz’s has 3 locations in Kansas & MO, but each have their famous train delivery system. That’s right, in an effort to stay afloat during a time when labor costs were so high, Fritz’s owner invented a train that circled the upper perimeter of the restaurant and took food in a basket from the kitchen and dropped it off directly at the diners table. Great American favorites at extremely reasonable prices! Read more of my Fritz’s Restaurant review… […]