Harold’s Drive-In operator Deb Walker has been a familiar face behind the counter since 2003 and has made the decision to close after Dec. 31. The building owner is marketing it as for sale or lease. | Photo by Dorri Partain

Dorri Partain

Managing Editor

Burgers, eggs, sausage and bacon sizzle on the griddle, prepared to satisfy breakfast and lunchtime hunger pangs, order after order and year after year.

Harold’s Drive-In at 1337 Admiral Blvd., nestled between a Rodeway Inn and Hope Faith Ministries, has earned iconic status — not just for its location but also the number of years in operation.

Come Dec. 31, following a series of financial hardships, current operator Deb Walker will fill the last order of the day one final time. This restaurant closes daily by 2 p.m.

“We (the building owner and I) can’t agree on the lease,” Walker stated last Friday, indicating a raise in rates she could no longer afford. The lease agreement includes the restaurant equipment, which means moving to another location is not an option.

Walker said this decision to close hasn’t been easy. She has served customers as a familiar face at Harold’s since 2003 and took over daily operations when partner Nancy Smith sold the building in 2020. Smith worked for Harold McBain from 1986 to 1989 before eventually purchasing the drive-in in 1999 — keeping the same name and menu.

McBain took over an existing ice cream shop named Dairy Supreme in 1958. After adding burgers, tenderloins and other favorites, the name changed to Harold’s Drive-In with the motto “For Honest to Goodness Goodness.”

Smith and Walker celebrated Harold’s 60th anniversary with a party in its parking lot in October 2018, along with other long-time employees, Smith’s sisters Mary (since 1987) and CaraMae (1990). Mary still works at Harold’s, along with Amber, Greg, Nancy, Shorty and Terry.

In addition to the raise in rent, Walker stated that her business has never regained the losses it incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns. 

“The workers never came back to the offices downtown, they still work at home. So people that would stop for breakfast or order for lunch — they’re not here any more,” Walker said.

Along with the decision to close an eatery that’s served Kansas Citians for 66 years, Walker said she will miss the relationships that have developed with restaurant regulars.

“The customers, the people that come in and out of here on a daily basis, you get to know them, they touch your heart,” Walker said. “And sometimes they need a hug- you can read that and see that, and it kind of helps you and it helps them.”

Those connections with customers extend beyond the doors of the restaurant. Walker said she and Smith once took a trip to Las Vegas and from nowhere someone called out, “Who’s watching Harold’s?”

Unlike chain fast-food establishments, Harold’s offers items like tenderloins and Italian steak sandwiches, which they hand-bread daily. Walker related that one long-time customer — now living in Seattle, Wash. — orders six tenderloin sandwiches during visits and picks them on the way to the airport to take back home. These sandwiches were double-wrapped and packaged for their journey — and sometimes were still warm when the plane landed in Seattle. 

Now that the decision to close has been made, Walker will begin 2025 by totally switching gears — literally. She wants to get a Commercial Driver’s  License, then go back to school to complete a degree in graphic design.

Between now and Dec. 31, Walker hopes to see old customers one more time and serve up food that’s “fresh, tasty, good,” like Harold’s has served for 66 years.

The restaurant will be closed Christmas Day but retain regular operating hours from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday through Tuesday, Dec. 31.