KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For 66 years, Kansas Citians have enjoyed breakfast and lunch at Harold's Drive-In in Kansas City's northeast neighborhood, and it's all coming to a close on Dec. 31.
Deb Walker, the business owner, says Harold's took a hit during the pandemic.
"Ever since then, I have struggled to come back up for air," she said.
While Walker has owned Harold's since 2020, she's been behind the counter since 2003.
"It's taken me 6 months to make the decision," she said. "It's very emotional because this is 21 years of my life."
Nancy Smith worked at the burger joint in the 80s, bought it in 1999 from Harold and sold it in 2020.
"Harold always wore this little white cook hat every day he came in, and a white shirt that was always crisp, and he was fun to work with," Smith said.
She said over the decades, Harold has remained her favorite memory of the drive-in.
Smith and Walker say that since the announcement of its closure, support has been overwhelming.
"They (customers) were out the doors again, and back in the day they would be wrapped around this building," Smith said.
It's regulars like Ken Hadden who have kept Harold's busy over the years.
"Oh yeah, they know me, they know what my order is," Hadden said.
He lunches at the shop every few weeks and has done so for the past 20 years. He stopped in on Friday to grab one last cheeseburger, but it's really the memories he'll take to go.
"I brought a friend of mine over here one time, and he didn't believe me, and then he said, 'Yeah, you're right. It's the best burger in town.' So, I'm going to miss it," Hadden said.
Memories that Carrie Carlin is capturing one last time.
"Harold's daughter Judy was my best friend and my husband's cousin, and so that's how my husband and I met," Carlin said.
Carlin worked at Harold's in the 70s as a teenager.
"I'm sad about it, but at the same time it had a really good run and so many good memories here for lots of people," she said. "You can see all these people come in here, everybody has memories."
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
