Hayes Hamburgers

Another place on my list of must "go to’s" in Kansas City is Hayes Hamburgers. It’s a little trailer lookin’ diner at the corner of Vivion and Antioch north of the river. Mr and Mrs Hayes opened it up in 1955 and it hasn’t changed a whole lot since then. I can still see Mrs Hayes sitting at the end of the counter smoking her cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee.

Now, Hayes never had that big of a menu. There’s only about 50 items and that includes breakfast and cold drinks. Funny thing though, I’v been going there for over 50 years and I can’t remember having anything but hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chili, and french fries. Why try something else, when the cheeseburger is pure heaven?

The burgers are only about a tenth pound. They have fresh hamburger divided into balls in the cooler. When you order a burger, they grab a ball out the cooler and toss it on the grill. Onions is a must and they grab a handful of those paper thin slices, place them on top of the ball and smash the whole thing with a spatula as flat as it’ll go. The grill is about 400 degrees and the burger only takes a couple minutes on each side to cook. When the first side is done, it’s flipped over. Now the onions are on the bottom carmalizing. A slice of cheese is placed on top and then the bottom of the bun is placed on the burger with the top on top of that. This steams the bun with the grease vapor coming off the burger and onions. When that side is done, they simply lift the entire thing off the grill with the spatula and with a move that would make any Vegas dealer proud, slide the top of the bun to the bottom, slide out the spatula, and turn the burger right side up while placing it on the plate. If you order it to go, they put pickle and mustard on it. You want ketchup, you better ask.

These are the best burgers around. A lot of people compare them to White Castle and rumor has it that Mr Hayes may have owned one in the 40's in Liberty, Mo. In the olden days of the 20's through the 40's and maybe into the 50's, this is exactly how White Castle made their’s. Now days, White Castle uses frozen patties (square with holes in them) and rehydrated onions. The taste is marvelous, but it ain’t got nothin’ on the original. They mix a little pickle juice with the mustard to make it thinner but since there’s pickle on there anyway, it doesn’t interfere with the taste.

Now, I’m a huge fan of Steak and Shake, and also of Kansas City’s own Winstead’s. Haye’s burgers are the best. You want a little piece of heaven on earth, try Hayes next time your in Kansas City.

Check this out. It's a wonderful time lapse at Hayes by Anna Faltermeier.
http://www.annafaltermeier.com/multimedia/