The Original McDonald’s
Ah yes, do you remember when it appeared at Harry and Hillside? It was February 4, 1960, and this McDonald’s was the first to appear anywhere in Kansas. We were all eager to go try it out. Hamburgers were 15 cents and fries were a dime. Milk shakes were 25 cents. Of course, in 1960, we did not have enough money, even at those prices, to go there often, but it was quite a treat when we got there. We eagerly consumed those delicious offerings.
Ray Kroc was just beginning to push the McDonald’s franchise on his route to franchising the world and had opened his first McDonald’s in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. Wichita was not far behind. The world was more than ready for 15 cent hamburgers and 10 cent French fries.
The Original Pizza Hut
But then, we had our own franchise history start-up in Wichita – Pizza Hut. The original (first) Pizza Hut opened at Kellogg and Bluff on May 31, 1958.
We could have all been rich if we had just started one of those popular franchise restaurants, but what would our girth be by now?
Wichita’s First Nu Way
And when did Nu Way arrive on West Douglas in Wichita? It was July 4, 1930, when Tom McEvoy moved from Iowa to Wichita and opened his Nu Way at the very same location it now occupies. Tom himself is standing on the passenger side of the car in this photo of the original location.
Fast Food Memories
Marilyn Tompkins Bellert Starting in February, 1960, my mother sent me in the Ford station wagon to McDonald’s every Sunday at about 5 p.m. On
Sundays, our family always had a big dinner at Grandma’s right after church. Grandma’s cooking was the best and was fast, being usually ready when we arrived. Somehow, my mom knew about McDonald’s immediately and decided never to cook on Sunday again. As long as I was the designated driver, the order never varied: fish sandwich for Mom, a cheeseburger for me, five hamburgers (total) for my dad and two brothers, two shakes, and five fries. My dad did not think much of the sandwiches and completely disdained the shakes. He owned a store with a soda fountain where real milkshakes were made with real milk, two scoops of ice cream, and either home-made fudgy chocolate or real frozen strawberries. He predicted that McDonald’s would not succeed, despite being fast and cheap, because the food was mediocre or worse.
But the times were changing. Large-scale corporations selling at low, low prices, were taking over. My dad’s own independent business, a friendly neighborhood institution, went under a few years later. He explained to us that Walgreen’s was selling the same products as his store, but at prices way below what he could find at wholesale distributors. Several careers later, when he was traveling for work and McDonald’s was selling much better sandwiches, he became a fan. As for me in 2024, I’m glad there is a Pizza Hut in our little town, and it’s right next door to McD’s.
And while we are on burgers, let’s not forget the venerable Kings-X restaurants that were all over Wichita in our youth. The Kings-X tradition started in 1938 when a White Castle employee, A.J. King left White Castle, bought several Wichita area White Castle restaurants and changed their name to Kings-X. They served burgers, waffles and more until the last one closed in November of 2012. You no doubt ate at a Kings-X and probably more than once.
Editor’s Note: Add your memories of favorite fast-food joints or other Wichita culinary hot-spots by using the Comments box below. Or send your story to Marilyn (mbellert@niu.edu), Diane (ddzinn@aol.com), or Fred (elder@engr.wisc.edu).
I well remember those Friday nights at Pizza Hut on Bluff in high school and lunches at the Hut on 17th and Hillside in college. However, the most important Hut to me was in Daejon, South Korea when I was having a home-sick melt down for anything American. I had been In Korea for a year, and one time took a train to Seoul for a Baby Ruth and a Time magazine. But the Sunday noon at the Pizza Hut was a warm embrace of familiar aromas and so consoling to me!.