Hayes Hamburgers and Chili in Kansas City, Missouri, is quite a throwback. In business since 1955, the small roadside shack is known for its grilled-onion–laden burgers and hot bowls of chili.

Patrons crowd in to the diner and sit on swivel stools at the counter or in two-seater blue vinyl booths along the windows. There are seats for, maybe, 24 people, and if you're near the register at the counter, prepare for the brisk trade in take-out burgers and chili that will go on over your shoulder as money and to-go sacks trade hands between you and your neighboring stool squatter.

Despite having grown up in the KC metro area, I first heard about the place from George "Hamburger America" Motz after having moved away. (Hayes is in the Northland, and I'm from JoCo; it's like the Sharks and Jets or something.) Anyway, George liked it, and some quick Googling before I went told me that Hayes rated here and there as one of KC's best burgers. I dragged my parents with me on an hourlong drive north.

I don't know. The place reminded me of Town Topic, another KC burger mainstay, but didn't really do much for me. The burgers at Hayes are made from fresh ground beef, cooked with onions smashed in—as they do at Town Topic—and are exceptionally thin. Too thin, I thought.

Having heard it was similar to Town Topic, I made sure to order the double cheeseburger, but what arrived on the plate could have been mistaken for a single burger. And the burgers we had that day were a little too salty and the onions burned rather than griddled just to a nice golden color.

$2.69 for a double cheeseburger is a small price to pay for a failed burger exploration, but even that hacked off my dad, who remarked that he could have gone to Wendy's and gotten double the burger power with that three bucks. While I usually don't agree with the quantity-not-quality approach, I had to admit that pops had a point.

Not that I'll skip Hayes in favor of Wendy's next time I'm in town—I'll just hope for a better day and order a triple.

Related: Town Topic

Hayes Hamburgers and Chili

Address: 2502 Northeast Vivion Road, Kansas City MO 64118 (map)
Phone: 816-453-5575
Cost: $2.69 for a double cheeseburger
Short Order: Old-school dinerlike burger joint known for oniony little burgers and chili. Burgers are mighty thin. This is the first time I think I've ever had to advocate ordering a triple burger as a default.
Want Fries with That? No. If you must order a side, get a bowl of chili instead. It's much better than the fries (standard-issue McD-like fries) or onion rings (whole-ring onions but too-tough batter). Besides, that's what all the regulars order.