Fric & Frac celebrates 50 years on West 39th Street
Photo by Maisie VanSlander
Before the open sign flips into view, regulars file into Fric & Frac’s quiet restaurant, chairs still on top of the tables. Moseying in, these grizzled neighbors grab their signature beverage and settle into the afternoon. It’s Tuesday, the day the neighborhood men have a pool tournament that’s been going on for four years, but that covers only a fraction of the time Fric & Frac has been open.
Some of the people who have come to this West 39th Street spot for a drink or bite for decades are the diner’s resident electricians, some are couples who have been married as long as the place has been around, and others are folks who made school lunches for the current owner when he was a kid. The regulars hold a deep reverence for Fric & Frac, and Fric & Frac returns it by welcoming them as family.
In a time when popular bars and restaurants shutter every other week, it feels like a good time to acknowledge the importance of regulars, because “regular” might be the recipe for 50 strong years.
Since opening in 1976, Fric & Frac has lived in the same building its entire life, leasing the space since the very beginning.
“We are only on our third lease since we have opened,” Max Ross tells The Pitch.
Ross co-owns the restaurant with his father, who previously took it over from his father. Family-owned since opening, he hopes one day his kids are ready to take on the role.
Photo by Maisie VanSlander
Ross came to own Fric & Frac as many family businesses are passed down, with Ross starting to work in the restaurant and never leaving.
“It wasn’t really what I imagined for my life personally, but I also can’t imagine my life without it now. It’s a huge part of my personal identity,” Ross says.
When reflecting on what keeps him in the restaurant business, Ross cites his family, blood-related or otherwise: “What keeps me here is that I get to work with my dad every day; he is my best friend. Getting to work with him and my family here is what gets me up in the morning.”
The neighborhood around the restaurant on West 39th Street changes constantly. With businesses closing and families moving, it keeps the street fresh, but it lacks the sense of stability found in other neighborhoods. Fric & Frac brings that sense of tradition by keeping what works and what has made it a place worth returning to. The Ross family also owns the surreal ice cream shop across the street, Miami Ice. These two establishments have held down the block as much of the area morphs, grows, and loses charm.
One major cause of the rapid change is the incessant expansion around the Kansas University Medical Center on State Line. An influx of young medical students flocks to the neighborhood to attend. Revenue for the neighborhood goes up, and while that is initially a good thing, it signals to building owners that they can make more money from businesses, pricing people out. Fric & Frac combats this phenomenon by welcoming the young demographic and providing a meal that is affordable to those on a college budget.
“With the hospital, there’s lots of strange gentrification going on. These big new apartment complexes are going up. We haven’t really changed much; we don’t try to reinvent what has made us a place people like to come to. We have developed systems that work, and I think it’s helped us stay in business for so long,” Ross explains.
As I wandered around Fric & Frac in the early open hours, I met a couple seated near the entrance, nursing identical waters and Bud Lights. They have been married for 51 years, surpassing the restaurant they sit in.
“We have been coming here since it opened,” T stated. “They have the waters and our Bud Light ready for us at our spot. We come here at the same time and get the same thing; we get three or four beers, then we leave.”
T and Al // Photo by Maisie VanSlander
The couple lives outside the neighborhood after many moves in and out of the city, but they keep coming in, and their half-century streak stays going strong.
In the next room over, a ruckus builds near the pool table. Eight men gather around the single pool table, playing a casual team pool tournament. For four years now, this group gathers every Tuesday to overrun the games section and connect with one another. These gentlemen have light rectangles worn into their jean pockets where their wallets live, a testament to their routine.
Photo by Maisie VanSlander
Scotty (or Scotty The Electrician, as Ross calls him) is one of the pool players who has been coming in since 1984. He serves as the restaurant’s resident electrician, fixing problems that have come up.
“I met both of my wives here,” he brags. “I started coming in right when I turned 21. I was a union electrician, and this was my favorite spot. I started fixing stuff up around here, and now I just work off my tab. I really feel like I’m family.”
John, another pool player, adds, “Before cell phones, this place was where you got your information, the news, the drama.”
Both gentlemen live in the neighborhood and feel Fric & Frac is a testament to West 39th Street Restaurant Row’s charm.
“It’s our secret little neighborhood; it’s the best neighborhood in Kansas City,” John says.
Being younger and visibly queer, I was nervous walking into a pool tournament with men who appeared conservative and were triple my age. I made assumptions about them, but they all gathered around to tell me stories and history about the neighborhood, excited that someone was there to listen. My initial judgment of them couldn’t have been more wrong.
“It’s a melting pot of the working class, gay, and Hispanic. These groups have found a home here, and the neighborhood is better for it,” Scotty adds.
Scotty recalled a story from long ago, “I took an apprentice here once, and rumors spread in the union that I took him to a gay bar. It’s not a gay bar; it’s an everyone bar.”
Fric and Frac is at 1700 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111. They’re planning to celebrate the 50-year milestone this December.
