Homer’s Drive-In: the oldest drive-through in the metro
The Kansas City metro has plenty of historic drive-in restaurants: the beloved local Winstead’s (opened in 1940), Mug’s Up Root Beer Drive-In (1957), Harold’s Drive-In (1958), The Humdinger (1962), and the drive-in that may be the oldest of them all, the cozy diner at 1320 S. Fourth Street in Leavenworth called Homer’s. It started as a root-beer stand – with male carhops wearing long-sleeve shirts and ties – in 1931. The current location was opened in 1938.
Unlike modern drive-ins, Homer’s doesn’t have a drive-through window. Unlike Mugs Up, there are no carhops. And if Harold’s and the Humdinger are old-fashioned drive-ins that require patrons to park their automobiles and actually go into the building, Homer’s has a sort of car service.
