Teresa’s Drive-In is still in the fast lane after 47 years

Pop quiz: What are the oldest drive-ins still operating in Kansas City?

Answer: Winstead’s on the Country Club Plaza (1940), Mug’s Up Root Beer Drive-In at 700 East 23rd Street (1957),  Harold’s Drive-In at 1337 Admiral Boulevard (1958), the Humdinger at 2504 East Ninth Street (1962) and Teresa’s Drive-In at 6540 Truman Road (1968).  There’s also Homer’s Drive-In in Leavenworth, which opened in its current location way back in 1938, and although it’s technically in the metro, it seems like a long drive just to get a chocolate malt and a Frito pie.

It’s a lot faster to get to the 47-year-old Teresa’s Drive-In, the East Side institution owned by Sam and Rosetta Gall that has one of the cleanest restaurant kitchens in the city and a cheery, spotlessly tidy dining room (patrons can dine inside or motor past the drive-through window).

The signature sandwiches at Teresa’s are the pork tenderloin, the Italian sausage sandwich, and a classic Italian steak. The best-selling hand-helds are the juicy burgers: a single cheeseburger for $3.75, a double for $5.50 and a triple for $6.75. A burger “with everything” (is there any other kind?) includes lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and mustard.

Like many of its early drive-in contemporaries, Teresa’s has an eclectic menu: tacos (hot or mild), burritos, deep-fried shrimp with fries, chicken tenders. The shakes are handmade, and the featured flavors are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cherry and banana.

The sign in front of Teresa’s says it stays open late. Late, that is, if you’re in bed by 8 p.m. Teresa’s, which serves breakfast, offers food from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, the drive-in stays open until 8 p.m. On Saturday, it’s from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. again;  the venue is closed on Sundays.