Clinton's Soda Fountain

Clinton’s Soda Fountain is a historic soda fountain and ice cream counter at 100 W Maple Ave on Independence Square, operating since 1988 in the same building where a teenage Harry S. Truman worked his first job at the Crown Drug Store soda fountain in the early 1900s.¹² Owned and operated by McClain Restaurant Group (Ken & Cindy McClain), it is one of the anchor institutions of the McClain-revitalized Independence Square.³

---

---

Description

Clinton’s Soda Fountain occupies one of Independence Square’s most historically charged storefronts — the building at 100 W Maple Ave that was home to the Crown Drug Store soda fountain where Harry S. Truman worked his first job as a teenager in the early 1900s, mopping floors and serving customers before he became the 33rd President of the United States.²⁴ The current soda fountain, which opened in 1988, leans into this heritage with period-appropriate décor: a 100-year-old marble countertop, a mirror-backed wooden bar sourced from other historic soda fountains, cherry-red stools, and a checkerboard floor.¹² The signature menu item, “Harry’s Favorite” — a butterscotch sundae with chocolate ice cream — is named in Truman’s honor.²

The fountain is notable for featuring Polly’s Soda Pop, a locally bottled soda brand operated by Ken McClain on the same Independence Square, as the base for its floats — tying the soda fountain back to the McClain ecosystem of small-batch, locally made products.⁵ On any given day the space hosts regulars at the counter alongside tourist groups visiting Truman-related sites, as Clinton’s is a natural complement to the nearby Truman home and Harry S. Truman National Historic Site.

Clinton’s sits within a dense cluster of McClain Restaurant Group properties on Independence Square. The McClains acquired the soda fountain as part of their ongoing revitalization of the Square, which they began in 1998–1999 with Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn and have since expanded to 18+ businesses.³

---

Ownership and history

Ownership

Period	Owner / Operator	Notes
Pre-1900s	Crown Drug Store (historical)	Harry S. Truman worked here as a teenager at the pharmacy and soda fountain.
1988 → present	Clinton’s Soda Fountain (current operation)	Opened 1988 in the historic building.2
(ongoing)	McClain Restaurant Group (Ken & Cindy McClain)	Confirmed as one of the nine food concepts operated by the group.3

McClain Restaurant Group context

Ken and Cindy McClain began their Independence Square revitalization in 1998–1999 with the opening of Ophelia’s Restaurant & Inn, purchasing a boarded-up building on the Square with a vision to restore life to the historic district.⁶ Over 27+ years they have built a portfolio of 18+ local businesses. Clinton’s Soda Fountain is confirmed among the group’s nine food concepts.³ Cindy grew up in Boulder, CO, but both she and Ken have deep family ties to Independence (both had grandparents who lived there) and their church headquarters is located in the area — they chose Independence as a deliberate homecoming.⁶

Other McClain Restaurant Group properties on Independence Square include cafe-verona, el-pico, square-pizza, and main-street-coffee-house.

---

Menu

Last verified: 2026-07-24 · Source: official site (menu page — all four tabs: Classics, Specialties, Sundaes, Drinks) · URL(s): https://www.clintonssodafountain.com/menu · Confidence: High⁷

Historic soda fountain + ice cream counter — the official menu is ice cream and fountain drinks only (no food/lunch menu published). 100 W Maple Ave, Independence Square. Mon–Sat 11am–9pm, Sun 12–6pm.⁸⁹

Classics⁷

• Cones — cake cone $0.59 · waffle cone $0.75
• Scoops — kid’s scoop $2.25 · regular scoop $2.75 · one big scoop $4 · two scoops $5
• Classic Shake or Malt — chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry — $7.59
• Cake or Pie Shake — 3 scoops of ice cream and a piece of cake or pie — $9.99
• Premium Shake — any specialty ice cream flavor — $7.99
• Grasshopper Shake — chocolate + mint chocolate chip ice creams, Oreos, topped with whipped cream — $7.99
• Coffee Mocha Latte Shake — coffee + vanilla ice creams, caramel, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles — $7.99
• Floats — choice of phosphate flavor with a scoop of ice cream — $5.99
• Ice cream flavors: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, butter pecan, chocolate chip cookie dough, rainbow sherbet, coffee, sugar-free vanilla, sugar-free butter pecan

Specialties⁷

Stackers (layered confections) — all $9.59:

• Death by Chocolate — chocolate ice cream, brownie bites, chocolate sauce, chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream
• Gimme S’more — graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, KC Kingdom Crunch ice cream, marshmallow cream, whipped cream and graham crackers
• Touchdown Chiefs — cookie dough bites, KC Kingdom Crunch ice cream, chocolate chips, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and red and yellow sprinkles
• Royals KC — peanuts, caramel, hot fudge, rocky road ice cream, whipped cream

Ice cream nachos — personal $7.99 / large $10.99:

• KC Cookie Craze — KC Kingdom Crunch ice cream, cookie dough bites, Oreos, waffle chips, whipped cream, red and yellow sprinkles
• Grasshopper — waffle chips, mint chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, Oreos, chocolate sauce
• Movie Madness — waffle chips, vanilla ice cream, gummy bears, sour worms, M&Ms, hot fudge
• Peanut Butter Overload — waffle chips, chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cups, peanut butter sauce

Sundaes⁷

• Harry’s Favorite (signature, named for Truman) — chocolate ice cream, butterscotch sauce, topped with whipped cream — $5.99
• Sundae of the Month — rotating monthly special — $7.99
• Every Day Sundae — choice of one scoop and syrup, whipped cream and a cherry — $5.99
• Nutty Turtle — butter pecan ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, and pecan sauce — $6.99
• Grasshopper — mint chocolate chip ice cream, Oreos, hot fudge, whipped cream — $6.99
• Peanut Butter Cup — chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, hot fudge, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, whipped cream — $6.99
• KC Royal Sundae — three scoops of ice cream and choice of three toppings — $12.99
• Strawberry Fields Sundae — strawberry cheesecake ice cream, graham cracker crumbs, strawberry sauce, and a whole slice of cheesecake, topped with whipped cream — $14.99
• Extra toppings $0.75 each (peanuts, sprinkles, Oreos, M&Ms, cookie dough bites, chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces, Butterfinger, gummy bears, gummy worms) · sauces $0.50 each (chocolate, hot fudge, caramel, pineapple, marshmallow cream, butterscotch, strawberry)

Drinks⁷

• Phosphates — choice of flavored syrup with soda water — $3.49
• Polly’s Soda Pop (produced on Independence Square) — single bottle $1.95 / 4-pack $7.59; flavors: root beer, diet root beer, peach, black cherry, blue raspberry, orange, cream soda, pineapple, strawberry, grape⁵
• Coke products — $3.49

Building: site of Harry S. Truman’s first teenage job (Crown Drug Store, early 1900s). 100-year-old marble counter. Part of McClain Restaurant Group.

Full menu: clintonssodafountain.com

Links

• Official site: https://www.clintonssodafountain.com/
• City of Independence feature: https://www.independencemo.gov/visitors/our-history-and-culture/harry-s-truman/clintons-soda-fountain

---

Sources

---

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. Clinton’s Soda Fountain official website. https://www.clintonssodafountain.com/ — Asserts: 100 W. Maple Ave, Independence, MO 64050; active hours Mon–Sat 11am–8pm, Sun 12pm–6pm; “Harry’s Favorite” sundae on menu. ↩ ↩²

2. KCUR — “Meet the ice cream lovers at Clinton’s Soda Fountain in Independence” (June 20, 2024). https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-06-20/meet-the-ice-cream-lovers-at-clintons-soda-fountain-in-independence — Asserts: opened 1988; building was Crown Drug Store where Truman worked as teenager; vintage marble counter, mirror-backed bar, checkerboard floor; Polly’s Soda Pop floats. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. The Independent — “Palatable Pursuits: Trailblazer Cindy McClain.” https://kcindependent.com/palatable-pursuits-trailblazer-cindy-mcclain/ — Asserts: Clinton’s Soda Fountain is one of nine food concepts under McClain Restaurant Group; Cindy McClain is president; group has 18+ businesses on Independence Square. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Feast Magazine — “Ken and Cindy McClain Begin Bottling Polly’s Soda Pop in Independence.” https://www.feastmagazine.com/kansas-city/article_024eb8de-6872-11e6-af4d-53819d9f1157.html — Asserts: Clinton’s Soda Fountain listed among McClain Square businesses; Polly’s Pop on tap there. ↩

5. KCUR — “Where to find old-school soda fountains in Missouri and Kansas” (Aug 2025). https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2025-08-09/kansas-city-soda-fountains-ice-cream — Asserts: Clinton’s 1988; Crown Drug Store / Truman connection; 100 W Maple Ave; floats made with Polly’s Soda Pop. ↩ ↩²

6. Ophelia’s Restaurant — About Us. https://opheliasrestaurant.com/about-us/ — Asserts: McClains purchased first Independence Square building in 1999; named Ophelia’s after “Reviving Ophelia” — intentional metaphor for reviving the Square; 18+ businesses as of article. ↩ ↩²

7. Clinton’s Soda Fountain official website — Menu page, all four tabs (Classics, Specialties, Sundaes, Drinks) (accessed 2026-07-24). https://www.clintonssodafountain.com/menu — Asserts: full current menu with prices — cones, scoops, shakes/malts, floats, 10 ice cream flavors; stackers and ice cream nachos; eight sundaes including Harry’s Favorite ($5.99) plus toppings/sauces; phosphates, Polly’s Soda Pop bottles (10 flavors), Coke products. No food/lunch items published. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. Yelp — Clinton’s Soda Fountain, Independence. https://www.yelp.com/biz/clintons-soda-fountain-independence — Asserts: active as of March 2026; 100 W Maple Ave. ↩

9. Clinton’s Soda Fountain official website — Location page (accessed June 23, 2026). https://www.clintonssodafountain.com/location — Asserts: 100 West Maple Avenue, Independence, MO 64050; phone (816) 833-2046; hours Mon–Sat 11am–9pm, Sun 12pm–6pm; site active. ↩