Mug's Up Root Beer Drive-In

Mug’s Up Root Beer Drive-In is a 1950s-style carhop drive-in in Independence, Missouri — open since 1956 and the last surviving stand of the Mugs Up root-beer chain — known for its house-made frosty-mug root beer, the loose-meat Zip Burger, and the cheese-topped Whiz Burger.

Description

Mug’s Up Root Beer Drive-In is an old-fashioned carhop drive-in in Independence, Missouri, recreating the look and service of 1950s American drive-ins. Customers are served in their cars, and the operation’s signature product is house-made root beer served in frosty glass mugs. The white-and-orange stand is widely described as a local institution and the last remaining outpost of the once-broader Mugs Up chain in the Kansas City metro.

The official About copy invites visitors to “try our ice cold home made root beer, served in a frosty glass mug,” names the Zip burger and Whiz burger sandwiches, and says they are “perfectly complemented with our crispy onion rings,” with the meal “delivered by a friendly carhop, on a tray that rests on your car window.”¹

The official site posts year-round hours: Tuesday–Saturday 11:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday, closed for major holidays.¹²

Ownership and history

The Mugs Up brand was founded in 1952 by James Heavey, who built a franchising plan around modular metal buildings designed for efficient, low-cost service. The first stand opened in Kansas City at 6235 Raytown Road, and franchises spread across the area and beyond — including Northeast KC locations at 6200 Independence Avenue (1956–1979) and 4300 E. 9th Street (1965–1970).³

The Independence drive-in dates to 1956 and is the last surviving Mugs Up in the metro. It is currently operated by Bill and Ann Kendall, who have owned the Independence operation for roughly 30 years (per regional reporting; Ann Kendall is publicly listed as owner).³⁴ The official site notes the drive-in is “Celebrating 70 years of Business in 2026,” consistent with the 1956 origin.¹

Address note: The base-data address (5765 Noland Rd) does not match the operating location. Multiple independent sources (Northeast News, the official mugs-up.com domain, Yelp, Tripadvisor) place the drive-in at 700 E. 23rd St S, Independence, MO 64055 — described as roughly six blocks east of Noland Road on 23rd Street. The Registry record uses the verified 23rd Street address.³¹⁵⁶

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-30 · Source: Mug’s Up official /menu — gallery captions plus the operator board titled “June 2026 Updated Menu” · URL(s): https://mugs-up.com/menu · https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/4e911b40-10ad-47c1-9164-878bcf0056a6/June%202026%20Updated%20Menu.png · Confidence: High (first-party). AllMenus dollars from the 2026-06-20 pass are removed.⁷⁸⁹

The /menu HTML is a GoDaddy gallery. Menu Favorites captions are operator-written; Full Menu is the June 2026 priced board (1662×946). Names and dollars below are copied from that board. Descriptions are copied only where the operator prints them (gallery captions or the homepage About). Items the board prints as name + price stay that way. No DoorDash / Uber Eats / Grubhub / AllMenus / BeyondMenu dollars.

Burgers, dogs & sandwiches

• Zip Burger — $4.00⁹
• Whiz Burger — $4.75⁹
• Chili Burger — $5.25⁹
• Chili Whiz Burger — $5.95⁹
• Super Burger — $5.95. Gallery caption titles the photo Super Whiz Burger: “double beef with a generous slice of Velveeta cheese, sliced tomato, fresh diced onion and Mugs Up’s “Super Sauce”.”⁸⁹
• Hot Dog — $2.50⁹
• Whiz Dog — $3.25⁹
• Chili Dog — $3.75⁹
• Chili Whiz Dog — $4.50. “Classic Hot Dog topped with our signature chili and sliced Velveeta cheese. Add onions for a truly delicious bite!”⁸⁹
• Spicy Buffalo Dog — $3.25⁹
• Corn Dog — $3.25⁹
• BBQ Beef Sandwich — $5.50⁹
• Pork Tender — $5.50⁹
• Chicken Sandwich — $5.25⁹
• Whiz Chicken Sandwich — $5.95⁹
• Cheese Sandwich — $2.00⁹

Featuring homemade “Mugs Up Root Beer”

Board sizes: SM / MED / LG / QT / GALLON.⁹

• Homemade Mugs Up Root Beer — ice cold, served in a frosty glass mug (homepage About). SM $1.50 · MED $1.75 · LG $2.00 · QT $2.75 · gallon $7.50. Gallery: “Home Made Root Beer”; gallon caption: “Our Home Made Root Beer in a gallon, filled fresh from the tap.”¹⁸⁹
• Black Cow — “Mugs Up’s Home Made Root Beer with Vanilla Ice Cream.” SM $2.50 · MED $3.50 · LG $4.25 · QUART $5.50⁸⁹
• Orangaroo — “Orange Drink with Vanilla Ice Cream.” SM $2.50 · MED $3.50 · LG $4.25 · QUART $5.50⁸⁹

Sides

• French Fries/Tots — “Crinkle Cut Fries.” $2.50⁸⁹
• Cheese Fries/Tots — $3.25⁹
• Chili Cheese Fry/Tots — $4.50⁹
• Chili Cheese Frito Pie — $4.50⁹
• Onion Rings — “Crispy Breaded Onion Rings.” $5.25⁸⁹
• Fried Mushrooms — $4.75⁹
• Deep Fried Burrito — $3.25⁹
• Chili Cheese Burrito — $4.75⁹
• Chicken Nuggets — 6 / $3.75⁹
• Corn Chips — $0.75⁹

Fountain drinks

• Pepsi / Diet Pepsi / Starry / Mist / Dr Pepper — SM $1.50 · MED $1.75 · LG $2.00 · QUART $2.75⁹
• Iced Tea / Pink Lemonade / Orange — SM $1.50 · MED $1.75 · LG $2.00 · QUART $2.75⁹
• Fresh Limeade — SM $2.25 · MED $2.75 · LG $3.00 · QUART $3.50⁹
• Add Cherry — $0.75⁹
• Hot Chocolate — $1.50⁹
• Coffee — $1.50⁹

Apparel, cups & seasoning

Printed on the same June 2026 food board (not taken from the JS shop widget).⁹

• T-shirts (Sm / Med / Lg / Xlg) — $18.00; 2X $21.00
• Black Long Sleeve (S M L XL) — $21.00
• Hoodie (S M L XL) — $35.00
• Sweatshirt (S M L XL) — $22.50
• Fleece Zip Up Jacket — $38.00
• Baseball Cap — $22.00
• Logo Travel Cups — $22.00
• Zip Burger Seasoning — 16 oz. $22.50. “Make your own Zipburgers at home! Purchase the Mugs Up Zip seasoning from our “Shop” page or at the Drive-In.”⁸⁹

Board also prints “Gift certificates available” (unpriced) and the official phone (816) 254-7040.⁹

Note: A “Tin Roof” sundae is still not on the June 2026 operator board — omitted. Frozen-treat offerings on the current card are the Black Cow and the Orangaroo.

Links

• Website: https://mugs-up.com
• Menu: https://mugs-up.com/menu
• Shop (merch): https://mugs-up.com/shop
• Location and info: https://mugs-up.com/location-and-info
• Instagram: not found (only an Instagram location tag exists, no official account)
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Mugs-Up-Drive-In-100064740638865/

See also

• independence-mo
• Registry
• fritzs-railroad-restaurant
• hayes-hamburger-chili

Sources

• Status verified active 2026-08-30 via the live official site (https://mugs-up.com/) plus the June 2026 menu board still served on /menu. Yelp listing was current as of June 2026.¹⁶⁹

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; menu rebuilt 2026-08-30 from the first-party June 2026 board. Address CORRECTED from base-data 5765 Noland Rd to verified 700 E. 23rd St S (multiple independent sources). Phone CORRECTED 2026-08-30 from (816) 833-1558 to official (816) 254-7040. Hours close CORRECTED from Yelp 8:00 p.m. to official 8:30 p.m. Provisional items: exact year the Kendalls acquired the stand; whether winter seasonal closure still happens. Social links found: official Facebook page confirmed; no official Instagram account (location tag only).

Footnotes

1. Mug’s Up — official site (homepage) — accessed 2026-08-30 — asserts: “Celebrating 70 years of Business in 2026”; founded 1956; About copy (ice-cold homemade root beer in a frosty glass mug; Zip and Whiz burgers; crispy onion rings; carhop tray service); address 700 East 23rd Street South, Independence, MO; phone 816-254-7040; JSON-LD telephone +1 816 254 7040; structured hours Tuesday–Saturday 11:00–20:30, Sunday and Monday closed: true; schema.org opens/closes 00:00 on Sunday and Monday. Collapsed hours widget displayed “Open today 11:00 am – 08:30 pm” on Sunday 2026-08-30, which contradicts those structured hours — this page uses the structured / schema.org week, not the collapsed widget. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. Mug’s Up — Location and Info — accessed 2026-08-30 — asserts: 700 East 23rd St S, Independence, MO 64055; 1 (816) 254-7040; “Closed for Major Holidays.” ↩

3. Northeast News — “Remember This? Mugs Up” — accessed 2026-05-30 — asserts: 1952 founding by James Heavey, franchise plan, original/Northeast locations, Zip/Whiz/Black Cow menu, current 700 E. 23rd St operation. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. LinkedIn — Ann Kendall, Owner, Mugs Up Drive In — accessed 2026-05-30 — asserts: current ownership. ↩

5. Tripadvisor / Yelp — Mugs Up Root Beer Drive-In, Independence — accessed 2026-05-30 — asserts: verified address 700 E 23rd St S; reviews. ↩

6. Yelp — Mugs Up Drive In, Independence — accessed 2026-06-23 — asserts: listing “Updated June 2026,” reviews current; hours Tue–Sat 11a–8p, closed Sun/Mon; open year-round, 700 E 23rd St S. Close time superseded by official 8:30 p.m. on 2026-08-30. ↩ ↩²

7. RETIRED 2026-08-30 — aggregator discarded; do not cite as a live price source. AllMenus — Mugs Up Root Beer, Independence MO — accessed 2026-06-20 — previously asserted (stale-low): Zip Burger ~$2.15, Whiz Burger ~$2.85, chili/super burgers ~$2.75–$3.55, chili dogs ~$1.60–$1.85, hot dogs ~$1.30–$1.50, pork tender ~$3.25, chicken/BBQ sandwiches ~$2.95–$3.55, onion rings ~$2.75, fries ~$1.25–$2.55, house root beer ~$0.90 mug / $4.50 gallon. Every AllMenus dollar has been removed from ## Menu and replaced from the June 2026 operator board. ↩

8. Mug’s Up — official Menu page (Menu Favorites gallery captions) — accessed 2026-08-30 — asserts: Orangaroo = “Orange Drink with Vanilla Ice Cream”; “Home Made Root Beer”; Black Cow = “Mugs Up’s Home Made Root Beer with Vanilla Ice Cream”; Super Whiz Burger = “double beef with a generous slice of Velveeta cheese, sliced tomato, fresh diced onion and Mugs Up’s “Super Sauce""; Chili Whiz Dog = “Classic Hot Dog topped with our signature chili and sliced Velveeta cheese. Add onions for a truly delicious bite!”; “Crispy Breaded Onion Rings”; “Crinkle Cut Fries”; Zip seasoning = “Make your own Zipburgers at home! Purchase the Mugs Up Zip seasoning from our “Shop” page or at the Drive-In.”; gallon = “Our Home Made Root Beer in a gallon, filled fresh from the tap.”; Full Menu gallery image filename June 2026 Updated Menu.png. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

9. Mug’s Up — operator menu board, filename June 2026 Updated Menu.png (oWidth 1662 × oHeight 946; served from the official /menu Full Menu gallery) — accessed 2026-08-30 — asserts: all food, drink, and merch names and prices itemized in ## Menu; phone 816-254-7040; WWW.MUGSUP.COM; Facebook “Mugs Up Drive In”; gift certificates available (unpriced). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³ ↩³⁴ ↩³⁵ ↩³⁶ ↩³⁷ ↩³⁸ ↩³⁹ ↩⁴⁰ ↩⁴¹