This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Paul’s Drive In is a south Kansas City burger institution on Blue Ridge Boulevard in the Ruskin/Hickman Mills area, in business since the early 1960s — first as Ron Stein’s Dog-N-Suds, then Paul Rhoades’s Paul’s Pizza, and since the early 1970s as Paul’s Drive In. The specialty is the Big Boy, a smash burger of fresh, never-frozen beef with house Big Boy sauce, alongside Italian steak and pork tenderloin sandwiches, onion rings, tater tots, and soft-serve cones, malts, floats and “cyclones.” A former drive-in converted to a diner with a drive-thru, it has been voted the Kansas City Star’s Kansas City Favorites Best Burger four years running (2023–2026). Owned since 2021 by Scott Shepherd and, since 2022, his sister Amanda Fulbright; not affiliated with Paul’s Jr. Drive-In in KCK.

Description

Paul’s is a low, red-and-yellow-signed building on Blue Ridge Boulevard south of Bannister, across from a rail line — a commenter on EDCKC remembers trains slowing so crews could jump off and run in for dinner.1 The original 1960s order window is still there, now paired with a dining room (the converted carport), a drive-thru, and Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga cabinets in the lobby.123 The site’s own tagline quotes Charles Kuralt: “You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses the stars.”4

The food is the drive-in canon done carefully. The Big Boy is a quarter-pound smash burger — “90% lean, fresh, never-frozen beef for a perfect sear” — with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and the house Big Boy sauce, in single, double and triple, plus a junior line on eighth-pound patties.51 Around it: pork tenderloin and Italian steak sandwiches, a fish sandwich, chicken sandwiches and chunks, hot dogs, coney dogs and korn dogs, tater tots, fries, onion rings and fried mushrooms, and a soft-serve program of cones in vanilla, chocolate or “zebra,” shakes and malts in nine flavors, cyclones with candy mix-ins, floats and a banana split.5 The Pitch reported in 2023 that four hospice patients had come in for a final meal in Shepherd’s first year and a half.2 Newer additions include chili cheese dogs, Frito pie and “Ice Cream Nachos” (waffle-cone chips with soft-serve and toppings), which the owners say no one else in the city serves.13

The Kansas City Star’s reader-voted Kansas City Favorites has named it Best Burger every year from 2023 through 2026, with Gold or Silver in Frozen Treat each year and Gold for Cheap Eats in 2026.6

Ownership and history

The site began in the early 1960s as Ron Stein’s Dog-N-Suds, a franchise drive-in. Paul Rhoades bought it, broadened the menu to fast food and pizza and renamed it Paul’s Pizza; in the early 1970s he dropped the pizza, converted the carport to a dining room, added a drive-through and renamed it Paul’s Drive In.3 In the late 1970s Rhoades sold to a long-time friend, Gary Morgan, who ran it until 1988, when he passed it to another friend, Bob Helton; Bob and Kathy Helton owned it for the next three decades.32 A fire closed the restaurant for 54 days in 1995 — the longest closure in its history — and the Heltons rebuilt fast; EDCKC’s account dates the fire to 1997.21

The pandemic hit hard: the lobby closed in 2020 and the restaurant went drive-thru-only, closing Sundays.32 Scott Shepherd, a fast-food industry veteran who had worked in it as a teenager, bought the restaurant with partners in September 2021, letting the Heltons retire; he brought in his brother-in-law Mark Fulbright as general manager, and in October 2022 his sister Amanda Fulbright bought out one of the original investors, making Paul’s a majority family-owned business.32 They reopened the lobby, replaced hand tickets with a POS system and the letterboard menus with printed boards, and began community programs: a holiday gift drive for the Community Assistance Council aimed at tweens and teens, the Ruskin Eagles Art Wall and a Hickman Mills graphic-arts partnership for lobby artwork, “Pop with a Cop” events, and teacher discounts on Mondays and Tuesdays.231 “We want to keep the bones, but we want to refresh it for a new generation,” Shepherd told The Pitch.2 Planned work includes restroom and dining-room updates, digital menu boards and an outdoor picnic area.31

The Osage Avenue Paul’s in Armourdale, KCK, shares the name and much of the menu but has had separate owners for years; Mark Fulbright told The Star a previous owner sold the two locations to separate parties, and the Blue Ridge restaurant “never closed.”7 In January 2026 the owners publicly banned a customer who threatened staff, including a minor, over a refund, stating a zero-tolerance policy.8

The space

10424 Blue Ridge Blvd — the original drive-in structure with its 1960s order window, carport-turned-dining-room and added drive-thru.13

Last verified: 2026-08-28 · Source: the restaurant’s own menu PDF (February 2025) linked from paulsdriveinkc.com/menu · Confidence: High for February 2025; the site notes a loyalty stamp card (10% off the 6th visit, 25% after 10) and a newer “bacon cheddar chive tater kegs” side not on the PDF.5

Burgers (fresh, never-frozen beef)

  • Big Boy (¼ lb; cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, Big Boy sauce) — single $6.59 · double $10.29 · triple $13.29
  • Jr. Big Boy (⅛ lb) — $4.49 · double $6.49 · triple $8.49
  • Build Your Own quarter-pound (onion, pickle, burger sauce) — single $5.29 · cheeseburger $5.99 · double $8.99 (w/ cheese $9.99) · triple $12.69 (w/ cheese $13.39)
  • Junior Burger — single $3.49 · cheeseburger $3.99 · double $5.59 (w/ cheese $6.49) · triple $7.59 (w/ cheese $8.99)
  • Double Bacon Cheeseburger $11.39 · Jr. Double Bacon Cheeseburger $7.49 · Plant Burger $8.99 (double $12.79)
  • Add-ons: bacon $0.79; cheese or tomato $0.49

Sandwiches & chicken

  • Pork Tenderloin $6.99 (double $10.99) · Italian Steak $7.29 (double $11.49) · Fish Sandwich $6.99
  • Chicken Sandwich — original $6.09 · spicy $6.99 · grilled $6.09 · Chicken Chunks (6 pc) $3.99
  • Any sandwich as a combo (large tot or fries + medium drink) +$5.39

Hot dogs

  • Hot Dog $2.79 · Korn Dog $2.69 · Coney Dog $4.79 · add chili or cheese $1.29, chili cheese $1.99; jalapeños or diced onions free

Sides

  • Tater Tots $2.89 / $3.39 · French Fries $2.89 / $3.39 · Onion Rings $4.19 / $7.29 · Fried Mushrooms $5.29 · sauce cup $0.50

Combo meals (large tot or fries + medium drink)

  • Cheeseburger $11.38 · Double Cheeseburger $15.38 · Big Boy $11.48 · 3 Jr. Cheeseburgers $12.38 · Jr. Double Bacon Cheeseburger $12.88 · Double Bacon Cheeseburger $16.78 · Pork Tenderloin $9.38 · Italian Steak $12.68 · Fish Sandwich $12.38 · Chicken Sandwich $11.98
  • Kid’s Meal (small side, kid’s drink, treat) $6.49 — Jr. hamburger or cheeseburger, hot dog, corn dog, or 4-pc chicken chunks

Drinks

  • Soft drinks small $2.49 / medium $2.79 / large $3.59 (Coca-Cola line, Barq’s, Dr Pepper, Gold Peak tea, Hi-C) · coffee $0.79 · syrup add-ons $0.49

Shakes, malts & soft-serve (vanilla, chocolate, zebra)

  • Shakes $4.99 / $6.49 · Malts $5.29 / $6.79 — banana, cherry, hot fudge, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, butterscotch
  • Cyclone $5.79 / $7.39 (extra mix-in $0.89) — Butterfinger, Hawaiian, Heath, M&M’s, Oreo, peanut butter, peanut butter cup, Snickers
  • Cones mini $0.99 · small $2.99 · medium $3.49 · large $3.99 · dish $2.99 · sundae $3.99 · cups $4.99 / $6.99 · floats $3.29 / $3.79 · Famous Banana Split $7.99

Sources

Footnotes

  1. EDC Staff, “Paul’s Drive In: A Kansas City Icon Blending Tradition, Innovation, and Community,” Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, 2025-01-25 — Confirms: address; “cherished staple since the 1960s”; fire dated 1997; original 1960s order window; 90% lean fresh beef; Hickman Mills student art; KC Star Favorites wins 2023 and 2024 (burger, frozen treat, lunch spot); staff live locally; Ice Cream Nachos, chili cheese dogs, Frito pie, arcade games; teacher discounts; reader comments recalling Gary Morgan and the 1970s Paul’s Pizza era. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. Amanda Hadlock, “At The Drive-In: Paul’s menu is to fry for,” The Pitch, 2023-03-09 — Confirms: Shepherd co-owner since 2021, Fulbright joined October 2022; 63-year history; 1995 fire and 54-day closure under Bob and Kathy Helton; pizza origin; cyclones; drive-in converted to diner, Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga; pandemic lobby and Sunday closures; hospice-meal anecdote; Ruskin Eagles Art Wall; Community Assistance Council gift drive; “keep the bones” quote; address. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  3. “Exploring Life & Business with Amanda Fulbright of Paul’s Drive In,” VoyageKC, 2025-01-27 — Confirms: Ron Stein’s Dog-N-Suds origin (early 1960s); Paul Rhoades, Paul’s Pizza, early-1970s rename, carport conversion and drive-through; sale to Gary Morgan (late 1970s) and Bob Helton (1988); Scott Shepherd’s September 2021 purchase with partners; Mark Fulbright as GM; Amanda Fulbright’s October 2022 buyout making it majority family-owned; lobby reopened; POS and menu-board upgrades; community programs; planned renovations; “approaches its 65th year.” ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  4. Paul’s Drive In — official website, home page. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: “A South Kansas City Landmark since 1960”; “in business since the 1960s serving authentic smash burgers made with fresh, never frozen, beef”; Big Boy, Italian pork steak and tenderloin; soft-serve program; KC Star Best Burger 2023, 2024, 2025; social links; Kuralt quote; press links (KC Favorites, EDCKC, VoyageKC). ↩

  5. Paul’s Drive In — official website, “Menu” page and linked PDF “Pauls-Drive-In-Menu_WEB-Feb-2025.” Retrieved 2026-08-28; paulsdriveinkc.com — Confirms: every item and price in the Menu section; loyalty program; tater kegs. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Kansas City Favorites (The Kansas City Star’s reader-voted awards) — listing “Paul’s Drive In.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: 2023 Gold Best Burger, Gold Best Frozen Treat; 2024 Gold Best Burger, Silver Best Frozen Treat; 2025 Gold Best Burger, Gold Best Frozen Treat, Bronze Best Cheap Eats; 2026 Gold Best Burger, Bronze Best Frozen Treat, Gold Best Cheap Eats. ↩

  7. “It’s true: Longtime KC area burger joint is reopening after 4-year hiatus,” The Kansas City Star, April 2025 (via Yahoo) — Confirms: the Blue Ridge Paul’s “never closed” and “has had separate owners from the KCK spot for several years”; Mark Fulbright identified as owner of the south KC spot; “the previous owner sold the locations off to separate owners”; not affiliated. ↩

  8. “Restaurant says customer threatened to kill staff, including teen employee, over refund,” KCTV5 via Gray News (1011now.com), 2026-01-12 — Confirms: January 7, 2026 incident at the Blue Ridge Blvd location; co-owner Amanda Fulbright’s statement; permanent ban; restaurant operating January 2026. ↩

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On the record — ks.city/registry/pauls-drive-in · record updated 2026-08-28