Ray's Lunch

Ray’s Lunch is a classic American diner in downtown Excelsior Springs that has been serving traditional breakfast and lunch since the 1940s. It continues to use Ray Miller’s original chili and hamburger recipes cooked on the historic cast-iron flat top, along with hand-breaded tenderloins, catfish, and daily fresh-baked cinnamon rolls and biscuits. The restaurant preserves its mid-century character with original equipment, decor, and a strong sense of local history.

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Description

Ray’s Lunch occupies a modest red-and-white building in the heart of historic downtown Excelsior Springs. Since the 1940s it has served straightforward, well-executed American diner food using recipes and methods that have changed little over the decades. The restaurant is especially known for continuing Ray Miller’s original chili and hamburger formulas on the same seasoned cast-iron flat top that has been in use for generations. Hand-breaded tenderloins and catfish, plus daily fresh cinnamon rolls and biscuits, round out a menu that feels like a living piece of mid-20th-century small-town Missouri.

Ownership and history

Ray and Goldie Miller established the business in the 1930s (originally across the street) and opened the current building in 1942. The restaurant has passed through several family ownerships while preserving the core recipes and equipment:

• Ray & Goldie Miller (founders)
• Bill & Barbara Southwick
• Dave & Shelly McKown with Joan Munns
• Current family ownership (associated with Dan Tota in recent years)

The original hamburger press, seasoned cast-iron grill, cash register, counter, and stools remain in use. Historic photos and local newspaper pages under the glass countertop reinforce the sense of continuity.

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-20 · Source: Ray’s Lunch official site · URL(s): https://rayslunch.com/lunch-menu-all-day, https://rayslunch.com/menu · Confidence: High

Signatures

• Ray’s Original Chili — Ray Miller’s original recipe, served by the bowl ($6) or small ($4); also the base for the chili dog and chili cheese dog¹
• Hamburger / Cheeseburger — the house signature, cooked on the original seasoned cast-iron flat top; burger $2.50 (double $4.75), cheeseburger $2.75 (double $5.25)¹
• Hand-Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich — pork tenderloin breaded in house, $7¹
• Hand-Breaded Catfish — as a sandwich ($7) or platter with fries and slaw ($9)¹

Lunch / All-Day Sandwiches

• Steak Sandwich — $7¹
• Chicken Sandwich — $7¹
• Hot Dog — $4.50; Chili Dog $7; Chili Cheese Dog $7.50¹
• Grilled Cheese — $3¹

Platters (served with fries and coleslaw)

• Chicken Strips — $9 (no coleslaw)¹
• Cod — $9¹
• Popcorn Shrimp — $9¹

Breakfast (served 6am–11am)

• Cinnamon Roll — baked fresh daily, $3.50²
• Biscuit and Gravy — $4.50 (double $6, triple $7)²
• Bacon or Sausage, Eggs and Toast — $7.50 (with hash browns/breakfast potatoes $8.50–$9.25)²
• Ham, Eggs and Toast — $8.50 (with potatoes $9.50–$10.25)²
• Omelettes — cheese $5.50, bacon/sausage $8, ham & cheese $8.50; with toast²
• Garbage Sandwich — bacon or sausage, egg, hash browns, American on a bun, $6 (ham $6.50)²
• Griddle — pancake $4, waffle $5, French toast $7, breakfast burrito $4.50²

Sides

• Fries — $3.50 (half $2); Onion Rings — $4.50 (half $2.50)¹

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Sources

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Yelp — Ray’s Lunch (Updated January 2026) (accessed 2026-06-23). Operating at 231 E Broadway St, Excelsior Springs MO; Mon–Sat 6am–2pm; 54 reviews, recent activity.

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Disputes

(None recorded.)

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Footnotes

1. Ray’s Lunch — official all-day / lunch menu. https://rayslunch.com/lunch-menu-all-day — asserts: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs/chili dogs, steak/chicken/hand-breaded tenderloin/catfish sandwiches, fried platters (chicken strips, cod, catfish, popcorn shrimp), Ray’s Original Chili, fries, onion rings, with prices (verified 2026-06-20). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

2. Ray’s Lunch — official breakfast menu (6am–11am). https://rayslunch.com/menu — asserts: breakfast plates, omelettes, griddle items, garbage sandwich, à la carte cinnamon roll and biscuit & gravy, with prices (verified 2026-06-20). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷