Winsteads

Waited forever and food was cold. Think they have lost their touch. Also don’t like paying extra for every topping. Way better burgers out there for $ 5+.

We only drove through and got drinks, so I can’t speak to the restaurant interior or the food, but our drinks were wonderful. My cherry limeade had at least 6 cherries in it, and a good size scoop of lime sherbet– much more generous than any other Winstead’s I’ve ever been to. But what really made our visit special and memorable was how incredibly sweet the woman working the drive-​thru was. I will always reward excellent customer service and she earned it BIG TIME. Will definitely be back!

Winstead’s, what the hell has become of you?
My history with Winstead’s goes back literally decades to the time when they actually deserved accolades. Winstead’s was a unique and tasty fast food experience. It really was!
Fast forward to about 5 years ago. I was still occasionally eating at Winstead’s, but noticing a huge decline in quality. So much so that I just stopped going. Sad.
Today, the hubby decided to grab carry out for dinner and he has wanted to try Winstead’s for years, so it was a prime opportunity. He asked whether a single would be big enough, and based on my last experience there about five years ago, I suggested that he would be ok with a double. I ordered a single for myself. WTF, Winstead’s? My hubby only had about the equivalent of a McDonald’s 99 cent burger on his double burger and I had less. My «burger» was so thin that it had holes in it! Yes, folks, when the patty was lifted up, you could literally see light through it! I ordered my burger with lettuce and there was about four times as much lettuce as burger, therefore, the dominant flavor was iceberg lettuce. My hubby got an order of miserable soggy old fries and I got tater tots which were actually pretty decent. The hubby also ordered an apple dumpling that was over $ 4 and was mostly bland dough surrounding two tiny bits of apple. The only thing that was really good in our $ 24 fast food meal was my cherry limeade.
It’s very sad to see a KC tradition like Winstead’s stoop to this incredibly sad level. I hope whomever is running the chain these days feels just a tad bit guilty when they go to bed at night for what they’ve done to a KC legacy.

I used to frequent this location back in my married years (approx 10 – 15 years ago) with good results, and grew up on Winsteads in the Plaza. And this is so sad to write…
I have gone back to this location about 4 times in the past year, and I thought maybe it was just me or they were having on an off night, so was willing to try again. Sorry Winsteads, but something has gone horribly wrong. My last order thru the drive-​thru — Chili cheese dog and a double cheeseburger with everything with grilled onions and mayo added. Total was a little over $ 8. Got home and ate the chilidog — really no better than Sonic but it was «fair». The cheeseburger was disgusting!!! Instead of getting «everything» with grilled onions and mayo, I got only the grilled onions and mayo. Besides the onions, the only real taste was of stale grease from the meat. I tried to chew this «steakburger» bite by bite, but my jaws finally got tired and I ended up throwing more than half in the trash. I literally could not chew on the burger enough to swallow the meat — and had to spit out most of it. Sorry to be gross but I ended up with every bite back in the paper. This was definitely not the «steakburger» of their past — what it was I have no clue but it was unedible. I chewed one bite at a time that took several minutes to just try and swallow the crap without success. So sad that an iconic burger place could fall so far down.
I might try their 103^rd & Metcalf location somethime to see if there’s any difference, but I suspect ownership/​mgmt. changes might be the cause of their problems. It used to be so good, and maybe other locations still uphold their past, but I have given up on this location.

I’m not sure what to say. Dirty and food um … Gross. The meat was terrible it was like a overbooked potato chip. The chicken strip was brown from being over cooked. The lady brought the shakes way before the kids meal that was not fun … Kids mad cuz I won’t let them drink shake yet so it sat until food came. Lady never came to take dirty dishes off … I’ll attach pic

This place is gross and sad. Its so depressing. Windstead’s used to have the BEST burgers in town. I still remember the taste from the 80’s and my memory of their burgers is pretty much what I measure against today. I got one a few month ago including a malt and it was just terrible. I’d rather east a quarter pounder at McD’s (its been more than a decade) than a meal at Winsteads — I wish someone would buy them out and try to restore some of the glory. You want an old school Winstead’s burger? Go to Freddy’s, that is how they used to taste (sort of).

great place for breakfast since it is fast cheap and never busy! standard burger fries joint nothing special

I will never understand the fascination the Kansas Citians have with Winstead’s. I will never understand how Winstead’s KEEPS getting voted the best burger in KC. It’s paper thin! You need about 3 patties just to be able to taste it! There is absolutely nothing stellar about it… I just don’t get it!
But with that said, on this occasion, I was out with my 2-​yr old granddaughter and she wanted ice cream, so we stopped in here for a sundae. The look on her face when they set the tall sundae glass in front of her was worth the visit, and I really wish my battery hadn’t died in my phone so I could’ve taken her picture and posted it here. Priceless!
Bottom line… Winstead’s food is average, although a bit overpriced in my opinion. But if you want ice cream, sundaes, or shakes, this is definitely the place to go.

In my mind, Winstead’s is a great place to grab a fast burger and the ‘fifty/​fifty’ is a perfect amount of fries and onion rings. I’ve never been to this location but we waited over 15min in the drive thru and were the first of 5 cars in line. no bueno!
The food was average… burger and fries but definitely not worth the wait or the poor service.
If I do eat at Winstead’s again it will not be this location!

Short, much like visit:
Worst experience EVER (I suppose it could have been worse… I have no idea how the restrooms are.)
Seat yourself, according to the sign. 2 other tables are there, but there are 4 employees visible.
After 3 minutes, waiter slams a chipped glass of water on your table and steams away (no greeting).
Wait another 3 minutes; ignored.
Walk out, waving at the one guy who makes eye contact.
Call, ask for manager; he is the one who answers. Tell him you want to explain why you left. He says, «Oh, that was me you waved at as you left.» Ummmm, you didn’t stop me? I tell him why I left, and he says «Oh; I’m frustrated with the waiter, too.» Ok, never mind.
Where are the negative stars when I need them? –5 for the original encounter, and another –10 for the ‘manager’ who did not apologize, and just said he was frustrated with the waiter too…
So THIS is why it was empty during supper rush hour!

We made the trip to Winstead’s recently when our original dinner plans fell through. Since it was dinner rush on a busy weekend, it seemed to be a nice option and prevented us from having to wait anywhere else. The restaurant was fairly empty and we got our food very quickly. I ordered the double bacon cheeseburger with fries and a strawberry shake.
Positives:
–Food is definitely of the old-​school diner variety. I think of that as a positive, though some might not.
–Fairy affordable, though maybe a bit more than fast food.
Negatives:
–Very basic and generic menu.
As a person who didn’t grow up in the area, I really don’t have the sentimental attachment to Winstead’s like many others, but I do enjoy the old-​school vibe and food. It’s not a place I’ll frequent, but it’s a nice place to pick up a burger and shake every once in awhile.

While I did grow up in Overland Park during the ‘60s and ‘70s, I never went to Winstead’s until more recent years, so my impressions of this restaurant have absolutely nothing to do with sentimentalism.
This is one of my nieces’ favorite spots, so when we come to town for a visit, we always make a point of taking them to Winstead’s at least once. The servers have always been wonderful and very patient with the girls, even when they were small and ordering in a restaurant was a big deal for them. Food is consistently served hot and fresh and there has rarely been a mistake, even when our group was very large. Fries, onion rings and steakburgers are all very good and I love the chocolate shakes.
Yes, Winstead’s is a Kansas City icon but you can’t survive for decades on nostalgia alone. Winstead’s serves up very good food, they do it well and all in a fun setting.
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I’ve only had the hamburgers. McDonalds is better. Another Kansas staple enjoyed by people only because it has sentimental value.

Yummy chocolate malts, greasy fries… pretty much the standard delicious burger joint!

Coming from an extremely small town to this city full of convenience and choices I’ve never been good at making, we almost accidentally found Winstead’s. It’s hard not to, since there seems to one at every block, but we weren’t disappointed.
The boy and I are not huge Eat-Until-You’re-So-Full-You-Want-To-Die eaters, and neither of us likes hyphens, so the Fifty-​Fifty (onion rings AND french fries) was enough to dazzle our small town wits.
I ordered some chicken strips, and of course he «tests out» all eateries with a drive-​thru by their chicken sandwiches, and we both agreed… it’s better than the Sonic that shares a parking lot with this place.
We’ve learned since that Winstead’s is the equivalent to KC as White Grill is to Nevada, MO, and both felt a little less like resident tourists by eating here instead of… some other intimidating Kansas City restaurant. If we ever can’t decide on a place to eat, want some greasy awesome food, or just want to spend less than $ 15 to feed the both of us, we’ll go to Winstead’s.

An Ode to Punk-Rock-Winstead’s:
I would sit in your booth, partaking of a malt,
And onion rings with twice my daily intake of salt;
Or a cuppa joe and my English homework
Until my parents would beep me back home after dark.
Ah, many a year has passed since those times,
But I still love me a double burger piled high!

Seeing that one of my favorite breakfast haunts was closed this Sunday I decided to head back in time to an old «friend», Winstead’s. I haven’t been to Winsteads in over 5 years and I’ve never been to this particular location. One thing I can say they all pretty much look the same and taste the same. It’s diner food.
I usually partake in lunch or dinner here with a cherry limeade, grilled cheese on rye, and fries. But this morning I went for blueberry pancakes. They did use real blueberries, but the pancakes themselves were sugary and dry. They use corn syrup maple syrup and fake vegetable oil butter so to ease the dryness I went for the «butter» .
It’s Winsteads, and as everyone says it’s a favorite Kansas City haunt with old friends from high school or just to reminiscence about old times.

Ahh, Winstead’s. Back in high school, us arty kids would hang out here in the smoking section, drinking milkshakes and eating grilled cheese.
Now, I only visit Winstead’s when both my grandfather and I are in Kansas City, which is a rare occurrence indeed.
The menu hasn’t really changed. You can get a steakburger (single, double, triple) or a grilled sandwich. You can order fries or onion rings, a milkshake or a soda. It’s not especially cheap– a double, fries & a soda will run you around $ 8.
Ahh, but it is good. A thin, almost see-​through hamburger on a soft bun, minimally topped with ketchup and a pickle, thick-​cut french fries, and a chocolate malt?
Also, they make their waitresses wear mint-​green shirt dresses, white sneakers and a ponytail.