Need to eat and love trains? I have a place for you! Fritz’s train restaurant is local to Kansas City. They have 3 locations they are an American food type of place. They are known for their delivery system, burgers, and shakes.
**Disclaimer
Fritz’s Process
When you need a fun train restaurant this is the place to go, you can chew-chew on your food. Depending on the location you visit they are a little different but the basics are the same. After, walking into the restaurant a hostess will seat you and give you an engineering hat made out of paper to fit all sizes. At the Union Station location, they will sit you in a booth or table, at the Shawnee location there are booths or a small counter sitting. The booths are nice and comfortable which is cool. Then you get your menu to look at it when you are ready to order you don’t tell a person at the table. You pick up the phone and push the black button. When they answer on the other end, you tell them what you want to eat.
While you wait for your food, you can watch the G scale train. The G scale trains are near the ceiling and have custom logos on each side. The logo is excellent with a wolf is upright roller skating on a steam train. A person will deliver shakes, plates, and drinks by a tray. Then a little while later your food will get delivered by a train system.
Train Food Delivery
The train starts from the kitchen and goes on either the inner or outer track. Once the food is close to your table, a bar drops down and stops the bucket of food on an elevator that comes down to your table. Once it stops, you grab your box of food. Then you get to enjoy your burger and fries and watch the trains!
I enjoyed a Lil’ Engineer Round House Special cheeseburger with a chocolate milkshake and fries. It was delicious. My sister got it the same way but bunless and a strawberry shake, which was okay, but really only like chocolate. My mom tried a new burger called a Gen Dare which was a Fritz favorite bunless and she loved the crunchiness of the hash browns with the burgers especially since she can’t have the bread. My mom said to add they answered and double-checked ingredients for her on all products she asked about for gluten, which was awesome customer service.
There are train pictures around the restaurant, even some of the famous crashes. Even the one that ‘Better View for Gordan’ is based off, season five of Thomas & Friends. At the Shawnee location, they also have a train in the lobby and one inside the entrance to ride for fifty cents.
Some History
The restaurant has been in the family for years. After Frit’s returned from the Navy where he was stationed in Hawaii during Pearl Harbor. He followed in his dad’s footsteps and opened a drive-in diner. Fritz was an engineer himself inventing the train delivery service, even though at first he didn’t expect to make it a full train. The process was used to help with a labor shortages. When Fritz was ready to step down, Fred, one of his children, purchased the restaurant. Fred and his wife have now added the two new locations one at Crown Center, near Union Station, and Shawnee. It’s awesome that it is family-owned and local.
Overall, this restaurant is outstanding for any train engineering or family fun outing. I would recommend it, especially if your visiting from out of town and want more train things to do!