Keeping things the same takes a lot of work for Snack Shack (6018 Johnson Dr., Mission, 913-381-3200, thesnackshackonsantafe.com).
The beloved burger joint recently moved from downtown Overland Park to Johnson Drive in downtown Mission, taking over the former Town Topic. Snack Shack owners Matt Tolle and his wife Rayna Andrew brought not only their own memorabilia, but their own well-seasoned flat top to the space which has the feel of a classic small-town burger joint.
Sipping a caramel shake and smashing one of their diner-style burgers while the jukebox plays “River of Dreams” or “Midnight Train to Georgia,” you’d think Snack Shack has already been there for a generation. The move was three short miles, but Tolle says he’s heard from a number of loyal OP customers who’d never been to Mission. The same was true in reverse: Some of his new customers in Mission had never even heard of his original location in downtown OP, just a few miles south.
The burgers and the “Sweet Corn Nuggets” (think: deep-fried corn pudding) are a little different because they have to be—supply chain issues have forced them to find new suppliers, which Tolle responded to by tapping Hertzog Beef ranch south of the city for meat.
That’s how it was in Snack Shack’s earliest days, he says, when he bought beef from the old McGonigle’s meat shop. After it closed he went a different direction before contacting the retired McGonigle scion to arrange a direct connection with the rancher.
