BY JOE ARCE AND COREY CRABLE
Those rumors you’ve heard? They’re true. Paul’s Drive-In is back. Lifelong fans of the iconic burger restaurant at 10th and Osage in Kansas City, KS, thought its doors had closed for good during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Truly, they believed all they had left were memories – of the juicy burgers, crispy onion rings, and flavorful tenderloins and much more. Now, its owners say, those fans and newer generations will be able to create their own memories.
The restaurant’s new owner Daniel Macias says all the old favorites will be back on the menu, but the Osage location’s name will be just a little different – say hello to Paul Jr.’s. The time is just right, Daniel says, to bring the classic eatery back into the community.
“To be honest, I’ve been looking to get into some type of business for a while now. … I got my LLC last year. I planned on opening a restaurant. I tried to open something in Argentine, but that went sideways and so it didn’t happen,” he explains. “And then, I was trying to open up this back up at any place, any spot to bring Paul’s back. And then, this past February, my dad said, ‘Hey, you know, Paul’s restaurant is up for grabs,’ so we came up here and then looked into it.”
Daniel ended up deciding to lease the building from the leasing company that owns it (the original owner, Mary Smith, is no longer involved with the business’ operations, though she did advise Daniel on the restaurants ins and outs). According to Macias, Smith is happy to see her place back open.
“Everybody around here, even out-of-state people know about this place. So why not? And when the opportunity showed itself, I was like, ‘Man what better spot can you get than the original spot it was in?’” Daniel recalls. “My uncle, he’s worked here since the ‘70s, and everybody here was pretty much family to me growing up. He knows the recipes, and we spoke with Mary and got permission and everything, so from there I said, ‘Now we’re going to do it.’”
Daniel’s uncle, Ricky Lee Macias, a longtime employee at Paul’s, says his nephew wanted to get Mary’s blessing, and now it’s time for the restaurant’s return, customers be thrilled to see a lot of familiar faces once again.
“The first thing I thought about was Mary. I said, ‘She’d be happy. I know she would,’ and she came over, and she was happy that somebody’s carrying on the legacy,” Ricky says. “I’m excited to see that it’s reopening, just to know that my nephew’s got it and we can do something with it. And those same customers, they never left. They’re waiting. They’re more excited than I am.”
Another employee, Lora Ralle, says she estimates seeing at least 20 people every day, asking when Paul’s will be back.
“I’ve missed it. I didn’t think I would ever miss it, but I’ve missed it,” says Ralle, who is Mary’s niece. “I missed all the people and being able to talk to them. They come from everywhere -- from Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Independence, north of the river, you name it.”
Daniel adds that the same beloved recipes are back along with those customers, too. And as he’s been renovating the restaurant’s exterior, he continues to hear their stories about the memories they’ve made at Paul’s.
“Since we’ve been here remodeling it, countless people come up, telling those stories of how they grew up on it and they’re glad it’s coming back, and they missed it,” he says. “We can only have kept it a secret for so long until it actually got out. Paul’s has been such a big part of the community, and everybody’s been very nice around here and hoping to get it back soon.”
Daniel’s own devotion to the restaurant is already evident. He will keep his full-time job as a warehouse manager. He’s confident it will all work out, especially since he has the hardest-working crew in the business to help him out.
“I’m just thankful to have the people I have here to run it,” he says. “What better people could you ask for? I’m very fortunate and blessed. The emotions haven’t set in, but they will.”
Daniel says he has planned a soft opening for Paul Jr.’s at the end of this week and will go through the weekend, with a grand opening tentatively planned for May 22. Come for the burgers, tenderloins, onion rings, milkshakes, and malts – stay for the memories.
“It’s not a secret anymore. It’s not a rumor anymore,” Daniel says. “The business is back, and we plan on being here for a long time.”
