Winstead's

Winstead's /ˈwɪnstɛdz/ is a hamburger chain based in Kansas City, Missouri. The chain opened in 1940 and has nine locations in Kansas and Missouri. Apart from its burgers, Winstead's is known for the Streamline Moderne style of its original restaurant, and "skyscraper" sodas and milkshakes built to serve five or six. The chain is owned by Haddad Restaurant Group.

Food Network Magazine rated Winstead's the Best Hamburger in the state of Kansas. Food critic Calvin Trillin considers Winstead's to have the world's best cheeseburgers.

History

Winstead's Drive-In was founded in Springfield, Illinois by Kathryn Winstead in 1936. Winstead's was one of the first drive-in restaurants in the United States. Customers would back into a stall, flash their lights, and a car hop would come out to take the order and deliver food. Around 1938, Kathryn's brother Jack opened a second Winstead's in their hometown of Jacksonville, Illinois. A sister of Jack and Kathryn opened another location in Fort Wayne, Indiana.