Town Topic traces back to 1937, when Claude Sparks opened a small white diner at 2442 1/2 Broadway in downtown Kansas City, selling hamburgers for five cents apiece. The Crossroads location at 20th & Broadway carries that history forward as one of the city's recognizable diner counters, the kind of place regulars describe as a Kansas City institution rather than just a burger stop.
Hamburgers and chili are the backbone of the menu, alongside patty melts and the oversized "TruckStop" plate for anyone looking for a full meal. Chocolate milkshakes have their own following among regulars who swing by for a late-night or midday craving. Locals also point to the smash-burger style patties as a draw, part of what keeps the counter busy and the room feeling unchanged from its early days.
Hamburgers and chili are the backbone of the menu, alongside patty melts and the oversized "TruckStop" plate for anyone looking for a full meal. Chocolate milkshakes have their own following among regulars who swing by for a late-night or midday craving. Locals also point to the smash-burger style patties as a draw, part of what keeps the counter busy and the room feeling unchanged from its early days.