Town Topic will resume 24-hour operations — but service will look different

After a brief stint of turning off the grills and fryers at 8 p.m., Town Topic is back with its 24-hour operations, but service will look different than what Kansas City’s night owls are used to.

The Kansas City institution posted to Facebook on Thursday that the diner’s 2021 Broadway Blvd. location would go back to staying open 24 hours, except its menu of burgers and other diner food would only be available for DoorDash delivery from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Guests can use the walk-up window at the Broadway location until 10 p.m. The post also mentioned that Town Topic would soon offer online ordering for diners.

The news comes a week after the diner sent shockwaves across the Kansas City area when its owners announced its Broadway restaurant would no longer offer 24-hour service, as it has for years.

For the last week, Town Topic closed at 8 p.m. Its owners cited safety and security issues following a nearby April 26 shooting that left one man dead.

“We have exhausted all of our resources in an attempt to keep Town Topic safe for our staff, customers and community,” the burger joint said in a statement last week. “Unruly crowds that loiter in the unstaffed and unsecured corner lot next to Town Topic, where the shooting on April 26th occurred, have increased safety concerns and budgets over the last years.”

But last week, Town Topic didn’t appear to be done with its late-night operations and hinted at finding a way to serve Kansas Citians during early morning hours through delivery or online ordering.

“Sometimes given unfavorable circumstances, businesses have to evolve, and that is really what we are doing,” the post said. “It will be a difficult transition, but a good one, and hopefully we will be better for it.”