Beloved Johnson County burger place moves into a new home: ‘We’re so happy’

It’s not to be confused with national cult favorite Shake Shack or St. Louis-based The Shack Breakfast & Lunch.

Retro diner Snack Shack on Santa Fe had a similar name as those chains, but its one location was a mainstay for more than a decade in downtown Overland Park.

Now it hopes to be the same in Mission.

The Overland Park location has closed, but The Snack Shack on Johnson Drive has softly opened at 6018 Johnson Drive, in the former Town Topic building.

The owners bought the Mission building about a year ago and planned it as their second Snack Shack. But as they were renovating the spot, they said their rent at 8039 Santa Fe Drive went up 50%. It was during the pandemic, when many landlords were offering breaks. Then negotiations for a longer term lease couldn’t be worked out.

“I think it was a blessing in disguise. We’re so happy with the new spot. We’re so happy to get started over here,” said Matt Tolle, who owns the Mission diner with his wife, Rayna Andrew. “We’ve seen a ton of customers from Overland Park and new people, too.”

Their former Overland Park landlord couldn’t be reached for comment.

Snack Shack on Johnson Drive serves griddled burgers on buns by Kansas City’s Roma Bakery. The popular Down Towner comes with cheddar, grilled onions, pickles, mayonnaise and house-made barbecue sauce, then topped with an onion ring, while another burger has Swiss cheese and grilled onions and mushrooms. The Bobby has grilled jalapenos.

Vegetarian items include the Veg-N-Out burger with garbanzo beans, black beans, roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes on a hamburger bun.

It also has patty melts, hot dogs, hand-breaded pork tenderloins and chicken sandwiches with its Shack Sauce, fries and onion rings.

Drinks and sweet treats include root beer floats, chocolate dip cones, shakes and malts, and limeades.

Tolle and Andrew grew up in Johnson County and attended Shawnee Mission West High School. They took over the downtown Overland Park diner space in 2011. Their son, Jack Tolle, worked there from the start and went full-time after high school in 2015.

The new location, which has nine employees, has seating for about 40 inside and will have patio seating for warmer weather.

Hours are currently 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays for the soft opening. It plans to expand hours later this month.

The building had long been a burger spot under such names as Burger’s Unlimited.