Kansas City area burger spot has cult following. Can it do the same with cheesesteaks?
North Kansas City’s Tay’s Burger Shack has built a cultlike following since it opened at 1019 Armour Road in late 2014.
The owner, Kent Harrison, says he knows where his fresh beef comes from and the buns are made-fresh daily, which has earned the restaurant a solid base of loyal customers.
Now Harrison is offering cheesesteaks with that same focus on freshness.
His new Tay’s Cheesesteaks, at 315 Armour Road, features grass-fed, grass-finished beef from a Kearney farm and all natural chicken, served on a roll from Philadelphia’s Amoroso’s Hearth-Baked Bread & Rolls with a side of Tay’s hand-cut fries.
The menu includes Tay’s Cheesesteaks with white American or pepper jack cheese and grilled onion; Cheesy Tay’s Cheesesteaks with white American or pepper jack cheese and grilled onion, cream cheese and/or Cheez Whiz; and Italian Tay’s Cheesesteaks with white American or pepper jack cheese and grilled onion, marinara and Parmesan cheese. Prices start at $10 for a half and $20 for a whole.
“It’s delicious. We put a quarter pound of meat on a half, and a half pound on a whole. It is overflowing. No one ever asks for extra meat,” Harrison said.
But customers can get add-ons — green peppers, cherry peppers or mushrooms. The Cheesy Tay’s Cheesesteaks with cream cheese are the most popular order so far.
It also has Reubens and hot pastrami sandwiches.
“I brine the brisket for a week.We roast our own corned beef and we smoked the pastrami in-house,” Harrison said.
Tay’s Cheesesteaks took the former Jersey Boyz spot, which also was owned by Harrison. He closed it on March 3.
It is next to Sail Away Wine.
Harrison said he developed a love for cheesesteaks when he worked at Overland Park mainstay Chartroose Caboose while in high school.
He also plans to add cheesesteaks to the menu at his south Overland Park restaurant, 7724 w. 151st St. He opened the location, in a former Hardee’s building, right before the pandemic. Then COVID-19 restrictions kicked in days later.
Luckily the building had a drive-thru, which saved the new location.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 12:02 PM.