Is this new ‘guilty pleasure’ restaurant the fattiest in Kansas City? Owners hope so
Some Kansas City restaurants offer low-cal salads, superfruit smoothies and fat-free desserts.
And then there’s Fat Shack, which opened Tuesday at 2510 N.E. Vivion Road in the Northland.
Chicken fingers, french fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks — all drizzled in honey mustard and packed into the gargantuan “Fat Doobie” sandwich. If health conscious counterparts are diet-friendly, the newly opened late-night diner’s menu consists solely of cheat meals.
A multimillion dollar idea? Billionaire investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban thought so.
Founders Kevin Gabauer and Tom Armenti waltzed into the ABC investor reality show “Shark Tank” in 2019 with greasy sandwiches in hand, and Cuban chowed down on a 15% stake in the company.
“Let’s go get fat,” Cuban said after offering $250,000. The ballooning chain now has 30 locations, and its Northland spot is the first in the Kansas City area.
Franchisee Kevin Goetz opened the Northland location with his company, ATQI Ventures, which also owns Kansas locations in Manhattan and Topeka.
Unsurprisingly, college towns are prime real estate for Fat Shack, which is open until 3 a.m. on some nights. A Fat Shack opened in Lawrence in 2020, joining student-driven locations in College Station, Texas, and Fort Collins, Colorado.
The first restaurant opened in a bagel shop in 2010 near The College of New Jersey after Armenti realized students were searching for fatty, late-night options after an evening of partying or studying.
“We appeal to the guilty pleasure,” Goetz said.
Goetz has high hopes for Fat Shack in Kansas City, noting that there are few restaurants in the area open this late.
“Since COVID you can’t get much to eat after 10 o’clock. We appeal to the late-nighters,” Goetz said. “We keep you from having to go to a gas station.”
The fast-food restaurant moved into an old Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, just down the street from Crumbl and Zaxby’s.
The restaurant’s signature Fat Shack sandwich is a cheesesteak stuffed with chicken fingers, jalapeño poppers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, onion rings and honey-jalapeño mustard. The sandwich is a cool 2,300 calories — 3,100 for a large.
The restaurant also sells hefty 24-piece barbecue, garlic Parmesan and lemon pepper-coated chicken fingers for upwards of 6,000 calories.
Of course, no fatty meal would be complete without dessert. Oreos, cheesecake bites, chocolate chip cookies and Twinkies are deep-fried, then served with chocolate or strawberry sauce. Wash it down with a chocolate, Reese’s or Oreo shake.
Goetz hopes Kansas Citians will take to the concept as much as they have calorie-rich barbecue.
The dine-in and drive-thru restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.