2 cheeseburgers and beers for under $25? It’s possible at Lee’s Summit spot
You’re off the clock on a Monday, and you’re wondering what you can do to help shake off the start of another work week. Happy hours are enticing, but sometimes you’re not in the mood to only get appetizers.
Not many places offer a full meal for cheap, but there’s one location where you can get an entree and a side for as many fingers as you have on one hand.
In the latest edition of The Star’s On the Budget, a series in which Star reporter Joseph Hernandez checks out activities and restaurants around Kansas City to see what fun can be had on a $25 budget, he went to the Third Street Social location in Lee’s Summit to try their Monday special on July 21.
If you have ideas for things to do for under $25, drop me a note at jhernandez@kcstar.com.
I’ve been to Lee’s Summit more frequently as of late, as I’ve been on the hunt for the elusive invisible John Cena action figure only found at Walmart, but I’ve yet to set foot in the city’s downtown. With my girlfriend off on Mondays, this looked to be a perfect chance for a filling meal for cheap.
Staying under $25 with this deal is easy, but is it possible when buying for two? Here’s what I found out.
Third Street Social’s Social Cheeseburger
Third Street Social has three locations in the Kansas City metro: Lee’s Summit, South Plaza and the newest building in the Northland. A fourth is on the way to Olathe, according to the restaurant’s Instagram.
Lee’s Summit location is the original location, sitting at 123 SE Third St. in the heart of the city’s downtown, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
It’s around 25-30 minutes to drive from Kansas City to Lee’s Summit, and once you’re downtown, you want to find an open parking spot and take in the sights of over 60 locally owned businesses in the district before walking to Third Street Social.
The Social Cheeseburger is the special on Mondays, and it’s a $5 single cheeseburger with fries. It’s only available in the bar and lounge area from 3 p.m. until the restaurant closes. The website says it closes at 10 p.m., but the kitchen stops serving at 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays.
The parking lot was filled when we arrived around 4 p.m., and it was reflected in the available seating. But we found a spot for two and didn’t have to wait long to have our orders taken.
We both asked for the Social Cheeseburger, although my girlfriend asked for sweet potato fries (no charge to change). Since the restaurant’s happy hour also runs from 3-6 p.m. daily, that means we also had access to $5 domestic and craft beers from the taps.
I ordered a Tank 7 and she ordered a Boulevard Wheat, and it took even less time to receive both the drinks and the food. The cheeseburger is a smashburger topped with lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles and the restaurant’s secret sauce, which our waiter said was an equal mix of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and dashes of pepper and paprika.
The meal might be the best bang-for-your-buck in the Kansas City metro. The set of two costs a total of $21.88.
For another deal, you could enjoy a $6 salted brownie sundae from Poppy’s Ice Cream & Coffee House, just a two-minute walk west from the restaurant to 307 SE Douglas St. Unfortunately, it’s not open on Mondays for the mix and match.
If gaming is your thing, Arcade Alley, across the street from Poppy’s at 316 SE Douglas St., offers $10 unlimited access to the arcade cabinets inside, from Tetris and Street Fighter to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ms. Pac-Man.
Or you could walk around the district on a cooler day and enjoy the scenery. No matter your choice, I think it’s worth grabbing the Social Cheeseburger on a Monday.
