How famous KC-area chili restaurant earned presidential seal of approval
Editor’s Note: Star audience intern Rachel Schlueter is eating iconic dishes at beloved restaurants around Kansas City this summer. Think we should go somewhere? Fill out this form. And sign up for our free Let’s Dish newsletter for biweekly feeds of Rachel’s latest eats and recent restaurant industry news.
Clammy palms, damp forehead, a fast-beating heart — all from a 4-inch tall mountain of meat-and-bean chili.
The “meat sweats” was a term first popularized by “Friends” character Joey Tribbiani, who attempted to eat an entire Thanksgiving turkey during a 2001 episode.
The phenomenon — eating so much meat you start perspiring — has been debunked by medical experts, who say eating large amounts of protein can slightly raise your body temperature, but it won’t induce enough heat for you to begin sweating.
But I challenge these medical experts to dine at Dixon’s Famous Chili Parlor.
Located at 9105 E. US Hwy 40, Dixon’s has served as an Independence staple for over a century, serving hearty plates of chili atop tamales, spaghetti, burgers and hotdogs. Even on a recent humid summer afternoon, the large dining room buzzed with hungry customers.
Vergne Dixon opened his first restaurant in downtown Kansas City in 1919, selling chili and burgers, according to Stephen Steffes, the current owner and Dixon’s great-great-nephew.
The original Dixon’s was located on Olive and 15th streets — which is now aptly named Truman Road.
Behind the “Famous” name
When Dixon’s first opened, it was called “Dixon’s Chili Parlor,” earning the “Famous” part 30 years later after a photographed visit from who Steffes calls the “most famous person on the planet” at the time: President Harry Truman.
In 1950, LIFE Magazine published pictures of Truman, an Independence native, eating at Dixon’s alongside other politicians.
“That helped business tremendously,” Steffes said.
Before, during and after his presidency, Truman was a Dixon’s regular, always ordering a tamale spread: rolls of corn-based dough smothered in a heap of chili. The chili components (ground beef and pink beans) are cooked separately — just like in the military, which Steffes surmises is why Truman, a World War I military officer, enjoyed the dish so much.
According to Truman’s library archives, the restaurant sent a large container of chili to Truman every year on his birthday. Steffes said his mother and Dixon’s grand-niece, Terri Smith, has childhood memories of going to Truman’s house with her father to deliver him chili.
However you like it
Dixon’s chili is fully customizable, starting with the style of chili: “juicy” (with meat juice), “soupy” (with bean broth), both or neither. I ordered mine with both, which was seasoned well with salt, paprika and chili powder.
Customers can order the chili on its own (starting at $8), or on top of a variety of carbs, from pasta to hotdogs. I tried the tamale spread ($10), the Truman special.
When the chili first appeared on the table, it was a tall pile of crumbly ground beef — looking like something my 20-year-old brother would conjure up in his college apartment.
But eating the chili as it is, Steffes said, is a rookie mistake.
“It’s not meant to be eaten the way it’s served,” Steffes said. “If someone just brought me a plain plate of chili, that wouldn’t be great.”
The first step to enjoying Dixon’s chili is dressing it up with a myriad of toppings for an additional cost between 15 cents to $1.25. I added shredded cheese, chopped white onions, jalapeño relish and homemade hot vinegar, which is spiced with red chili peppers.
I also snuck in some bites with a forbidden topping: ketchup. In the restaurant’s early days, founder Vergne Dixon banned ketchup from the premises. Steffes said Dixon’s ketchup hatred came from his belief the tomato-free chili didn’t need it.
“People would request it, and Vergne took offense because he thought needing ketchup meant what he was making was not good,” Steffes said.
Today, Steffes has eased the no-ketchup ban, even admitting he and his two sisters add it to their chili. But he still upholds tradition, charging a 15-cent “fee” for ketchup as a chili topping. Customers can enjoy ketchup for free, though, if they order a hotdog or cheeseburger.
A family spot
In the 1970s, Dixon’s made another change: adding tacos to the menu to attract customers year-round, Steffes said. Before that, he said Dixon’s closed during the summer since meaty, decadent chili didn’t mix well with Kansas City’s hot weather.
The tacos — hard-shell tortillas filled with ground beef, lettuce and cheese — sell for $3 each or $12.50 for all you can eat.
Alan Burch, a retiree who lives in Blues Springs, has been a Dixon’s customer since 1972 and always gets the all-you-can-eat tacos. Burch, who was eating with his wife Linda, son Alan Jr. and daughter-in-law Christina Burch, said he began taking his family to Dixon’s when his son was just one year old.
The Burches said their entire extended family gathers at Dixon’s, often taking up several tabletops to munch on tacos.
“This was kind of a central meeting place for everybody because we had people coming from Wyandotte County, we had people coming from way up north, then from the east,” Linda Burch said.
Alan Burch’s grandson, Dylan, holds the family record for most tacos eaten: 22. More than 50 years since the family’s first Dixon’s visit, the restaurant is synonymous with family memories.
“Coming to Dixon’s is a long tradition of our family being able to come together,” Alan Burch said.
Building an Independence legacy
During the 1970s, Dixon’s had 16 different locations mainly around Kansas and Missouri — plus one location in Minnesota, which Steffes believes was a move to take advantage of the chili-friendly, frigid weather. That restaurant opened on January 11, 1970 — which may ring a bell.
“It happened to be the day (the Chiefs) won their (first) Super Bowl in Minnesota and they beat the Vikings,” he said.
Today, the Highway 40 location is the only Dixon’s that remains. Steffes is keen on preserving the restaurant’s history, while paving the way for its future.
A fourth-generation owner, Steffes has two daughters, 16 and 13, but he’s unsure if they’ll want to enter the family business. For now, Steffes is focused on attracting younger customers to the restaurant. His idea for how: inviting Travis and Jason Kelce to try Dixon’s chili-topped spaghetti — a classic dish from the brothers’ hometown of Cincinnati.
“If they come in here and eat my food and say they love it, I’ll give them free chili for life,” Dixon said.
This meal is perfect for: when you’re looking for a quick sit-down meal to savor aside loved ones, or if you’re one of the Kelce brothers. (A free lifetime supply of chili is impossible to pass up.)
Regardless of if you’re a star football player or not, the family environment at Dixon’s is palpable. You’ll see it in the family photos displayed on the walls. You’ll hear it amongst the chatter of several generations of family members enjoying chili together. You’ll feel it from the friendly staff who greet both first-time customers and regulars with a smile and a smattering of questions for how you’d like your chili.
