Fans rally behind iconic KC restaurant hit by car: ‘Just gotta keep going to the Tub’

The usual steady flow of deep-fried tacos topped with neon orange powdered cheese, finely shredded lettuce and tomato salsa being served out of the In-A-Tub kitchen on Prairie View Road was suddenly halted Tuesday afternoon when a pickup truck crashed into the side of the iconic Kansas City taco and burger joint.

Now, dedicated fans and customers of the longtime restaurant known for its unique take on Midwestern tacos are rallying behind the beloved spot aiming to keep the business afloat in the midst of the wreckage that has now temporarily closed its doors.

“They’ve made it through COVID. They stood strong through all that. They’re gonna make it through this just fine,” said Ashley Handley, a lifelong In-A-Tub customer. “Just gotta keep going to the Tub and get those tacos so we can have our second location back.”

The driver of a Ford F150 collided into the restaurant on Tuesday around 4 p.m. after they pulled into the parking spot adjacent to the business and suddenly accelerated, driving through the side of the business, according to the Kansas City Police Department.

The owner of the business, who was inside at the time, was struck during the crash and taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. She was still hospitalized as of Wednesday afternoon, but was stable and recovering, according to KCPD. The driver of the Ford was uninjured.

“She is recovering from surgery with a long road ahead. This is our main priority. At this time, we ask for your prayers of healing, mentally and physically,” the business said in a Facebook post about the accident, which was flooded with comments from people sharing their love and support for the local restaurant.

Some Facebook commenters shared notes about being lifelong fans of the restaurant, while others wrote about their personal experiences and traditions at In-A-Tub, like visiting the location every year on their birthday or taking out-of-town friends for “pocket burgers.” A lot of commenters offered their thoughts and prayers for the owner during her recovery and vowed to eat at the second location at 4000 North Oak Trafficway until the one on Prairie View reopens.

Dozens of people have also donated to a GoFundMe set up for In-A-Tub’s owner, which had garnered nearly $3,000 as of Thursday morning.

For Emily Costelow, who grew up in Gladstone and now lives in South Carolina, trips to In-A-Tub to get three of their signature deep-fried tacos are a must when she’s in town.

Growing up, Costelow would go to the In-A-Tub in the former Antioch Center with her family before getting dessert at the nearby Orange Julius stand. It was always a special treat, she recalled. Now, In-A-Tub’s tacos help ease her homesickness when she’s back in Kansas City.

“It’s just one of those things you can’t really find anywhere else, and it’s just one of those very specific and niche cravings that you get,” she said. “It’s just very nostalgic.”

Like Costelow, Handley, a native to the Kansas City area, remembers trips to In-A-Tub as a little girl after afternoons spent shopping at the Metro North Mall. And in high school, she would swing by the south location while cruising North Oak with her friends.

“Then I just kept eating it my whole life,” she said.

To this day, Handley still orders the same thing every time she visits an In-A-Tub: Three regular tacos with mild sauce and a fried burrito with cheese.

But In-A-Tub is more than just comfort food for Handley. It’s where she has celebrated achievements, ate after ballgames and spent time with loved ones following funerals.

“It feels like going home to me,” she said. “It’s the nostalgia of it to me and that small town feeling that you just don’t get in a lot of places anymore.”

While she currently lives closer to the Prairie View In-A-Tub, Handley said she will frequently be in line at the North Oak location, and she hopes the rest of her Northland community will do the same.

“I really hope that our city shows up and shows everybody from In-A-Tub how much they mean to us because it really is a staple in our community, especially for us Northlanders,” she said.

This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 5:13 PM.