Nu Way Cafe, Wichita Kansas

“Can I get you kids a couple of root beers in frosty mugs?” the waitress asked as we entered the empty Nu Way Cafe. It was 10:45. Perhaps a little early for a loose beef sandwich, but our breakfast was light and it was time for a snack. We settled in at the end of the long, low, L-shaped counter and ordered a couple of regular Nuways to go with our root beers. For a good fifteen minutes was nearly empty—just the server, the fry man and us. Then, just as we were starting to worry that no one came to the Nu Way anymore, save for Road Food-reading out-of-towners, a steady stream of regulars began to trickle in. Apparently, Wichitans wait until eleven o’clock, and not a minute sooner, to get their Nu Way fix. Most customers ordered the same meal as us, and almost all started with a frosty mug of root beer, except for the man who got his “on the take.”
Our Nuways arrived sliced in half and wrapped in paper that was already turning translucent with grease. We had ordered them as they recommend, with a tangy mix of mustard, diced onion, and pickle topping the crumbly beef. With the crisp and thinly breaded onion rings on the side it was the perfect taste of Wichita.