Restaurant Review: Cozy Inn - Salina, KS

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Contact: gregloving@protonmail.com

The hamburger originated in the late 19th to early 20th century, but its exact origins are still vigorously debated today. The Cozy Inn hamburger stand in Salina, KS was founded during the Administration of the doomed President Warren G. Harding in 1922, making it one of the oldest restaurants of its kind in America.  Regardless of the hamburger’s origins, the Cozy Inn is about 30 miles north of McPherson on I-135. I stopped by after visiting a college friend in town around 2:30pm for a late lunch. He happened to work at Cozy Inn during high school, grinding onions and building character.  

By 2:30pm, I was exceptionally hungry and ordered 12 hamburgers. Each burger is approximately the same circumference as a 12oz can of pop (or soda depending on your geography). They only serve burgers in multiples of 6 on the menu, so you must like burgers to enjoy the Cozy Inn. And enjoy them I did, eating 8 while my normally pescatarian (veggies and fish) mom devoured 4. We were both so full that we skipped dinner.  

The Cozy Inn has a large, unfinished mural on its north wall of a hamburger. The mural is unfinished because the proprietor is in a legal dispute with the federal government after the City of Salina said the Cozy Inn violated municipal sinage regulations by painting it. The Cozy Inn says the state is infringing on its First Amendment rights. According to the Salina Post, the case will go to trial in September 2025. In the meantime, support free speech by visiting the Cozy Inn. If political statements don’t move you, go to the Cozy Inn to support your stomach- these burgers are tasty.