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About

Wonder Whip was opened in 1955 and has been an Owensboro, Kentucky landmark ever since. Back then there was no drive-thru and you could buy 2 ice cream cones for 5 cents. Things have changed a little bit since then but we are still in the same building, which has been mostly unchanged all these years.

Our Wonderburgers are made from 100% ground beef with no fillers, and our soft serve and milkshakes are made from fresh milk delivered by our dairy throughout the week. We do things the old-fashioned way, and it seems to be working for us. Some other highlights:

  • We are open 7 days a week
  • We have a large parking lot that is semi-truck and trailer-friendly
  • We accept cards and digital payments at no extra charge
  • We have 16 picnic tables for outdoor dining
  • We have vegan dessert options (Dole Whip)
  • We are only minutes away from Yellow Creek Park, ROMP, Reid’s Orchard, Downtown Owensboro, and the Owensboro Air Show.
  • We are and have always been a locally owned and operated family restaurant.

We take great pride in being able to say that our property is one of the most original 1950s hamburger and ice cream stands you will find anywhere. We are still operating in the same building with the same name and same menu since the beginning. In a world that is rapidly becoming more synthetic and artificial by the day, visiting us is like getting in a time machine and traveling back to the simpler days of yesteryear.

Wonder Whip

Fun Fact:

On Friday November 23rd, 2023, Kentucky native Jack Harlow kicked off his sold out “No Place Like Home” tour in Owensboro. Before the show Mr. Harlow dined at Wonder Whip with his crew and a production team assigned with documenting his tour. Portions of his visit at Wonder Whip can be seen in “No Pace Like Home: A VR Concert” on the Meta Horizon Worlds platform.

History

The 840-square-foot restaurant, located at 2434 Kentucky 144 (formerly U.S. Highway 60 East), Owensboro, Kentucky, opened on June 28th, 1955. Originally named Wyndall’s Wonder Whip, after E.A. Nonweiller, D. Wyndall Smith, and John T. Rutledge filed incorporation papers with the state to offer ice cream, soft drinks, and sandwiches. In 2015, when Seth Woodward heard that it had closed after 60 years in business, he stated, “I was shocked and genuinely sad that another piece of our history and culture could be permanently lost. I ate a fair amount of food there when I was younger,” Woodward said. “I’m an East End guy who wanted to bring it back.” Therefore, Seth bought and reopened the restaurant, known today simply as the Wonder Whip. “This place is a landmark, a part of the community,” Seth stated. “The day we reopened, traffic was backed up down the street, trying to get in. It was an unprecedented volume of business.”

Known by some as the second fast-food place in Owensboro, Wonder Whip was the first to sell hamburgers and fast food. Today, the top seller on the menu is still the Wonderburger, a quarter-pound hamburger on a toasted five-inch bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and pickle, cooked on an old-fashioned flat-top grill.