Waylans Kuku — Restaurant in Miami

A roadside treasure. I was looking to visit places on Route 66 and this is one that not only has survived along with its neon sign, but is still open for business.

I visited during the early morning about 10am, so sadly I did not get the chance to photograph the neon sign lit up in all its glory. I plan to hopefully make it back up there before time takes its toll on this place like it has many others.

While there I did stop in and buy some early lunch. I purchased the regular hamburger which was only about $1.20 and a orange Flavor Burst Ice Cream for $1.50, which was vanilla ice cream with a flavor swirl mixed in. The hamburger was good, reminded me of burgers I've had at other 1950's survivor restaurants. Minimal, semi thin patty, but good flavor. I thought the Ice Cream Blast could have had a little more flavor, was less than I was expecting, but wanted to try something that no one else was offering.

Overall the food was good, and I would recommend visiting this place if your wanting a little blast from the past. Its a good place to take your kids, especially when traveling, maybe get a little history lesson in. You can feed the family without breaking the bank. You get the vibe when your there, of how this place has been over the decades.

I was party of a conversation where they were talking about a newspaper article on the wall. Apparently a regular at the KuKu Burger was a gentleman who was able to turn his feet backwards and walk.. He was supposedly the inspiration for the character Tow-Mater on the cartoon movie Cars. While driving around town I actually saw a Tow-Mater replica on a street corner.

When you look at the walls, you see all the history of this place. Its a treasure on Route 66 and I hope it continues to serve as such.

My burger, and ice cream blast totaled less than $4. It was still early in the day and I wasn't super hungry, but I couldn't pass the chance to eat here. Stop by and grab something to eat.. Its a great...

I said: "How in the world is the dining room not open here in August 2023, many months after the COVID numbers settled down? Just lazy? You deserve every one-star review until you fix that."

They said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience or frustration you may have experienced. We would very much like to open up the lobby! The reason it is closed has nothing to do with COVID. We are extremely understaffed. We are working hard to get our employee count up, but we are not receiving very many applications at this time. So until we can get a few more reliable employees we are doing the best we can. And lazy? No Gene Waylan, the owner, is one of the hardest working employers out there. At one month shy of 80 years old, he works 12+ hours 7 days a week. Once again we do have hope to get the lobby opened as soon as we can. And once again we are sorry for your inconvenience. "

I'm saying: I don't give a damn how much your 80-year-old owner works. If anything, that's kind of sad. He should have employees, investors, family, and friends ready and willing to take over from him. The fact that he doesn't, and your dining room remains closed while all your in-town competitors are open, speaks absolute volumes. Think about why no one wants to...

I tried Waylans Kuku about 9 years ago and wasn't impressed. I figure I would give it a shot since I was in the area. The lady that took my order was half asleep. I ordered the double hamburger with cheese with a side of small fries. While my order was being made, I went to the restroom, and it was a in bad shape. Dirty, smelly and there was no soap! Immediately I wondered if the employees use this bathroom, and if they did, are they not able to wash their hands? I got my burger and fries and it was the same as 9 years ago, so there are points for consistency. Burger comes with chopped onions, and ketchup. Fries were the same size used as McDonald fries but not as seasoned. For a double, it was pretty small and nothing to write home to mama about. The sad thing is when you google hamburgers in Miami, OK and Brahms or Sonic are the top choices. No offense to Sonic or Brahms, as they make a decent burger, but I wanted something memorable. Hope your experience is...