At five o’clock on a sultry summer Friday, the parking lot at Jasper’s Italian Restaurant is already filling up. Co-owner Leonard Mirabile is chatting with regulars just seated at their favorite No. 15 booth. A slice of lime is already on the lip of their glasses with Pellegrino chilling in an ice bucket off to the side. Leonard’s grandson, general manager Jordan Mirabile, rushes between the kitchen and dining room to check on orders. While the restaurant industry can be volatile, with Kansas City area closings on a monthly basis, Jasper’s, founded in 1954, is one of more than 30 local restaurants that have been mainstays for five decades or longer. Many are still owned by the same families. They’ve survived recessions, the pandemic, changing demographics and diets, and in some cases the Depression and two World Wars. They range from tiny diners to old grease house barbecues to pricey fine dining operations. That familiarity is the draw — from the friendly greetings of owners or lo...