Taste 200 restaurants in 10 days? Why your stomach (and hungry neighbors) will thank you
January 14, 2022 | Channa Steinmetz
Curious Kansas City diners can step away from their kitchens for the next 10 days, teased Carlos Mortera, as chefs at 200 restaurants across the city plate their latest trending tastes during the metro’s most-anticipated culinary showcase.
Carlos Mortera, Poio Mexican BBQ, at a Kansas City Restaurant Week preview event at J. Rieger’s Monogram Lounge
“It’s a big deal in Kansas City. Many of the restaurants feature items they don’t usually have on the menu, so a lot of planning goes into this,” said Mortera, the founder of Poio Mexican BBQ, describing the stakes of the 13th annual Kansas City Restaurant Week. “And right now, we’re in a pandemic and January is the slowest time for restaurants — so this really helps us bring in business.”
Restaurant Week begins Friday, running through Sunday, Jan. 23. Each participating eatery offers a $15, $35 or $45 fixed menu with multiple courses.
Click here to check out the full list of restaurants and their menus during KC Restaurant Week.
Along with supporting local restaurants, consumers can be assured that their dollars will boost community organizations like the Visit KC Foundation and Greater KC Restaurant Association. Both are annual community-first recipients. A third organization is chosen each year by event organizers.
Guadalupe Centers was selected for 2022.
Gary Bradley-Lopez, Guadalupe Centers, at a Kansas City Restaurant Week preview event at J. Rieger’s Monogram Lounge
“Guadalupe Centers is one of the longest-serving Hispanic nonprofits in the United States,” shared Gary Bradley-Lopez, communications and outreach director at Guadalupe Centers. “We provide a variety of services such as youth development, programming and recreation; health, and social services; education; and then social and cultural events.”
Click here to learn more about Guadalupe Centers.
Proceeds from Restaurant Week benefit Guadalupe Centers’ catering services — a department focused on providing food for Hispanic and Latinx communities across Wyandotte and Jackson counties.
“Especially with Coronavirus, we have a lot of older folks who don’t have any hot meals,” Bradley-Lopez noted. “The funds will help us expand our work within the community.”
“One of the main reasons I wanted to participate in Restaurant Week was because a percentage of the proceeds go to the Guadalupe Center,” Mortera added. “They are pro-immigrant and support the Mexican community, which I am all about.”
Click here to read more about Poio and how Carlos Mortera united his Mexican-American identity through food.
Fannie Gibson, Fannies African & Tropical Cuisine, and Margaret Bai, Bai The Way Hair Salon, at a Kansas City Restaurant Week preview event at J. Rieger’s Monogram Lounge
Restaurant Week features a vast array of cuisines, cultures and dietary needs.
Second-time participant Fannie Gibson — founder of Fannies African & Tropical Cuisine — noted that Restaurant Week showcases Kansas City’s true diversity.
“Kansas City has embraced my culture, and I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Gibson shared. “To see people from all walks of life coming together to enjoy West African cuisine, I think it’s amazing.
“[Restaurant Week] customers can expect to see some of the favorites on our menu, as well as new dishes that you cannot find anywhere else in Kansas City,” she continued.
The 10-day event is an opportunity for restaurants to attract new customers and hopefully build long-term relationships, said James Taylor, the founder of La Bodega and BLU HWY.
“When you open a restaurant, you get a honeymoon period and that’s all you get,” Taylor noted. “It’s very difficult to get in front of new people, but Restaurant Week is that opportunity. It’s a great marketing vehicle to show people who you are and what you do.”
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Culture Lab to Fountain City Fintech startups: Before you hire, define your culture
Bringing Culture Lab programming to the Fountain City Fintech accelerator’s inaugural cohort is part of a deeper effort to call attention to workplace culture in Kansas City, said Frank Keck. “We’ve been able to help each of these six cohort companies really define who they are, why are they doing what they’re doing, and help…
Investors deal BacklotCars $8M; KC-based startup hitting the gas on disruption
Disrupting the used car space has driven a Series A funding round to $8 million for Kansas City-based startup BacklotCars, the company announced Tuesday. “This investment comes at a great time. We are growing rapidly in our existing markets and expanding our national footprint. We expect to continue to add new features – to accompany…
ebbie navigates journey from established insurance industry to tech startup mode
Olathe-based ebbie is injecting innovation into the risk-averse insurance industry, said Brian Hess. “We looked for spaces where we could come in and say, ‘We can make this a lot better,’” said Hess, operations officer at ebbie. “Fast forward to now, and we went through the development phase and the build, and we have successfully…
KCultivator Q&A: Edgar Palacios talks Latinx representation, his ballsy inspiration
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. Proportionate cultural and ethnic representation can be life-altering for young people — especially in the classroom, said Edgar Palacios.…