How the Chiefs inspired this Kansas City immigrant to embrace his new home (and start his own business)

Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter.

Robert Galica, an immigrant from Mexico City and a Chiefs fanatic, started hosting tailgates at Arrowhead Stadium in a school bus in 2013; He’s grown those tailgates into a successful business, the ‘Red Machine,’ which has helped him to find community and a sense of belonging in the US

An old photo of Robert Galicia is posted above the door of Red Machine’s first bus, the same one his father purchased in 2013; photo by Zach Perez, KCUR

He said the Chiefs and their fans have done a lot for him, from starting his business to giving him a sense of community and his first feelings of personal connection to the U.S.

He hopes the Chiefs’ trip back to the Super Bowl can keep Kansas Citians united at a time the rest of the country is moving further apart.

‘I’m not sure I understood the game’

Galicia estimates that he became a real Chiefs fan at age 12. He said at that point he had become proficient enough with English to watch American football. But he didn’t fully understand the hype until he went to his first game in Kansas City.

“My mom used to clean houses in Leawood, Kansas, and around the Johnson County area,” explained Galicia. “One of the ladies there would give us Royals tickets ‘cause her husband was (the Royals’) accountant. One day they gave us Chiefs tickets.”

Galicia said his parents decided to give him the ticket because they didn’t speak English and didn’t understand the sport, so he ended up going with a friend and his friend’s father.

“At that point I’m not sure how much I even understood the game,” Galicia admitted. “But (when we got there) I was just sort of in awe with how many people were there in the stadium.”

The energy he felt at that first game pulled Galicia into Chiefs Kingdom and he began watching every game he could. Despite this newfound fandom, however, his trips to Arrowhead were few and far between.

“My mom was a cleaner, my dad was a contractor. It wasn’t really something that we could afford,” said Galicia. “On occasion they would give (my parents) tickets at work, but as a kid, even into my early 20s, I probably didn’t go to more than one game every two years.”

While he wasn’t going to the games as much as he would have liked, Galicia spent his childhood and young adult years making friends out of fellow Chiefs fans while watching Marty Schottenheimer lead the team to seven playoff appearances in the ‘90s.

He said this time in his life holds some of his best memories as a fan, though he admits his relationship with the Chiefs changed quite a bit in the following years.

‘Why did you buy a bus?’

In 2013, Galicia drove up to his parents house and saw a school bus sitting in their driveway.

“I went inside and asked my dad, ‘What’s up with the bus?’” said Galicia. “He’s like, ‘It was on sale,’ and I was like ‘Dad, there are a lot of things on sale. Why did you buy a bus?’”

His father explained that he needed a larger vehicle to transport equipment to job sites for his work. A month later, Galicia was struggling to coordinate a tailgate at Arrowhead with several of his friends. One of them suggested they make things simple and all take the bus.

Robert Galicia first repainted his father’s school bus in 2013; photo courtesy of Red Machine

“We went out to the Chiefs game in a bright yellow school bus with the seats and everything,’” he said. “It was a great time and things sort of took off from there.”

Over the next few years, Galicia’s father gradually turned over the bus to him. He began removing the seats, adding speakers and repainting it several times with various Chiefs designs. It made the bus more conducive to hosting a tailgate, he said, than hauling construction equipment.

“We’ve slowly been growing. I’d put the number at around 6,000 people over the last 11 years that we’ve transported to games,” said Galicia. “We took 1,200 people to Chiefs games this past season.”

Robert Galicia poses with his co-driver, Mark Coroando; photo courtesy of Red Machine

In 2024, Galicia made his side hustle into an LLC, taking on the official name of Red Machine. The business now has two full-time employees, himself and his second driver, Mark Coronado, six part-time helpers, and a fleet of buses for rent for events ranging from tailgates to bachelorette parties.

The business has made a big splash in the metro, winning Best Party/Limo Service in the Pitch’s Best of KC for 2024.

“We were so excited, it was such a big deal for us,” said Galicia. “But we’re still expanding. We’re doing a lot of things in the community and trying to grow.”

‘A different perspective’

One of the ways Galicia has grown his business is by using his connections to the Kansas City, Kansas, Latino community and partnering with Visit KCK to begin offering tours of the various taquerias around the city’s famous Taco Trail.

He said the idea for offering these guided taco tours stemmed from a desire to expose his white suburban customers to the community where he grew up.

“Our clientele come from Johnson County for the most part,” explained Galicia. “When they come (on the tour) it’s often an eye-opening experience to see these taquerias and what they bring to our community.”

Robert Galicia and his co-driver, Mark Coronado, pose for a photo after giving a bus tour of the KCK Taco Trail; photo courtesy of Red Machine

The tours have already become a massive success. In 2024 alone, Red Machine took over 1,300 people on tours, Galicia said. He said he’s proud of this accomplishment.

“People tell us all the time that the food was great but the experience was amazing,” said Galicia. “When we bring them into a little bit of our world, especially with everything that’s going on, it gives them a little different perspective on us. It’s been very rewarding for me.”

KCUR spoke with Galicia just before he gave his last taqueria tour before heading to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

He said what is happening in Washington is casting a shadow over the celebrations for many in his community. He hopes the collective good will and excitement around another possible Super Bowl victory will engender empathy, and bring people together.

“On Sunday, bars around Kansas City are going to be mixed up with all kinds of people,” said Galicia. “They’re going to come together to cheer on the same thing. It’d be great if we had a little more unity on things that are more important, too.”