KCMO slashes fees for outdoor dining permits, launches dining trail for grant winning projects
September 12, 2025 | Taylor Wilmore
Kansas City has officially eliminated outdoor dining permit fees, reducing the cost from $850 to zero, thanks to the momentum created by a city-led initiative to encourage investment in outdoor dining experiences, city leaders announced this week, unveiling new plans to promote funded businesses and their projects.
Launched in 2024, the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Program already has awarded $300,000 in grants to more than 30 local restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs to create new outdoor dining spaces, part of Kansas City’s broader push for walkability, economic growth, and readiness for major global events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mayor Quinton Lucas and Councilman Wes Rogers, who also is chair of KCMO’s Small Business Task Force, at a celebration of KCMO’s Outdoor Dining Enhancement Program; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“By the time the World Cup comes around we’re going to just be having a great, big outdoor party that’s going to be great for our small businesses,” said 2nd District Councilman Wes Rogers. “It can’t just be a two-month blitz where everybody did well. I think what we’re doing with these outdoor dining rooms is setting up a future where visitors will come and go, but those of us who live here, we’ll have an even better city than we already have.”
Entrepreneurs, community partners and elected officials gathered Thursday evening at Busey Bank to celebrate the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Program’s success.
“This is probably one of our proudest accomplishments,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who alongside Rogers, helped push the program to reality. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw businesses closing, we saw folks trying to find a way to survive, and we saw the city that we’re not doing enough. There are ways we can help entrepreneurs in our community.”
City leaders credit the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Program with playing a key role in revitalizing local business districts and creating more vibrant public spaces.
“This program began in 2024 as a way to support local restaurants and energize our neighborhoods through vibrant, vibrant outdoor dining spaces,” said Janá Wagner, division manager for the City of Kansas City’s Small Business Division, KC BizCare.
To showcase the program’s reach, Wagner also unveiled a digital Outdoor Dining Trail featuring all of the funded projects.
Building momentum toward 2026
With Kansas City preparing to host games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the outdoor dining initiative is being viewed as part of a long-term strategy to attract tourism, boost small business, and make the city more pedestrian-friendly.
“The way this got started was a belief that we need to be a more walkable city, a more open city, and the city put its money where its mouth is,” said Rogers, who also is chair of the city’s Small Business Task Force.
Lucas affirmed that initiatives like prioritizing outdoor dining are part of a broader effort to support entrepreneurs not just at launch, but through every phase of growth.
“If we can help start new businesses, we are doing all we need for the future of Kansas City,” he said. “It isn’t just about how you get started, it’s how we sustain it. ‘How do we support you? How do we help you market? How do we help you deal with a lot of the challenges we face in Kansas City each day?’ That’s what I’m all about.”
Small businesses at the center
Theodis Watson, director of business banking at Busey Bank, speaks during a celebration of KCMO’s Outdoor Dining Enhancement Program; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Thursday’s celebration was hosted by Busey Bank, which recently entered the Kansas City market following its merger with CrossFirst Bankshares.
Theodis Watson, director of business banking at Busey, emphasized the bank’s commitment to backing local entrepreneurs and providing critical support to help them thrive, noting that many businesses fail due to a lack of long-term support.
“I truly feel that small businesses are the lifeblood of our country, let alone KC,” said Watson. “We’re very excited about making sure we support them, give them the right resources to do what they need to do, and continue to build more businesses here.”
Featured Business
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
‘Get a glimpse of your future’ — Investors want data with your pitch
Editor’s Note: This content is sponsored by Mid-Continent Public Library but independently produced by Startland News. For more on the tools discussed in this article, click here. Imagine this. Your wearable tech firm is thriving — so much, in fact, that you need an injection of investment capital to maintain sustainable growth. You’ve booked some…
Launch It Successfully hopes to reduce early stage frustration, struggle for startups
A new accelerator program produced by key leaders of software development firm Illumisoft is helping innovators start their businesses by “cutting through the nonsense,” said Tyler Prince. “We want to help entrepreneurs succeed,” he said. “I think we live in an age when change happens so rapidly.” Launch It Successfully’s goal is to assist early…
Is government helping startups enough? Founders feel isolated, Kauffman survey finds
Early stage entrepreneurs struggle with the technical steps to getting started, a new Kauffman survey found, and founders don’t believe the government is helping them. The prevailing sentiment that entrepreneurs view themselves as isolated from assistance is understandable, said Melissa Roberts, vice president of strategy and economic development at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County.…
Kauffman survey: Women more critical of their own early-stage entrepreneurial efforts
Women entrepreneurs are more likely than their male counterparts to grade their performances harshly during the first year of business, though that tendency typically fades over time, according to a new survey by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It often is about approaching the venture a realistic viewpoint, said Jeff Shackelford, executive director of Digital…