KC cutting restaurants a break to encourage more outdoor dining during World Cup

Restaurants in Kansas City looking to have outdoor dining are about to get a break.

On Thursday, the City Council approved a temporary pause on permit fees for sidewalk cafes, street cafes and mini park spaces for dining establishments. The pause will last three years and could save restaurants $850 in fees annually while potentially boosting their sales.

Officials say that will help clear a barrier for small businesses, particularly those in areas with fewer resources, while increasing economic activity and tax revenue for the city and offering more attractive spaces for residents and visitors as the 2026 World Cup approaches.

“I expect this will be a positive net impact on the city’s budget. It’ll create more walkability. It’ll create safety, because you’ll have more people out walking,” City Council member Wes Rogers of the Second District said at a committee meeting this week. “I hope this won’t just be a three-year program. I think it’ll be a huge hit and we’ll keep doing it forever.”

The city manager’s office will offer annual reports on the change.

The pause follows a city grant program that offered funding to restaurants seeking to enhance their outdoor dining spaces and saw hundreds of applications. The grant program, which started in 2024, offered $300,000 in funding across 32 restaurants.

This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 5:38 AM.