KC promised a World Cup economic boost. But not for every business, leaders say
About 40 soccer fans filled Taste of Brazil on Monday as the Argentina national soccer team faced off against Austria in Dallas.
While Argentina was not playing in town, the team’s use of Kansas City as a home base during the FIFA World Cup has brought thousands of the team’s fans to the city. That’s helped the authentic Brazilian restaurant in the River Market capitalize on a generational event.
For instance, the restaurant is typically closed on Mondays. But owner Marco Rabello said the monthlong international soccer tournament coming to Kansas City led him to open the restaurant’s doors during the Monday matches.
Taste of Brazil is one of the local businesses experiencing a surge during the international soccer tournament. Rabello said he felt the tournament’s effect on the local economy was living up to the hype.
“We’re extremely busy,” Rabello said. “It’s helping us a lot.”
While Taste of Brazil is thriving, some other businesses report the opposite. Bisou on Southwest Boulevard is doing worse than a typical summer. Others have said they are seeing fluctuations between big crowds and dead periods.
Varying experiences among the city’s businesses raise questions about whether the tournament coming to Kansas City is living up to economic expectations promised by local officials and organizers.
Visit KC, the city’s tourism advocacy group, estimated that the tournament would bring 650,000 tourist visits to the metro area during the tournament. With them would come more than $650 million of economic impact to the area.
Local officials and organizers say they still believe the World Cup will be an economic boost to the region, but not every business will reap a massive windfall.
Expectations vs. reality
Some businesses missing out aligns with what local organizers KC 2026 suggested could happen in its preparation guide called “KC Game Plan.”
KC 2026 published the guide to help businesses assess if they could position themselves to seize the opportunity. It pointed to businesses in the dining and hospitality industries located near official events and hotel clusters as the most likely to benefit from the surge of tourists.
The guide noted that “not every business will see a direct impact.”
In a statement to The Star, KC 2026 said the organization is encouraged by news of business successes like the Taste of Brazil and others. But the organization acknowledges some businesses are feeling let down.
“We also recognize that the tournament’s impact is being felt differently across our diverse business community, as expected,” the organization said. “Our KC Game Plan was designed to help navigate these varied outcomes, and we remain fully committed to supporting our local small business owners as we continue through the tournament.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas has been one of the most vocal about the economic opportunity the tournament brings to the city.
When asked about some businesses suggesting they aren’t benefiting from the tournament, officials for Lucas’ office said that he still believes in the economic boost the World Cup will provide.
“While impact will naturally vary by business and by neighborhood, the Mayor is encouraged by what he is hearing from the entertainment and hospitality sectors,” Lucas’ office said in an emailed statement. “The Mayor, who eats out at local restaurants daily, also has personally seen increased activity with the greatest growth at barbecue establishments, of which we have many, and bars near World Cup activations.”
One such barbecue establishment has seen so much success that it made the decision to close to recuperate. Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que on the Kansas side of the border chose to start opening its doors on Sundays to allow many visiting soccer fans a chance to try its world-famous barbecue.
After two weeks, the restaurant announced on Facebook that it would abandon the idea because the rush of customers was wearing its staff too thin.
“To ensure our staff has the ability to rest and recharge, we have made the decision to return to being closed on Sundays,” the restaurant said. “This will allow us to better support our employees and continue to provide the quality and consistency our customers deserve.”
The perfect storm
Back at Taste of Brazil, Rabello said he hopes the good times continue with more matches in Kansas City on the way. He said he’s excited for fans of the Netherlands to arrive later this week for the match between the team known as The Oranje and Tunisia on Thursday.
The restaurant’s success highlights how it may have been better positioned than most to attract incoming soccer fans.
For one, the restaurant serves South American cuisine. Many of the fans who have descended on the city are from South American countries, like Argentina and Ecuador.
Rabello said serving fans from those countries has been a great experience. Although Brazil’s national team has a massive rivalry with Argentina, Rabello said supporters of the defending world champions have boosted his business.
But the biggest crowds came when Brazil was playing, albeit in another city, Rabello said. Those matches have brought hundreds of fans to the team’s famous yellow jerseys who want to watch the match while enjoying dishes from the homeland.
Rabello said the only downside so far during the tournament has been stormy weather.
“Other than that, I have no complaints,” Rabello said. “It’s been great.”
