KC wedding venue transformed into World Cup watch party bar. Take a look
In the midst of a sea of orange rolling through Kansas City, fans may be looking for a place to watch World Cup games.
Jeff Owens — owner of The Bauer Event Space in the heart of the Crossroads — looked at his third-floor venue with original wood floors, tall windows and saw an opportunity.
So he and his team opened Bauer Social Club, a popup bar at 115 W. 18th St. that offers foosball, cornhole, bites and drinks inspired by each country that’s visiting Kansas City.
“The concept was to make it the most relaxing, fun place you could possibly go to watch the World Cup,” Owens said.
The Bauer Social Club will run for the entirety of the World Cup and is open 10:30 a.m. to midnight every day but Monday.
Manager Lauren Ibenthal, who crafted the drinks, wanted to honor each country’s culture through the ingredients she chose.
“I did some research on some popular flavors from each country, and something that kind of represented their style of cocktail,” she said.
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There are several options to choose from, but a few menu highlights: A fernet con Coca, a classic Argentine drink, is $9. The Dutch negroni, $13, is a neon orange concoction that contains Young Genever, campari and sweet vermouth. Crafted in honor of Tunisia, the Carthage cooler has fig vodka, orange blossom and lemon for $13.
Beer and wine are also available, with a bucket of six beers costing $20. Owens noted that one beer at the FIFA Fan Fest is $18.
Meanwhile, culinary education nonprofit The Prospect KC is offering a food menu that includes BBQ mac and cheese, $10, chimichurri steak flatbread, $10, and a smoked sweet potato hummus plate, $6.
“We’ve had a lot of very positive feedback. The people that have come through have really enjoyed it,” Ibenthal said. “They’re coming back and bringing a bunch of friends.”
The idea started a few months ago, Ibenthal said, when they looked at their books and realized they had just one wedding booked during the World Cup. So Ibenthal and Owens decided to make use of the space. They hung up flags, set up tables, couches, flags and lights.
“We set up all these vignettes, so it’s like four living rooms in your house where you can sit down and enjoy the show,” Owens said. “It’s just so much fun.”
Ibenthal said business has been busy during the U.S., Mexico and Argentina games, but it’s been slower in between. They’re hoping to see more business at Bauer Social Club and the surrounding area, especially as many have already visited the Fan Fest.
Most of the visitors are locals who saw Bauer Social Club’s posts on social media and decided to pop in, though they’ve had a few international travelers.
Will Bauer Social Club stick around? That’s TBD. Ibenthal said they’ve been getting some requests to stick around.
“We have a lot of people say that they wish we could be open like this permanently,” she said. “I said, ‘Well, bring more people, and then we’ll think about it.’”
The building doubles as an art center, which hosts 34 artists. Several have studios that patrons can walk through.