KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City restaurants are seeing the positive effects of KC Restaurant Week. The 10-day-long event wrapped up on Jan. 17.
The event included hundreds of restaurants from around the Kansas City metro with dine-in, curbside and delivery options.
Emmanuel Langlade owner of Aixois Bistro said the event provided some much-needed business.
"It was a tiring week but a good week," Langlade said.
Langlade said he was blown away by the KC Restaurant Week support. His staff could barely keep up with carryout orders, a good problem to have.
"It was almost like an avalanche of carryout, it was pretty intense," Langlade said.
Bill Teel, Executive Director of the Greater KC Restaurant Association, said the week brought out of the best of Kansas City.
"It just shows what a great city we have where restaurants and restaurant workers are in need and our people showed up and delivered for us, it was great," Teel said.
Despite the boost in business, restaurants still have a long road ahead. According to the National Restaurant Association, 17% of restaurants in the U.S. have closed temporarily or permanently due to the pandemic.
"That's a big hit out of our industry," Teel said. "It's still a case of just kind of hanging on and making it week to week until things get loosened up for us."
Langlade said the colder weather will mean a challenging next few weeks.
"The next few weeks are going to be really hard, definitely, no doubt," Langlade said. "We're going to have to cut down our hours."
Langlade said the next round of PPP loans is crucial to get through the Winter. In the meantime, he's grateful to everyone who spends their hard-earned dollar in his restaurant.
"Huge thanks to all the people who came and the people who ordered also online," Langlade said.
