KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Located less than half a mile from CPKC Stadium, Columbus Park businesses along 5th Street said they saw an influx of customers before and after the KC Current’s first match of the season.
“As a woman and as a female-owned business, it was honestly iconic,” said Café Cà Phê owner Jackie Nguyen. “I keep telling people it was iconic.”
Nguyen said her coffee shop had a steady flow of people stopping by, with many taking their drinks to-go so they could walk to the game.
“I think we definitely capitalize off of the amazing KC Current traffic,” she said. “It was actually really beneficial for our business.”
Next door, Wolfepack BBQowner Jared Wolfe arrived at his restaurant at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 16, to prepare for fans. The turnout more than exceeded his expectations.
“[About] 85, 90% of these tables were filled with Current fans,” Wolfe said about the crowd after the game. “It wasn’t unexpected, but it was very heartwarming to see all of these people actually out there enjoying.”
Wolfe said he plans to run new game-day deals for future matches to keep fans coming back.
“Those new faces coming in, I hope that the word of mouth organically growing with them is going to expand in a positive way for us,” Wolfe said.
The Current’s next home match on March 30 will kick off at 2:30 p.m. KC is set to face Angel City FC.
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