KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the Big 12 tournament wraps up, business owners in the Kansas City metro are reflecting on what the week has meant for them.
For some, it signals a rejuvenation after last year’s tournament was canceled, which was the first blow of what would turn into a year-long lag in business that still hasn’t fully returned.
“I think everybody is working really hard to help us get there,” Rachel Waller, director of marketing with the Power and Light District, said. “I’m hoping by this time next year we are back to where we were and people will be able to come down in larger groups and we’ll be able to do fan fests with pep rallies.”
Hotels and restaurants usually depend on the Big 12 tournament to bring in more revenue.
The Hampton Kansas City Crossroads Hotel noticed traffic picked up and workers said they knew travelers would stay for longer periods of time specifically for the tournament.
“Currently, our bread and butter is youth sports," Daniel Lock, with the Hampton, said. "So Big 12, you have Hy-Vee Arena that’s in the West Bottoms. They have events that bring in a lot of life to the market for occupancy on the weekends."
That business then moves into restaurants and bars, like Manny's Mexican Restaurant, 207 Southwest Boulevard.
“We should be very proud because here it comes and we’re all going to enjoy each other,” David Lopez, Manny’s Mexican Restaurant manager, said. “We’re going to enjoy this city. I don’t know, sometimes you think about these days and you think about the beginning of the end, and where we’re going to be three months from now.”
Many restaurants have had to lay employees off, apply for federal help, completely change the way they do business, reduce hours or even close.
“Just to have some normalcy with a little uptick in business and being able to see people that maybe I haven’t seen in a year is one of the things I’m looking forward to the most,” Kyle Witherspoon, co-owner of Johnny’s Tavern, said.
The city, the sports commission and the T-Mobile Center will evaluate the tournament’s economic impact. They hope to open up the tournament to full capacity next year.
