A couple of days ago, regular reader Mark Peavy posted a comment wondering why I had not weighed in on the dust-up over the concessions contract at the new KCI.
I followed developments on the issue fairly closely, but one reason I didn’t write about it — until now — is that it struck me as if it might be one of those hurricane warnings that get coastal residents very excited, but the storms dissipate before they make landfall.
Another reason is the concessions deal is a pretty thick business — lots of shoots and branches — and I couldn’t get much of a grip on it.
Today, I was satisfied the reasons I didn’t write were on target. In a decidedly anticlimactic move, the City Council voted to award the contract — which could be worth more than a billion dollars over the life of the 15-year contract — to the recommended bidder, Vantage Airport Group, on a 9-2 vote.
The only dissenters were Councilwoman Katheryn Shields, who apparently did not agree with the selection process, and Councilwoman Teresa Loar. (More about her personal corn cob in a minute.)
Councilwoman Heather Hall was absent, and Councilman Dan Fowler, who had been on the selection committee, abstained because a partner in the Vantage Group, Jason Parson, had done political consulting work for him in his 2019 re-election campaign.
The selection process triggered a great deal of huffing and puffing and rapid-fire heart beating. For example…
:: Fowler, the only elected official on the selection committee, took part in the recommendation process, even though his pal Parson was part of the Vantage Group. After that connection came to light, Fowler tried to redeem himself by seeking a belated opinion from the city ethics commission. The commission came back with the obvious: He should not have taken part in the process.
:: Mayor Quinton Lucas and The Star’s Dave Helling got into such a heated pissing match on Twitter that Lucas suggested The Star might be “on the take.” I can guarantee you The Star as an institution has never been “on the take,” and Lucas should not have suggested that. Helling likes nothing more than to get under politicians’ skin. He’s been doing it for about 40 years.
:: Loar, the most volatile and off-base council member, pitched a fit because, she said, not enough Northland businesses were included in the Vantage proposal…Now that struck me as exceedingly strange because one of her closest allies on the council is Fowler, a fellow Northlander. If Loar wasn’t able to convince the already-compromised Fowler (again, the only elected official on the selection committee) to add more Northland businesses to the Vantage mix, her beef should have been with him, not with the rest of the Council.
**
Okay, now that the hysteria is over and heart rates are back to normal, let’s take a look at some of the businesses that will have the opportunity to operate at the new terminal.
:: Auntie Anne’s…This is great, not only because their pretzels are fantastic but also because of an experience I had at the Auntie Anne’s at Boston’s South Station several years ago. After pulling out my wallet, I paid cash and forgot to put the wallet back in my pocket. Left it, containing $300 to $400, on the counter. I realized the mistake after I got to my destination at a nearby suburb and thought, “Well, that’s the end of that.” A couple of days later, my cousin’s son suggested I try to call. Well there’s a capital notion, I thought! I got through, and the person who answered the phone said, yes, they had my wallet. When I got to the stand, I found all the money inside and tipped the counter person $20. (So cheap…Should have given her fifty.)
:: Bo Lings Chinese Restaurant…Good.
:: Brown & Loe…Excellent.
:: Martin City Brewing Co…Some of the best pizza in town. Big winner.
:: Tay’s Burger Shack on Armour Road, North Kansas City…I ate there once and wasn’t impressed. The burger was nothing special, and there’s not a window in the place, to the best of my recollection. (I bet that’s where we’ll find Teresa Loar, though.)
:: Urban Cafe, a family owned restaurant on Troost. I’ve never been there, and the only time Patty tried to go, it was so crowded she couldn’t get a table. Tentative thumbs up there.
Finally, Chick-fil-A, which had been part of the Vantage proposal, got the boot because of concerns that it doesn’t promote an “inclusive environment.” That was a good call. I wholeheartedly recommend Go Chicken Go as its replacement. It’s local, and, to the best of my knowledge, it’s open every day. Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday for religious reasons.
Note: In the original post, I had Chick-fil-A in the Vantage proposal. They were dropped about two weeks ago.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
I like that lineup! Couldn’t tell if the coffee comment was a joke or not but Martin City Brewing Brews some of the best beer in town and has amazing Pizza-very excited about that one!
Oops! I misconstrued Martin City Brewing with Martin City Coffee…You’re absolutely right, Patrick — great pizza. (I gave up alcohol many years ago so don’t know about the beer, but judging from the crowds they get, I think you’re right.)
Right. Cui bono? Why don’t you figure that out and report on it?
I can tell you one person who stands to gain in a big way: Jason Parson, political consultant who is turning investor and influence peddler. Nothing wrong with him wanting to make some bucks, but it looks like he’s getting “out of his lane” and into others where the money comes faster.
There are several household-name restaurants in the Kansas City area that did not want Vantage to control their culinary products.
Had they booted Chick-Fil-A because it wasn’t open on Sundays or even better, they were deferring to a local business, I would have been fine. But one grows weary of the hatefulness of people who want to destroy a business because some executive disagrees with their agenda. In this case, it was outright bigotry and the entire city should be ashamed.
I don’t boycott Apple because its CEO is a homosexual. I don’t boycott Fourbucks because it’s CEO is a bit looney, I don’t even boycott Fascistbook or Google because their leaders are totalitarians. And yet a group of bigots held sway because Chick-Fil-A’s owners are Christians. Disgraceful. It’s the same mentality that a few short decades ago scrawled the word “Juden” on the businesses they didn’t like.