KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He also focuses on stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
—
Despite economic pressures forcing families to carefully budget every dollar, Kansas City residents continue to make dining out a priority when they have disposable income, according to a new report from the Missouri Restaurant Association.
The report reveals that 7 out of 10 people will choose spending money at restaurants over other purchases, leading to an optimistic outlook for the industry through the rest of the year. However, both consumers and restaurant operators are feeling the financial strain.
"They still want to dine at our restaurants, and it's their number one priority if they have disposable income. But that's the catch if they have that income," said Trey Meyers with the Missouri Restaurant Association.
For many families, that disposable income is increasingly hard to come by.
"I'm planning on spending less money at restaurants, because we are budgeting every penny of our money and putting it towards other things," said Kelley Coquillette, a local diner.
Rebekah Nelson, another diner, echoed that sentiment.
"I definitely think going out to restaurants has become a treat," Nelson said.
The financial pressure is particularly acute for families. Coquillette explained the reality of dining out with children.
"I have kids, so I have a family of four, and we go out to eat, we're spending like, $100 maybe it's hard, and we're going to, like, an average restaurant, and that's like, in our budget, you know, that's a week's worth of groceries," Coquillette said.
The challenges facing consumers have directly impacted restaurant profitability. The Missouri Restaurant Association report found that 42% of operators say they weren't profitable last year.
"It's an astronomically higher number than it has been in years past another just because a lot there's a lot of different factors for that. Many of it is rising costs for labor, rising costs for food and beverage and kind of just the strain of financial capability on the consumer," Meyers said.
Despite the financial challenges, Kansas City diners express strong support for local restaurants. Stephen Brucher encouraged others to support neighborhood establishments when possible.
"If you can afford it and spend your money at a local restaurant, keep the local business owner open," Brucher said.
Coquillette shared similar sentiments about Kansas City's dining scene.
"I do love Kansas City restaurants, and I think they're doing a great job, and I wish I had more money to give them," Coquillette said.
One way restaurants are adapting to economic pressures that consumers may not immediately notice is menu shrinking, where establishments reduce their offerings to cut costs while maintaining quality.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
—
