KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. She also focuses on issues regarding scams. Share your story idea with Megan.
—
Local vendors are preparing to serve hundreds of thousands of visitors during the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival in Kansas City.
20 local restaurants have been selected to feed the thousands of World Cup fans expected to descend on Kansas City for the Fan Festival, the restaurant lineup spans barbecue, classics, global flavors and sweets and sips — all local spots.
From Yemeni coffee to Argentine empanadas to wood-fired pizza, the vendors share one thing in common: a commitment to hospitality.
Mocha Point Yemeni Coffee Co., based in Overland Park, is one of the chosen spots. In preparation, the coffee house has ordered 30,000 coffee cups and 1,000 pounds of coffee beans to showcase traditional recipes brewed with spices like cardamom and ginger.
"It's not just a coffee brand, it's a community," Aliyah H. said. "It feels like a big old family."
Aliyah said she is ready for that family to grow with the thousands of people expected at Fan Fest.
"We want people to feel welcomed here, to feel the culture and feel united together," Aliyah H. said.
"Yemeni coffee has a long tradition of hospitality," she continued.
In Prairie Village, Ivan Acuña of Argentina Inc. Empanadas is gearing up to make more than 100,000 empanadas for Fan Fest alone — not counting additional orders for special events and their restaurant.
To do it, Acuña said he ordered 700 pounds of beef. He is also looking to hire additional people.
"I'm not going to lie, kind of stressing. We are doing our best and we have hope that everything is going to be OK," Acuña said.
He said the event is an opportunity to show fans who they are.
"People can see who we are, where we came from and what we love, which is family and friends," Acuña said. "We really bring something that is different, that is foreign, that is from Argentina — one of the teams playing here."
Acuña said he is also hoping to get a chance to feed Team Argentina.
"It would be out of this world, really. It would be out of this world, we are here to work as hard as we can to make sure everyone has a great time," he said.
1889 Pizza Napoletana in Kansas City, Kansas, was also selected. Jason Kolich said the restaurant is expecting to serve its wood-fired pizzas to at least 500 people a day, with all ingredients already ordered.
For all the vendors, the goal extends beyond Fan Fest.
"Whenever they do go back home, they want to come back here," Aliyah H. said.
I asked KC2026 how the restaurants were chosen and whether they received any funding for overhead costs. KC2026 has not responded.
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.
—
