Power and Light District Official Tenant List

[normalthings]

Mixx is also closed. They say they want to reopen in the spring, but will take a wait and see approach. Lease is also up, so it's a toss up on if they come back.

This pandemic is starting to show it's destructive path downtown.

Good food but was never open when I wanted to eat there. I had this down as one of the most likely to benefit from WR and Strata.

[normalthings]

Would love to see a mom-and-pop or local chain Mexican restaurant go into P&L. STL seems to have one in most of their entertainment & bar neighborhoods. I can't think of any in Westport, Plaza, PL, etc

[earthling]

Cancun Fiesta is one in Westport but not surprising such street food would be lacking in corporate entertainment/shopping districts. La Fuente is a decent family restaurant local chain (from Mexico City) that would probably do well in P&L, perhaps adding a top shelf tequila/margarita menu. I've only been to the one in Smithville, but liked it for family sit down standards - and they do some street food on request.

[DaveKCMO]

Taqueria Mexico #3 or #5?

https://www.taqueriamexicokc.com/contact-locations

[shinatoo]

Love Cancun Fiesta in Westport

[normalthings]

BRGR has been closed forever and now has a sign that says they are being renovated

[DColeKC]

BRGR has been closed forever and now has a sign that says they are being renovated

Haven't heard anything about this but I know some places are taking this time to do some renovations using some government help.

[KCPowercat]

Maybe they will renovate their burger quality.

[DColeKC]

Maybe they will renovate their burger quality.

Opinions on burgers and bbq are subjective. I love their burgers, especially the juicy Lucy.

[KCPowercat]

I love their sides and the concepts of their burgers and their bar setup but the actual meat quality is below average IMO. Maybe it's just how they season the meat or something.

[DColeKC]

I love their sides and the concepts of their burgers and their bar setup but the actual meat quality is below average IMO. Maybe it's just how they season the meat or something.

I could be crazy, but I do feel like there was a quality shift after new ownership. Hoping they come back strong.

[DColeKC]

With the closing of Flying Saucer, Burger King and Bar Louie. What are some concepts you all would like like to see? And obviously what types of places would you go to?

My picks.

BK space - McDonald’s (although we know that’s highly unlikely)
Flying Saucer - Tiki Cat
Hotel Karaoke - high end cocktail place similar to Monarch.

[horizons82]

Any sort of tiki bar would be a welcomed addition IMO, Tiki Cat is sorely missed. Though I would think Shark Bar is due for a rethink/clean-up, and a Tiki overhaul would be a lot easier there than the Saucer space.

Short of that, the Saucer seems like it'd be perfect for a solid trattoria concept.

I'd replace the BK space with a local fast-casual Asian place like Ni Hao Fresh (owned by the Bo Ling's folks).

Hotel Karaoke is a tough spot given how it needs to tie in with the rest of the Live square. Part of me would like to see a classier, more intimate, & calmer bar in that space, but I have a hard time seeing how that melds well with its neighbors. I almost feel like you have to lean into a little bit of camp, irony, or loudness with whatever you do. So maybe a steampunk/industrial/jazzy space a la The Edison in LA?

[KCPowercat]

Town topic for BK space. Summer sorry of diner/ flattop burger place.

If mixx is out I could see that as a indoor / outdoor mexican joint

I think kc needs more greek places so a fun party vibe with good service would be cool at flying saucer

Cocktail bar at hotel sounds cool.

[earthling]

All pretty good ideas. A different form of that 24 hour Canadian diner that didn't make it when P&L opened (in BGBR location, wasn't all that great even by basic diner standards) might have a better shot now that streetcar is running and more downtown population. It maybe needs a specialty item that is a hit, but not necessarily chef driven.

A Greek place is good idea, and that serves breakfast (am into Greek feta/spinach/onion omelettes with a fresh made rye toast, can't find a good one in KC).

A better bowl counter place than that last one that tasted like it was pre-fabbed somewhere else, more like Dig Inn from upper E Coast, which takes a charred meats/veggies approached.

BTW, am in Florida again and counter food places with build your own line (like Chipotle line) are COVID adapting to ordering on a screen similar to QT/WaWa method, or can use phone app. Screens are spread along walls at least 6'. Some sit down restaurants only do the ordering from screen on tables instead of server, you tap when needing something like a drink refill. So server has less interaction and ultimately better service. Not new but now the only method used in some places. And some places in KC like Denver Biscuit Co do the menu at tables via phone and QR code on table. A combined one I saw in FL is that you QR scan your table with phone, it brings up menu and knows your table number. You order from web page it brings up and also has a call button for service, since it knows your table number. And great for open outdoor seating, like how large airports now do service from any seating area.

[beautyfromashes]

d'Bronx Pizza for the Burger King space. They recently closed their Crown Center location and would get lots of traffic for T-Mobile events.
Cupini's for Flying Saucer space. Don't really have an italian place in the district and would also provide fast options for lunch and events.
Pick a restaurant from the 'Covid casualties' thread: Poi-O, Shio, Rieger, Tapcade, etc. Help some local businesses get their feet back and fill the district.

[smh]

I don't understand the local place suggestions, though I applaud the spirit. Cordish is most likely going with proven national concepts.

So for BK, why not Shake Shack or another national higher end burger place. Maybe a BurgerFi would be more in-line w/ PnL.

Flying Saucer would make a great Mellow Mushroom

Hotel Nightclub - probably just another Cordish concept bar given the funky space. I'd suggest going with something more approachable. The rope line, "club"-esque bars never seem to go over very well in KC. It isn't really a club city, in my experience.

[beautyfromashes]

They aren't going to go with another "high end burger place", they already have BRGR in the district. This is also why I suggested local places. Places like BRGR seem to do better in the district and last much longer than the "proven" national concepts that crap out after a couple of years. If they want to avoid the constant rotation that they have had in the district history, they should pick local concepts that will stay around.

[KCPowercat]

Make the PNC plaza a modern day mall food court, go get us back Taco Bell!

[wahoowa]

i assume tiki cat was more of a bar than a bar/restaurant. that feels like a second story fit to me, not first. shark bar or hotel karaoke both seem better than the saucer spot. seems like the kind of place that would like some live district interaction and not be on an island by itself like only saucer is. i do like the idea of something like that somewhere on that block.

i don't love the high end cocktail place on this block as much. idk my gut reaction is that i think a place like that would be working against the live district stereotype a bit--you'd want to feel like you were going to "that bar" not going to "p&L." but i could see something like that working out a little more isolated from the live district, maybe like above brgr or something, or maybe even at the bar louie spot if you revamped the indoor/outdoor interface.

mellow mushroom in the flying saucer is a perfect match imo. good lunch happy hour dinner and something less than late late night spot. it wouldn't really miss not having integration to the live district. it doesn't really compete with anything already there, you're not choosing between a shitty $5 counter service slice in a warming drawer at pizza bar and a full table service menu at mellow. reasonably kid/family friendly too for a place that can make a good chunk of change off alcohol sales.

there's already a chipotle and an insomniac on the BK block, let's just sell allllll the way out over there. gimme a taco john's in the BK spot (i know taco bell is more popular but dammit i like TJ's more) and put your high profile cult favorite casual burger place of choice or maybe even a chick fil a in the mixx spot. invest in the outdoor seating in the immediate vicinity of the former mixx to activate that whole area. stick your chick fil a or whataburger sign up on top of the staircase by the crosswalk across main with a anton's type arrow down to help cure the fact that the mixx place doesn't have amazing inherent visibility to any street. i'm usually anti chick fil a in downtown areas because you only get 6/7ths of a week of use, but that mixx spot may as well have been vacant the past several years anyway with their dumbass hours so don't care as much there.