Spilling the tea on the restaurant industry from the 2024 Kansas City Restaurant Festival

Kansas City Restaurant Festival // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Cocktails, hot chicken, a new neighborhood cafe, the latest ramen trend… these are fun and generally unifying topics. However, the things we consume don’t just poof out of thin air and onto our plates. Keeping the human element of food and drink in mind is crucial, and there’s no better way to do that than by connecting with the hands and minds that make it all happen.

Pulling a server, barista, or even restaurant owner aside for a deep conversation during a busy shift is gauche. Therefore, to get the tea, or at least take the temperature of the local restaurant scene from a wide variety of people in the industry, the right time to chat is at the Kansas City Restaurant Festival. 

Kansas City Restaurant Festival is an annual event that celebrates and connects restaurant industry workers, owners, and vendors. This is the festival’s fourth year at Children’s Mercy Park, and it was held on October 2. Sponsored by Scavuzzo’s Foodservice and Liberty Fruit Co., the event is free for restaurant workers in the KC metro, Lawrence, Topeka, and surrounding areas. Attendees are treated to copious amounts of food and drink, games and live music, demonstrations, networking, prizes, and one pesky writer asking questions. 

Kansas City Restaurant Festival // Photo by Sarah Sipple

First (obstacle) course

When asked about the top concerns plaguing the restaurant industry right now, there is no one-size-fits-all issue or solution. Last year’s check-in had a heightened sense of turmoil compared to this year, with employee turnover being a prevailing topic.

This year, personnel was a common topic, but the specific concerns ranged from keeping workers long-term to finding versatile back-of-house staff. Jollene Hastings, the owner of Vivilore, shared that one challenge has been finding enough kitchen staff that has a variety of skills to seamlessly jump from line to expo, for example. 

Lenning and James, from the University of Kansas Health System, shared that they are noticing fewer people see food service as a career. They have observed the shift of younger people only wanting to be in the industry for a couple of years. 

As expected, concerns about pay were brought up, as the current system still relies on customers tipping to subsidize workers’ low wages. Just two owners mentioned inflation, ingredient availability, and pricing concerns.

Steve Scavuzzo, VP of Sales for Scavuzzo’s Foodservice is constantly chatting with restaurant operators. When they succeed, he succeeds. “It depends on where they are in the maturity of their business. With new operators, the primary challenges are usually cash to open, and developing a great team. For more mature operators with multiple units, (the challenge) is controlling consistency, cost of goods, and a focus on development of leadership throughout the organization,” says Scavuzzo.

Kansas City Restaurant Festival // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Dessert course

Along with “people” being a common thread of the top concerns, “people” was also the most common response to what is the best part of the industry. 

Poor customer behavior is often outshined by conversations with regulars. Multiple restaurant industry folks, from owners to servers, mentioned that they love being part of people’s special occasions and celebrations–not taking for granted each date night or lunch meeting when people choose to dine at their establishment. 

Hospitality is a driver for many restaurant staff–whether that means making people feel better with full bellies or accommodating a celebration of life for a loved one. Sometimes, the customers actually help to up the ante. 

Andrew Olsen, Director of National Accounts and Brand Advocacy at J. Rieger & Co., shared that as customers become more educated and interested in spirits post-COVID lockdown, it has required places like J. Rieger & Co. to not necessarily offer more but instead creatively evolve with the customer. “It is our obligation to satisfy that, which for us is a challenge but very fulfilling,” says Olsen. 

Customers are not the only people that make the tough restaurant biz feel even more worthwhile. Salvador, co-owner of Fronteras Mexican Restaurant and Cantina with three locations, says that his team is one of the best parts of the job. It is a family business, and even some non-family employees have been with Fronteras for over 14 years. 

Kansas City Restaurant Festival // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Final toast

I ended with a complicated question that I grapple with as Food & Drink Editor. Purely theoretically, at what point is the city’s restaurant boom considered unsustainable?  

“This is a great question with so many factors that play into it. Going out to eat is a luxury expense for most people so disposable income really drives the frequency of the behavior. I think we will continuously see churn in the restaurant industry as consumer habits evolve and new, younger concepts replace older ones. This industry is constantly reinventing itself,” says Steve Scavuzzo. 

As long as Kansas Citians have some disposable income, we will keep using it to dine out. However, consumers are becoming more conscious of where and how they spend said money, and it is being noticed.

Angie Scavuzzo, Marketing Director, Scavuzzo’s Foodservice, concludes our conversation with a call to consumers: “As a consumer, I would start by choosing a local restaurant that also chooses local. When every link in the food chain chooses local, it creates a ripple effect in the community that boosts local businesses, reduces environmental impact, and significantly improves the quality and experience. The longer the local food chain is, the more we’ll find ourselves eating scratch-made unique food in an atmosphere that truly embodies Kansas City.” 

Kansas City Restaurant Festival // Photo by Sarah Sipple

During the 2024 Kansas City Restaurant Festival, twelve winners were awarded a $1,000 tip-out from a peer-nominated award. 

Restaurant Warrior winners:

Sam Edelson, chef at The Antler Room

Benjamin Castaneda-Vital, executive chef at K-Macho’s Mexican Grill and Cantina

Jenisha Edwards, assistant kitchen manager/pit master trainee at Burnt End Barbecue

Philip Quillec, chef at Cafe Provence

Michale Petrus, server at Red Door Bar and Grill in Brookside 

Jocelyn Belmont, FOH supervisor at Tiki Taco

William Hayes, mix master at Gates BBQ 

Haley S., manager at McLains

Nicholle Robins, bartender at Minsky’s Pizza- River Market

Stephen Pasalich, manager at The Quaff Bar and Grill

Angela “Angel” Battaglia, server at Beer Kitchen

Shaun Brady, owner of Brady & Fox