KC Carryout Challenge Serves Help to Restaurants During Pandemic

Hungry to help the more than 300 restaurants, bars, coffee shops and other purveyors of food and drink in greater downtown?

The Downtown Council has launched a three-month campaign beginning today called the KC Carryout Challenge that’s hoping to spur more business for the Covid-threatened industry.

“After the holidays, it’s always a tough time for restaurants in general as people tighten their belts,” said Jared Campbell of the Council who’s leading the effort. “The pandemic has been a double punch.

“We wanted to create a call to action, something people could do regularly during the winter to have an impact on the restaurant scene.”

It’s been a tough time for downtown restaurants with 21 having closed permanently since the pandemic started last March and another 19 closed temporarily until spring, according to numbers kept by the Downtown Council.

“Downtown area restaurants and bars need our support more than ever,” Campbell said.

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium at 13th and Walnut closed last summer in the Power & Light District due to the business slowdown caused by Covid. (Image from Flying Saucer website)

The Carryout Challenge will hold weekly drawings for $50 dining gift cards every Wednesday from today through March.

To participate, people placing a carryout or delivery order on Wednesdays from a downtown establishment are asked to take a photo of their meal and post it that day on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #kccarryoutchallenge.

The winner will be announced on the next episode of the Downtown Dish. It’s a weekly YouTube video blog run by the Downtown Council that does stories about chefs, bartenders, baristas and bakers and how they’re coping with the pandemic.

The Downtown Council defines greater downtown as being bound by the river on the north, State Line on the west, Woodland Road on the east and 31st street to the south.

A list of restaurants and bars in greater downtown can be found here. Once you’ve reached the main website, go to the neighborhood you’re interested in finding a place to dine or drink.

Campbell added this year’s KC Restaurant Week, which runs Friday through Jan. 17 also includes several downtown restaurants, many of which are offering carryout and delivery options.