Compiled by Amanda Lubinski
ALubinski@cherryroad.com
With the Chiefs continuing to dominate and heading back to the Super Bowl, businesses across the region are booming.
According to Visit KC, each home Chiefs playoff game this year could generate around $16 million in direct economic impact. According to the Chiefs’ annual economic impact report, the combined impact of the team’s operations and non-local spending in the Kansas City area is more than $993 million, and nearly $29 million in tax revenue is generated for the region.
According to WalletHub, Kansas City is the fifth-best city for football fans and the Super Bowl LIX in the country.
“Living in one of the best football cities means much more than attending games and watching your hometown team on TV every weekend in the fall. Faithfully following your team on social media, spending big on tickets and merchandise and taking part in local traditions are just some of the factors that make the best football cities stand out. Having a football team with a winning culture and multiple championships doesn’t hurt, either,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
Celebrating all things Chiefs Kingdom is also having local impacts, with businesses across the Northland getting in on the economic boon.
Price Chopper and Hy-Vee stores are seeing Chiefs merchandise and game day food items like baked goods, meat and cheese trays and wings selling quickly.
Cookie Bliss KC, located off Northeast Vivion Road, reports it expects to make more than 2,000 of its buttercream-frosted, Chiefs-themed sugar cookies with online orders coming in from around the nation.
“(We) already have orders to ship cookies to Chiefs fans in Texas, Georgia and Florida,” reports the cookie shop’s PR manager.
The Italian Sausage Company of Gladstone, located off North Oak Trafficway, has also seen a spike in sales thanks to its connection to the Chiefs. The family-owned spot, which also has locations in Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums, has become a staple among Chiefs fans and players alike.
A sandwich that has become a fan favorite, “the Jabroni,” was created in honor of the Chiefs’ star tight end, Travis Kelce. Chiefs No. 95, Chris Jones often orders the “71,” a corned beef and pastrami sandwich the scratch-kitchen sandwich shop made in collaboration with former Chiefs player Mitchell Schwartz.
“He would get that before almost every game and then leading off into the playoffs and up to the Super Bowl. It was a popular sandwich between those guys and the locker room,” owner Joe Brancato told Kansas City’s KCTV 5. “It was nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time to know that you are getting ready to feed a good chunk of the guys.”
