Leisure and Hospitality

Houlihan’s Joining Landry’s Restaurant Empire

Leawood-based Houlihan's + Bar restaurants, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, is being acquired by Landry's, the Houston-based company that owns 600 restaurants, including the McCormick & Schmick's, Joe's Crab Shack and Rainforest Cafe chains, among others.… more

American Royal’s ‘Epicenter of Agriculture’ Taking Shape

The American Royal came one step closer to having a new flagship facility on Monday night after the planning commission of the Unified Government of Wyandotte and Kansas City, Kansas, approved the organization's development plans for a one-million-square foot complex.… more

EPR Divests Charter-School Portfolio

EPR Properties, one of the Kansas City area's largest public companies, has exited the charter-school business to better focus on its core portfolio of experiential-entertainment real estate. The Kansas City-based real estate investment trust sold 47 assets in its charter-school… more

Auditor: Visit KC Needs More Accountability

The City Auditor's Office has released a report saying that Visit KC, the city's economic development agency devoted to promoting tourism, is not reporting its finances in a way that gives a clear picture of how it spends money. Visit… more

Kansas’ Biggest and Costliest Export? Its Talent.

Kansas is great at educating its young people and getting them prepared for the work force. But when they leave for other states, Kansas employers are stuck looking for talent. "Our most valuable export is our educated kids to companies… more

Mayor Lucas Chooses TIF Commission Nominees

Mayor Quinton Lucas has chosen six members and six alternates for the city's TIF (tax-increment finance) Commission who will decide which development projects do and don't get tax breaks over the next four years, if the nominees are approved by… more

Mark Brandmeyer Close to Owning T-Bones

A day after the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team's ownership said it close to selling the franchise, a potential buyer has stepped in to make the purchase, pending government approval. A venture by Mark Brandmeyer, a partner at Built Interior… more

Hallmark Discontinues Home & Gifts Business

Hallmark is ending its Home & Gifts business line, and its activities are now being absorbed by the Hallmark Retail and Hallmark Greetings divisions in a transition expected to last through the end of the year. The 60 employees that… more

KC Area Leads Kansas Job Growth

Kansas counties in the Kansas City metropolitan area led the rest of the state in job growth over the past year, according to the recently released Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) 2019 Kansas Economic Report. Total employment in the area,… more

Cambria Hotels Adding Another 149 Rooms Downtown

Kansas City will add another new hotel to its inventory in 2021. The Cambria Kansas City -Downtown is going up at 205 W. 9th St., at Wyandotte Street, and total 149 rooms over six stories. A brand in the Choice… more