Without question The P&L District has been a resounding failure.
When it was first established, The District chased out a great many surrounding restaurants . . . Now it seems that pricey fare, horrible parking and bad planning have all contributed to the unsustainable business model.
To wit . . .
Ted's Montana Grill is closing its Power & Light District location
The chain is also closing its Leawood and KCK location at the Legends but the P&L shutdown isn't just a part of an overall Kansas fail . . . The shutdown clearly demonstrates that P&L is nothing more than a big promise broken. Remember that across the street The Peachtree is contemplating a departure thanks to horrible conditions.
In fact, for restaurants outside of the "Live Block" the failure rate is exceptionally high.
What this means is simple . . . The P&L District promised to create prosperity throughout Downtown but millions of dollars worth of debt every year along with a finicky entertainment market soured the fortunes of the massive taxpayer funded project that was supposed to be the keystone of an overall Downtown Renaissance.
Now . . . Anything outside of the small block of bars and a stage is bad bet.
Sadly, The District isn't even complete and evidence of its overall failure is obvious.
And what part of the FAIL, did YOU have? I think you rather enjoy this. You're certainly not a cheerleader for other people's success, Tee.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not holding you accountable, you're not that influential. It was the economy, stupid. But all the racial shit didn't help matters. I suppose if there'd been a BBW Burlesque for all of this town's bottle babies....
I rather liked Ted Montanas. I usually went to the one in Zona Rosa. Food was good, service was good.
ReplyDeleteAnother Kansas City business bites the dust. While getting my car repaired I conversed with some people and the main reason they quit going to the P&L district was all the crime or fear of it. Basically they didn't feel safe.
ReplyDeleteAll the powers that be make fun of the suburbs, but people prefer to go there because of the lack of crime but mainly because it's easy to park your car.
ReplyDeleteSame with the sports stadiums.
Although many restaurants and bars are filled, there is still a bad economy out there. In the end, there is only some many overpriced hamburger restaurants that can make it.
ReplyDeleteCrime in P&L? The area has lots of problems but crime sure isn't one of them. I would imagine anyone scared by the P&L hasn't left Leawood in a decade.
ReplyDeleteTony, I hate agreeing with you but you're spot on here. It's been 3 1/2 years and the district was never much beyond 50% capacity, and it's never been more than a 3 night per week destination. Even places as spectacular as the AMC Mainstreet seem to have trouble getting consistent traffic. How places like Jos A Bank, Peachtree, Bristol, Lucky Strike, Genghis Khan and the Japanese steakhouse stay in business is beyond me, but I bet they're getting some nice breaks from Cordish/the city to do it.
And you can't blame it all on the economy. Maybe the worst part is the P&L has done tremendous harm to the Plaza and Westport, though Westport seems to be overcoming it thankfully. So, we're left with three entertainment districts performing far below their potential, rather than having two highly successful ones.
However, it's impossible to argue that the Sprint Center hasn't been good for downtown and without P&L, there's no Sprint Center. I'm just glad AEG has done such a tremendous job bringing in events to the arena; think how bad P&L would be if not for that.
It's just a drinking area. Nobody's going to go down there for dinner, driving past their favorite eateries near their houses.
ReplyDeleteNo shortage of restaurants in this town. Everything they do downtown is just a move by downtown landowners to find some use for what was once a high dollar area.
Kansas Citians moved to Olathe! And Lees. And far North. And west. We've decentralized.
Coulda worked but this constant racial strife shit has turned Kansas City into a bad destination.
Real or perceived, the fear factor killed the core.
I Agree the fear factor killed the core.
ReplyDeleteI hope the locals in the Power and Light District can sustain. Personally I am feed up with chain restaurants.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the chain restaurants with the bottomless wallet the locals are unable to sustain. Ted Montana, is backed by a billionaire and it closed the future for the locals look bleak.
Power and Light District is a wonderful area the economy, parking and racial issues didn't help the businesses.
ReplyDeleteHope,it works out alright the District has enhanced downtown and is an asset to Kansas City.
P&L never promised "to create prosperity throughout downtown." What would have done that was moving the stadium downtown.
ReplyDeleteP&L is only alive because of tif perks and funding. Otherwise it would have been history long ago.
ReplyDeleteAll the racial strafe? Cordish choose to discriminate against 45% of its potential customer base. To me that just bad business black or white. And white flight is a national issue whites can't stand to see Blacks even upper middle class blacks in their neighborhoods. Studies have shown even when blacks make more money are more affluent the whites still move away so thats more a national issue than a KC issue. I say go,shop and spend money where it's welcomed. And for the racists like radio man how's the white hockey team working out for in the sprint center? No its the black dominated music and basketball that is keeping that tax payer cabal afloat.
ReplyDeleteWho made money on this scheme? KCMO has a violence problem, people are not going to go into an area where they perceive violence to be a problem. They use the coppers to write DWI tickets and waste people's time at check points, I'm sure that helps business. Tony's been right on this issue for a long time.
ReplyDeleteKCMO police have their priorities mixed up that's for sure.
ReplyDelete45 percent? You mean the 45 percent that doesn't have any money to spend?
ReplyDeleteHows that SW Boulevard thing workin out?
So Ted's Montana, the national chain, closes 9 restaurants, mostly in the midwest due to poor sales at those 9 restaurants but Tony trumpets that it's another sign of the P&L's supposed failure? Meanwhile we all still wait for the Star's demise, the downtown Arena's failure (No. 2 Arena in the country) and the $8 apple at Consentino's.
ReplyDeleteI must say that as Gloria's personal foot watcher, you are excellent.
Don't kid yourself Tony's RIGHT on "the star". Have you seen that "paper" lately?
ReplyDeleteTo the anonymous commenter above who said this: "No its the black dominated music and basketball that is keeping that tax payer cabal afloat."
ReplyDeleteBlack-dominated music? Take a look at what concerts sell out at Sprint Center - country music. Keith Urban, George Strait, Taylor Swift, etc. The rap/R&B concerts barely get people into the upper deck (less than 10,000 usually).
I was a faithful patron of P&L for 2 years since it opened. (i.e. spending at least 2 nights from Thurs - Sun most weeks) I quit going because it's basically just a mega-bar, and the patrons just go out to get wasted. That's fine if that is your niche. It isn't mine. It got old...same 'ole same 'ole. I thought maybe the live music or themed bars or events would be worth the while, but a couple hours into any given evening everyone was just getting hammered.
ReplyDeleteOther than a few sparse events (like the Annual Art Fair) the area pretty much caters only to alcoholics and "partay" goers.
THAT'S why it's going to eventually die out. The demographic is targeted only to non-sober patrons.
Anon 11:25 says--"No its the black dominated music and basketball that is keeping that tax payer cabal afloat."
ReplyDeleteOk, I am NOT being a smartass, but your saying (Just looking for some clarification here.) that The NBA and Rapper/Hip/Hop/Music is keeping the P&L afloat?
Cause I totally missed that.
Very hopeful though, if true. I mean after all, we are talking about an eocnomic engine that none of the economists I am familiar with, have yet to discover.
Detroit should be the new Dubai. East St. Louis a guidon for Kenynesians, Hobbsians, Smithisians, all.
Good fuckin news though, America has got most of theworld's coal, black basketball and rappers.
A new day is dawning. With this template, this newly found industrial juggernaught, we should all be driving new cars and building homes again before long.
Who knew? Right under our fuckin noses.
Black Basketball and Rap Music.
I'll be damned.
Chuck wins again. The black "economic engine" lolz.
ReplyDeleteI figured Chuck would definitely have something to say about it just being an alcoholics venue, tho I think he stays home on Saturday nights and blogs til he can blog No Mo. (grin)
ReplyDeleteHis stinkin thinkin fits right in with the rest of our weekend fare, don't ya think?
When Mizzou wins, I am in my cups. (:
ReplyDeleteFor Kyle Rohde:
ReplyDeleteYou're right about lots of people not going downtown from Leawood, but lots of people throughout the metro won't go downtown from ANYWHERE. The days of a downtown mecca surrounded by by bedroom communities is long gone, and in a metro area with a poplulation of only about 2 million, no commercial enterprise can possibly survive without repeat business. To get to the P&L District, most metro residents would have to drive by hundreds of restaurants and entertainment venues that are very similar or even identical to what they'd find downtown.
And the notion that safety isn't an issue is utterly delusional. When people are beaten to death in Westport, there are rolling gun battles at 12 and Grand, and murders take place at 38th and Broadway, people are justifiably concerned.
For most folks in the metro, the downside far outweighs any attraction downtown may have.
Why drive to P&L to eat overpriced food chain food.
ReplyDelete