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THE GREATER KANSAS CITY RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION FEEDS THE SOULS OF ALL THOSE WHO FEED US
Pictured:
David Lopez, President of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and owner of Manny’s Mexican Restaurant
WRITTEN BY JUDY GOPPERT PHOTO BY JAMI BOWMAN
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hrough this pandemic, which has put a boundless amount of stress on restaurant owners, there has been a silent thread of strength making life a little more bearable. Staying afloat has been quite the ride over the past year for restaurant owners and employees. David Lopez, president of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, has been at the helm through the storm. His father, Manny Lopez, was also president of the association, and since Manny passed six years ago, David has been operating Manny’s Mexican Restaurant. “For us as an association, what was
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really important was to get out as much information as we possibly could through our constituents and members,” explains David. “Necessity is the mother of invention, and we adapted and invented new ways to assist.” For example, they helped businesses learn to apply for grants, navigate how to apply for the Payroll Protection Program, and learn to generate dollars through carryout. “We are not just restauranteurs now, we are accountants and doctors. That is what makes our association so beautiful, so many high quality people. Failure is not an option,” David adds. “We value
our staff and their families. These people are doing everything to get to the next day, week, and month. We are trying to support them as much as we possibly can.”
Tell us a brief history of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association This association is at a national level, and the National Restaurant Association is a piece of the American machine. It actually started in KC over 100 years ago, when a group of gentlemen began working together to find better prices for eggs. The association has been serving the industry for decades.
