Kansas City businesses prepare payment options for World Cup visitors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - As the World Cup approaches, Kansas City businesses are considering how to accommodate thousands of international visitors who prefer cash payments over credit cards.

The Lawrence City Commission estimates only 68% of World Cup visitors will use credit or debit cards, leaving nearly one-third who prefer cash transactions.

Tyler Banker, director of front of house training for Summit Hospitality Group, said his restaurants are not making changes yet.

“I don’t see an issue right now at all with handling all the credit card transactions or an influx of cash, if that’s what they’re carrying with them,” Banker said.

Summit Hospitality Group plans to keep the same cash reserves they normally maintain.

“We’ll keep the same amount on hand that we always do and be able to handle it flawlessly,” Banker said.

If visitors need alternative payment options like cash apps, Banker said they will explore those options.

“At this point, we haven’t heard anything to need to pivot away from just our standard credit card transactions and cash. But if that happens, it’s definitely something we’ll look into,” Banker said.

Mike Burris, Executive Director of the Missouri Restaurant Association, said other restaurants share the same approach.

“I’m not sensing any big alarm with them. They already take cash, so they’re used to it,” Burris said.

Instead of payment concerns, restaurants are focusing on helping international visitors overcome language barriers. A new app called Lingo Eats is rolling out soon to assist with menu translations.

“So the visitor can take a picture of the QR code and a copy of their menu, and there are 22 different languages that they can say, give this to me in French or Spanish or Arabic, whatever they want,” Burris said.

Burris said restaurants are preparing for international visitors as much as possible, but they have one request for locals.

“Please come out and break bread with all these people because this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Burris said.

Restaurants like Third Street Social say they will only accept U.S. currency and money from U.S. banks. They said they feel confident the city will have payment infrastructure covered.