Fan Fest food vendor loves the exposure (but she’s missing results); her nearby restaurant sits quiet too
June 23, 2026 | Taylor Wilmore
Nick Jovanovic, vice president of operations for Lulu's Thai Noodle Shop, with founder Malisa Monyakula outside the restaurant's Crossroads location; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
When the FIFA Fan Festival arrived in Kansas City, LuLu’s Thai Noodle Shop was ready to jump in on the action, said founder Malisa Monyakula. The local restaurant invested in equipment, staffing, and inventory to introduce visitors from across the world to the LuLu’s experience.
Instead, owners said, the international soccer tournament has delivered an unexpected one-two punch: disappointing sales at Fan Fest and slower-than-normal traffic at the brand’s Crossroads location.
“There’s a lot of excitement there, and the fans have been great,” said Nick Jovanovic, vice president of operations at LuLu’s Thai Noodle Shop. “It’s just, I think a lot of them don’t even know that we’re there.”
Selected to represent the local food scene within the “Taste of Kansas City” section of the festival grounds, Lulu’s numbers have been difficult to reconcile with the enthusiasm surrounding the tournament, he said.
RELATED: Kansas City opens its favorite menus to FIFA Fan Fest
“We based everything off the NFL Draft, that’s our closest comparison,” said Jovanovic, noting that strategy set expectations high.
“(At the NFL Draft) on a slow day, we were doing about $10,000 a day, and here our business is $6,000 our busiest day,” he said of Fan Fest sales. “The first few days were only around $500.”
FIFA Fan Festival attendees visit a curated selection of 20 local food vendors in the “Taste of Kansas City” section of the festival grounds at the Liberty Memorial; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
LuLu’s team envisioned the World Cup opportunity as a chance to put its noodles in front of an international crowd.
“Being in the center of the fan experience gives us the chance to connect with people from all over the world at a moment when they’re excited, engaged, and looking to experience the local culture,” Monyakula told Startland News on the eve of the World Cup. “The visibility is certainly valuable, but the biggest upside is the opportunity to create memorable experiences and build lasting relationships with new customers who may discover Lulu’s for the first time during FIFA festivities.”
But so far, the restaurant’s team said, the event has been a missed opportunity.
Hidden in plain sight
LuLu’s leaders point to visibility as the biggest challenge. While a handful of food trucks occupy prominent locations along Fan Fest’s main thoroughfare, Monyakula said, most local food vendors are tucked away in an area segregated by large barriers that make Kansas City brands difficult to find.
“There’s an opaque banner that runs almost the entire length of the mall on the east side (along Main Street), and all of the food vendors, except for the three food trucks, the corn dog and pretzel carts, are behind that screen, so you can’t see us at all,” said Malisa Monyakula, owner of LuLu’s Thai Noodle Shop.
She described limited signage directing visitors toward local vendors, noting that she had only seen two signs. Signage within the “Taste of Kansas City” area also eschew individual branding for a more consistent, block-letter labeling of each vendor.
Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop signage at FIFA Fan Festival on the grounds of the National World War I Museum and Liberty Memorial; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
The visibility issue appears to be affecting more than just LuLu’s, Monyakula said. She recalled hearing from another vendor about a frustrated attendee who did not realize additional food options existed beyond the most visible stands.
“Some man came up and he was really mad and said, ‘I just spent $50 on a corn dog and a pretzel. I didn’t know there was real food,’” she said.
Other visitors have expressed similar confusion, Monyakula said.
“They’re like, ‘Oh, we thought it was just the three food trucks and the corn dog carts. We had no idea there were 20 more vendors on that side,’” said Monyakula.
The setup has left some local vendors feeling like they are present at one of Kansas City’s biggest international moments, but not fully part of the flow of foot traffic.
Despite the frustrations, LuLu’s leadership emphasized that event staff and volunteers have been supportive.
“The fans are great, the volunteers are great,” said Jovanovic.
Monyakula echoed that gratitude.
“We’re really, really grateful to be a vendor,” she said.
Still, she noted, gratitude does not erase the need for better visibility — especially when small businesses have made real investments to show up well.
Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop at 2030 Central St in the Crossroads Arts District; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
A ‘double whammy’ for local restaurants
The challenges extend beyond Fan Fest. At LuLu’s flagship Crossroads location, managers anticipated a bump from tournament visitors. Instead, business has slowed.
“We would anticipate an increase in business, but we’ve seen a decline,” said Jovanovic, adding that he suspects many Kansas Citians are avoiding downtown because they expect crowds and traffic.
“I think that’s just locals being afraid to come out because they think it’s going to be chaotic here,” he said.
“People are just avoiding downtown,” Monyakula added.
LuLu’s used projected attendance figures to prepare for Fan Fest, Jovanovic said.
“We had to invest in products, we had to invest in equipment,” he said. “I bought 1,800 pounds of propane.”
The company also rented additional equipment and adjusted staffing levels to meet anticipated demand.
“Without the actual crowds, we don’t need it, so it’s just a cost that we can’t recover,” said Jovanovic, “We stepped up a little bit higher in the beginning, too, anticipating more business for it, and we had to cut our schedules back, so that affects our staff spots as well.”
Andi Kennedy, a server and bartender at LuLu’s Crossroads location, holds up a branded coconut during First Fridays outside the restaurant; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
For employees, the difference has been noticeable.
“Honestly, since about (the start of Fan Fest), it has felt very quiet down here,” said Andi Kennedy, a server and bartender at LuLu’s Crossroads location.
The lull feels especially difficult, she said, because the Crossroads is not overwhelmed, it is open, walkable and ready for customers.
“It’s not a mess down here. There’s plenty of businesses that are dying to see them,” said Kennedy. “Get out here and walk around, because the Crossroads has so much to explore.”
Looking to change up the game plan
Monyakula has already reached out to organizers with suggestions, including increased signage, and public-address announcements, and is awaiting a response, she said.
One immediate fix could be as simple as making sure volunteers greet people with a reminder, Monyakula suggested: “Hey, don’t forget to check out Kansas City’s local food vendors.”
Kennedy noted LuLu’s is not trying to reinvent itself for soccer fans.
The restaurant has soccer-themed cups and LuLu’s T-shirts, but its main offering remains the same dishes and drinks customers have loved for years.
The team is focused on doing what it already does well — serving locals, travelers, regulars and first-time visitors alike, she said.
“I feel like we have such a nice mixture of people who’ve never been here and people who live here and have loved us for 20, 30, almost 30 years now,” Kennedy said. “We want to be full, and we’re ready to serve everybody.”
The issue isn’t whether they would participate again in Fan Fest; it’s about optimizing the set up for local businesses to succeed, said Jovanovic.
“We love the exposure, we like being there,” he said. “It’s not a question of that. It’s a question of the results.”
In the meantime, the LuLu’s team hopes one message reaches Kansas Citians who may be avoiding downtown.
“For me, the message I want to get across is that it’s not crazy,” said Kennedy. “You can come down here, you can find parking, you’ll be able to get in here. We’re ready.”
After nearly three decades serving Kansas City, LuLu’s isn’t looking for a new identity during the World Cup, just the chance to share the one it already built, the team emphasized.
“We’re doing the same thing we’ve been doing for 29 years,” Kennedy said. “We’re putting out the same consistent great dishes and drinks, and we’re all here and ready to provide. We just got to get these people to the door.”
Lulu's Thai Noodle Shop, 2030, Central Street, Downtown Kansas City, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, 64108, United States
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