Together with
Q39 is celebrating 10 years of serving championship BBQ. From the pit to plate, Q39 is full service for lunch and dinner with a scratch kitchen and woodfired grills at its Midtown and South locations.
Bodegas may seem like a NYC thing, but as of today, they are becoming a KC thing. Hopefully Bodega Cats become a thing here too.
🛒 West Plaza Bodega celebrates its grand opening today
🚊 KC Streetcar sets ridership records
🎁 Holiday giveaway with @athomekc
🤔 Tuesday Trivia: Kansas City’s first electric streetcar
Food & Drink
West Plaza Bodega Celebrates Grand Opening Today!
West Plaza Bodega
A new corner store in the West Plaza neighborhood called West Plaza Bodega is celebrating its grand opening TODAY!
Blackholes & Bodegas: Black Hole Bodega is a sister concept to Blackhole Bakery, the local favorite located at 55th and Troost. The bodega will serve pastries from Blackhole, as well as grab-and-go goods, specialty grocery items, made-to-order sandwiches, and a full coffee bar featuring Maps Coffee.
Welcome to the Neighborhood: West Plaza Bodega softly opened last week, but as of 7am this morning (12/16), it is open Tuesday-Sunday from 7-4. Although not a huge space, the new spot at 1702 W 45th St. offers interior seating, cozy stone walls & decor, and running coffee service.
Stay up to date on announcements from West Plaza Bodega HERE.
Community
KC Streetcar Ridership Sets New Records
KC Streetcar
Since the KC Streetcar's Main Street Extension opened on October 24, ridership has surged to record-breaking levels.
Midtown Riders: November 2025 marked the highest monthly ridership in the system's history, with 341,922 passengers carried. For reference, October 2025 saw 218,895 passengers, and November 2024 saw 125,584 passengers. The KC Streetcar now accounts for approximately 30% of all transit trips in the Kansas City region.
Southbound & Down: When the Main Street Extension opened in October, the KC Streetcar route expanded from 2.2 miles to 5.7 miles long. The highest percentage of weekday ridership occurs along the extension in Midtown and Plaza/UMKC area. In fact, the southernmost UMKC Stop is seeing the most activity of all 18 stops, with over 13% daily ridership.
Explore the KC Streetcar route in its entirety HERE.
Have you ridden the KC Streetcar since the Main Street Extension opened?
Holiday Giveaway 🎁
We’ve teamed up with @athomekc for a holiday giveaway over on Instagram! Here’s what’s included:
A three-hour home cleaning from Mayoral Cleaning Solutions
A $200 gift card to KLĀ Sanctuary
Homemade marshmallows from The Modest Mallow
Hat & socks from Carly Rae Studios
Holiday candle from Made in KC
Kansas City bag from Made Mobb
P.S. Since you're reading this, it means you’re already subscribed to KC Daily! If you enter, just comment ‘subscribed’ so we know to count your bonus entry.
KC Daily Picks
In Other News…
🍗 Bo Knows Chicken: North Carolina-based fast food chicken restaurant Bojangles will open three KC metro locations: Overland Park, Merriam, and Blue Springs. All three are expected to be open by early 2027.
🏗️ Cranes for Costco: Last week, the Lee’s Summit City Council advanced a $481 million development called the ‘East Village’ at Highway 50 and Highway 291. The development includes apartments, townhomes, commercial space, and a Costco.
💰 MO Bets: During the first week (December 1-7) of legal sports betting in the state of Missouri, over $73 million was wagered according to BetMissouri.com. An estimated $3.5 billion will be wagered over the next calendar year in the state.
⚽️ Soccer in the Streets: This past weekend, the City of Kansas City celebrated the grand opening of the Visa Street Soccer Park at the 9th and Van Brunt Athletic Fields in NE Kansas City. The park features two street soccer fields open to the public.
🥃 Sip in Spirit: Two iconic Kansas City brands, Hallmark and Tom’s Town Distilling Co., have teamed up to offer a limited-edition holiday collection featuring Double Oaked Bourbon, Botanical Gin, and Double Grain Vodka.
📈 Grow Locally: Looking to grow your local business, brand, or event in 2026? Learn what it looks like to advertise in KC Daily, and let us help you reach {{active_subscriber_count}} (and counting) Kansas Citians every weekday morning.
Tuesday Trivia 🤔
Tuesday Trivia is in partnership with our friends at KC Yesterday.
Our KC Daily Partners are local businesses and organizations that have committed to growing with us in the Kansas City community. If you’re interested in what it looks like to be a KC Daily Partner, let’s talk.
Thanks for reading today’s newsletter! If you enjoyed it, share it with someone who lives in the West Plaza neighborhood.
— Nick Hageman | Co-Founder @ KC Daily
