LAWRENCE, Kansas — At Dempsey’s Burger Pub, preparation for the work day includes more than stocking drink ingredients and flipping on TVs. For General Manager Tyler Cranis, it also means researching Algerian food and culture. He’s been researching what items could be added to the menu.
He’s focusing on the needs of Algerian soccer fans because Lawrence will host Algeria’s national team during the tournament.
“I want to know as much as I can,” Cranis said. “Show them a good old-fashioned American time.”
For bars like Dempsey’s, the international soccer tournament could bring a much-needed economic boost during the summer months when many college students are back home. Lawmakers approved a bill to give businesses like this an even bigger kick, and it’s now headed to Gov. Laura Kelly for consideration. She hasn’t said whether she will sign the bill.
The bill would extend the end of alcohol service from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., meaning service would only stop from 5-6 a.m.
23-hour alcohol sales
Kansas law currently allows bars to serve alcohol from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The proposal would also apply to liquor stores, which currently operate from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays, depending on local rules. Like bars, they would need approval from local governments to extend hours.
The push comes as Missouri has already approved similar changes, setting up competition across the state line as both sides try to capture tourism dollars tied to matches in Kansas City.
Dempsey’s Managing Partner Taylor Spaniol supports the change to let Kansas bars compete.
“If Kansas doesn’t move forward with that, we’ll lose a lot of business to Missouri,” Spaniol said.
Supporters say the temporary change, proposed from June 11 to July 19, would help bars and restaurants capitalize on the global event.
Spaniol also supports a permanent extension of hours that could help bar business in the future. But maybe not as broad as the temporary change.
“Being able to stay open consistently until 3 a.m., sometimes 4 a.m. on the weekends, I think would be really beneficial,” she said.
Alcohol extension concerns
State Sen. Marci Francisco, a Lawrence Democrat, questioned whether longer hours are necessary, noting that the latest matches are expected to start at 11 p.m. CT.
“So why would it be necessary to have bars open when the games aren’t on?” Francisco said.
Some lawmakers raised concerns that a temporary expansion could become permanent, despite the bill including specific start and end dates tied to the soccer tournament.
One of the bill’s biggest supporters is Johnson County Republican State Sen. Adam Thomas. He said if this plan would open the door to permanent 23-hour alcohol sales he would not support it.
Meade Republican State Sen. Ron Ryckman said this could impact other parts of the state that aren’t near any of the World Cup games.
“I’m not excited about the people of southwest Kansas drinking at 3, 4 o’clock in the morning,” He said during the committee hearing discussing the bill.
Opt in vs. opt out
The biggest difference between the Missouri and Kansas plans is that Kansas would allow local governments to opt in. This means that local governments need to pass an ordinance to participate in the extended hours.
Missouri’s law does the opposite. Municipalities far from the KC metro area could have extended alcohol hours if they do not pass an ordinance opting out.
Thomas made sure to tout that difference.
“We're not mandating that anybody do this,” he said during the hearing discussing the alcohol extension. “We're simply opening the door for folks.”
Bar staffing
Even if a local government wants to participate, some businesses might decide against extending hours.
The General Manager of Red Lyon, Lawrence’s only soccer bar, Chris Neverve said they will keep normal hours during soccer’s biggest event.
“We just wouldn’t have the numbers of staff to keep people here,” Neverve said.
Staffing could be an issue for bars that rely on employees that are college students. Many of these students will be away for summer break during the World Cup.
Cranis does not share the staffing concern about Dempsey’s.
“I think I should be good,” he said about his bar’s staff. “But we’ll kind of see the closer we get.”
Cranis did mention that he’s checking with student employees to see if they’ll be in town this summer to work the World Cup.
Columbia compromise
A college town in Missouri does offer a glimpse into a possible compromise for college towns like Lawrence.
In Columbia, city leaders opted out of the near round-the-clock alcohol sales, but approved a one-hour extension during the World Cup instead.
The Missouri law is specifically written in a way that gives local governments the ability to extend alcohol service without using the full extension.
The Kansas plan includes no language specifically allowing added hours without agreeing to the full 23/7 alcohol service, although two state senators that worked on the bill said that it should allow local governments to extend for shorter periods of time.
Zach Boblitt reports on the Kansas Statehouse and government for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can email him at zach.boblitt@ku.edu.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.