Welcome to Open Tab, a weekly roundup of news, gossip, and stories that have stayed open in my tabs all week. Last week we covered some controversial tipping trends.

I’ve truly become jaded and immune to bizarre brand collaborations over the past few years. A Grillo’s Pickles-flavored PBR? Snooze. Tabasco x Absolut Vodka? Whatever. Kylie Jenner partnering with Lockheed Martin? Well to be fair, that one I made up.

But I admit that I raised an eyebrow at the incoming Popeyes partnership with the Surf Lodge, the nightclub and restaurant in Montauk. I’ve never been to Surf Lodge (and likely never will, for what it’s worth), but my impression was that the West Village-types that attended weren’t looking for a tower of chicken tenders to compliment their club-going experience. Who knows? I’ve been wrong before. (Once or twice).

In other news, Manhattans have been dubbed boy martinis, though I will say I have never felt less masculine than when I’m bashfully fishing the cherry out of the bottom of my Manhattan.

Also this week: The tourism industry braced for staggering World Cup crowds—but they may not be coming. And, should you bring your kids to Hooters? The answer feels obvious, but some parents are doing it anyway. Also, stadium food is wilder than ever, and we’re taking a look back at a story that’s getting its well-deserved flowers.

There was a lot of hype in the tourism industry around this year’s FIFA World Cup which would take place in major cities across North America. Hotels jacked up their prices—some by more than 300%—and restaurants across the country prepared by partnering with spirits brands, planning drinks specials, and generally girding their loins for the mass of fans they expected. For these restaurants, World Cup crowds could be big revenue generators. In New Jersey, for example, the event is estimated to bring in more than $3 billion in direct economic impact.

But so far, those expectations don’t seem like they’ll be met. In major cities, hotel bookings haven’t seen a huge spike, according to The Athletic. That means less tourists, which could mean smaller crowds at local restaurants and bars that were counting on the crowds’ revenue. Experts are saying the tourism slump is likely due to the pricey deposits needed for tourist visas as well as extra expensive airfare.

I’m not a person who can claim the lived experience of having ever gone to a Hooters. In fact, the closest location to me is in East Brunswick, New Jersey, which is a farther commute than I’m willing to make for wings. But I feel that I can say with certainty that if I was eating at a Hooters next to, I don’t know, an entire Little League team or whatever, I would feel weird about that.

But according to a report from the New York Times, attracting kids (and their families) to dine at Hooters is part of the restaurant’s new strategy. After a complicated bankruptcy scenario, the original Hooter’s founders are back in charge. Their strategy this time around? Make Hooters a family-friendly, casual dining experience. There’s something weird about inviting young kids into a restaurant where the gimmick is that the service staff are mostly scantily-clad women, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Write in with your ideas.

Some people attend baseball games for the love of sports. Others, like yours truly, go to baseball stadiums for the food. (Ahem, I’ve recently learned of something called hotdog fries.)

Many of the city’s best restaurants are clustered near the artsy Crossroads neighborhood. For a date night or a light splurge, there’s The Town Company, which showcases Missouri ingredients in a menu making heavy use of a wood-fired hearth. Just a few blocks away, there’s Anjin, a small Midwestern izakaya with a deep sake list and a deceptively casual menu of Janese sandos and snacks. And Anjin’s sister restaurant, The Antler Room, plies the same exacting techniques to a more formal service setting, with a broader palette of global flavors.

If you’re after historic architecture and maximally vibey interiors, plan at least one meal in the historic West Bottoms neighborhood, once home to the city’s stockyards. The Golden Ox is a faithfully restored historic steakhouse where you can get your fill of locally raised beef, frosty martinis, and creamy dessert drinks.

Kansas City remains a great cocktail town, with cutting-edge menus even where tourists might not expect them. Extend the night at the adjoining Stockyards Brewing Co., which shares the restaurant’s cattleman theme, or pop across the street to The Campground for a modern cocktail in a moody, intimate room. Mean Mule, a local distillery specializing in agave spirits, offers some of the most daring cocktails in the city right now, with a sprinkling of savory options inspired by ranch dressing or French onion soup (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!). A short Uber or Lyft from downtown, in Shawnee, Kansas, are two James Beard–nominated sister bars, Drastic Measures and Wild Child. Drastic is the elder sibling, with a mature feel and a thoroughly dialed-in menu of well balanced and proachable drinks. Wild Child is a little more manic—in the best way—with bigger swings, weirder glassware, and a more prominent spirit-free menu.

Dive bar seekers will feel at home in Chez Charlie, which offers great darts, a creaky old jukebox, and a clientele that skews younger and more counterculture. Old heads tend to post up next door at Fitz’s Blarney Stone, a townie bar with che drinks and seasoned regulars.

Watching the World Cup in Kansas City

Kansas City will host six matches at Arrowhead Stadium’s (known as Kansas City Stadium for the World Cup) GEHA Field. Soccer fans interested in seeing the games live can purchase World Cup 2026 tickets at FIFA’s official ticketing portal, authorized hospitality providers such as Pitchside, and secondary sites like SeatGeek and VividSeats. The matches play throughout June and July with dates set for June 16, 20, 25, 2, a Round of 32 match on July 3, and a quarterfinal on July 11.

If you’re simply looking for a place to post up and watch some World Cup matches with a pint in hand, your best bet is to head downtown. Johnny’s Tavern and No Other Pub in the Power & Light entertainment district cater to soccer fans, with friendly staff and a mosaic of screens. For a more intimate environment, check out The Dub, which has a focus on women’s sports, or travel south to Gael’s, an LGBTQ+ friendly sports bar and grill.

1019 E 63rd St, Kansas City, MO

Baba knows how to play the hits. This casual Palestinian-American deli turns out richly spiced shawarma sandwiches, velvety hummus, and tender falafel studded with sumac onions. But don’t overlook the refrigerator case, which is packed daily with both familiar and experimental dips that marry Palestinian flavors and a Midwestern zeal for dairy. Seating is limited, but tables turn over quickly, and it’s worth waiting to grab one in this lively, colorful room. On weekends, an adjoining bakery serves a rotating selection of desserts (recently, pistachio rose cinnamon rolls and qatayef).

A #5 sandwich from The Italian Sausage Co. with melted provolone, ham, mortadella, salami, and chopped olive salad.

In addition to its deli and true to its name, Italian Sausage Co. slings classic sausages as though they were hot dogs.

7319 N Oak Trafficway, Gladstone, MO

901 Kansas Ave, Kansas City, KS

In an ideal world with limitless stomach space, you’d make multiple stops on the Kansas City, Kansas Taco Trail. But if you only get one, it might as well be El Pollo Rey. Here, you only have to make one choice: Do you want grilled chicken or hot wings? Even that choice is optional; you probably want both. The chicken here is Sinaloa-style—citrus-marinated and charred on a wood-fired grill—and served with soft corn tortillas, pickled onions, and a cold blender salsa. The hot wings are tossed in a prickly, vinegar-forward hot sauce and come with just as many warm tortillas. El Pollo Rey isn’t the only Sinaloa-style chicken spot on the Taco Trail, but it’s the only one that still cooks everything over hickory, a touch that neatly ties it to the city’s home barbecue tradition.

Until recently, I didn’t understand the point of meal kits. The services I’d tried leaned on the same tired recipes of sloppy joes, bland chicken breast, and boring pasta. After trying HelloFresh, I can finally say I get it.

Of all the meal kits I’ve tried, HelloFresh stands out for one reason: Its menu reads more like a restaurant’s than a meal kit service’s. You’ll find dishes like za’atar-crusted Halloumi cheese, moo shu pork bowls, and Peruvian chili-soy steak stir-fry, with over 100 rotating options and more customization than any other service I’ve tried.

Whether you rarely set foot in the kitchen or cook elaborate meals on weekends, HelloFresh takes the stress out of the most tedious parts of cooking. Figuring out what to make, down the right ingredients, and avoiding the inevitable half-used bunch of cilantro rotting in your crisper drawer are all someone else’s problem now.

I spent a week cooking with HelloFresh for my husband and me. Here’s what won me over, and what didn’t.