ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Football fans — it’s almost that time.
When Chiefs training camp opens next Friday in Saint Joe, pigskin won’t be the only thing on the minds of fans. Food and drinks will be too, as grocery store chain Hy-Vee pulls out of camp, electing not to serve to fans and players this year.
The Chiefs franchise released its preseason camp schedule two weeks ago. It calls for mostly morning practices, in an effort to avoid extreme heat seen during afternoon workouts.
The Saint Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau tells FOX 4 News HyVee decided breakfast provisions — instead of evening meals and drinks — for fans and players might not make a profit. Next Friday’s opening practice in Saint Joe will be a 3:30 p.m. workout, but after that, It’s 10 morning practices in a row.
LINK: Chiefs official training camp schedule
Beth Conway with the Saint Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau says this is a positive for local businesses. HyVee had been a longtime food supplier at Chiefs camp, but now, local businesses like Lance Taylor’s food truck — Truck Stop — get a chance to serve the crowds.
“It’s a chance for us to do half-a-year’s worth of revenue in a three-week period of time,” Taylor said.
“To a new business, that’s huge,” Danna Taylor-Dryer said. “We’ve only been in business a couple of months when they approached us. We feel like this is going to be a turning point in our business.”
RELATED: Truck Stop’s Facebook profile
Question is — will the Taylors’ truck be able to accomodate big crowds? The Saint Joe CVB says the Taylors operate the only exisiting food truck in the city, and a second one is being brought in from Wichita.
“I think they will do everything necessary to make sure there’s no problem with staffing,” Beth Conway, Saint Joe CVB, said. “It’s a three-week event. They can bring in extra people. I’m sure they’ll make it happen. I’m not worried about that at all.”
LINK: St. Joseph CVB guide to Chiefs training camp
Camp opens next Friday and will run through August 16th. Many practices are open to the public.
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