The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association

The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association (GKCRA) was established in 1916, when three visionary restaurateurs, Myron Green, George Fowler, and Guy Taylor began meeting in the basement of Myron Green's Cafeteria on this site at 1115 Walnut. In 1917, the association organized a boycott to combat the rising cost of eggs from suppliers charging unfair prices. Their efforts received national attention and in 1919 the group launched the National Restaurant Association (NRA). , The NRA headquarters remained in Kansas City until 1927 when it moved to Chicago, and eventually to Washington, D.C. Today, the NRA supports the foodservice industry, which consists of 13.1 million employees (10% of the U.S. workforce) and generates $660.5 billion in annual sales (4% of the U.S. gross domestic product). , The GKCRA remains one of the strongest chapters of the NRA, serving the needs of the area's hospitality industry in parts of Missouri and Kansas. Focused on education and community support, each year the GKCRA invests thousands of dollars into hospitality scholarships for area youth, as well as continuing the education of all hospitality employees. , Also dedicated to the financial well-being of Kansas City and the promotion of all businesses in our region, the GKCRA joined the city's effort to initiate convention and tourism funding in 1974. Original construction and continued maintenance of Bartle Hall and other tourism and neighborhood development projects are solely funded by patrons of the restaurant and hotel industries. , 2016 marks the centennial anniversary of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association.