November 5, 2024

This is the most hyped Chiefs spot in Germany. It’s one Kansas Citians would recognize

Germany #Germany

The restaurant’s tables are painted green with white lines and hashmarks, all of them made to look like replicas of football fields.

The walls are a museum of Chiefs history, past and present, a collage of photos with players such as Len Dawson, Derrick Thomas and Patrick Mahomes.

The menu highlights a Chiefs-themed double-cheeseburger. The “Chiefs burger,” as it’s simply called, comes with extra ketchup (and only ketchup), because word trickled over to Frankfurt, Germany, that the quarterback is fond of the condiment.

We are 5,000 miles from Kansas City, but this place, from floor to ceiling, upstairs to downstairs, outside to inside, looks like it belongs in the heart of the city of fountains. Or maybe inside Arrowhead Stadium itself.

And it’s a …

Burger King.

That’s right. The most devoted Kansas City restaurant we’ve stumbled upon in Frankfurt is a fast-food chain that’s been around for 70 years — and has nearly 20,000 locations around the world, 750 of which are in Germany and one of which is smack-dab in the middle of downtown Frankfurt.

The Kansas City Chiefs Burger is sold at a Chiefs-themed Burger King in Frankfurt, Germany.

There’s a reason for that last part.

His name is Steve Winegar, and, well, “You see this?” he asks as he opens his blazer.

Tucked under his sport jacket and draped over a button-up shirt, he exposes a bright red Chiefs shirt.

Winegar, 75, has had a bit of success in the business world, to put the first part lightly but the last word literally.

World. Over the years, his work has taken him all over the globe. He has homes in the United States (Montana), Spain and the Dominican Republic. His current company, McWin Capital Partners, includes Burger King Germany within its portfolio.

Winegar grew up in Independence, Missouri and graduated from Van Horn High School, but his Chiefs fandom has always traveled with him.

Everywhere.

He’s listened to Chiefs games on the radio since leaving Missouri 50 years ago and more recently catches replays on TV. More than a year ago, he and Cornelius Everke, the CEO for Burger King Germany, attended the Spobis (Sports Business) conference in Germany. They just so happened to hear that Chiefs CEO and chairman Clark Hunt and team president Mark Donovan would be making a rare appearance there too.

So Winegar, who flew in from Madrid, was strategic about his wardrobe. Which was, you guessed it, that same red Chiefs shirt he wore while sitting in the decked-out Burger King on Saturday afternoon.

“I remember meeting (him),” Hunt said. “And he is a huge Chiefs fan.

“So we knew we had a chance.”

And with a laugh, Hunt added, “He may have said something like, ‘If you guys can just win another Super Bowl, I’m all in.’”

Burger King is one of six partnerships the Chiefs secured in Germany, and all but one of those are multi-year arrangements. It’s part of the vision the Chiefs outlined when they pitched the NFL for the commercial rights in Germany years earlier. (The Patriots, Buccaneers, Panthers and Falcons also have commercial rights in Germany.)

Thus, this international trip has looked a bit different than the last one.

When the Chiefs traveled to London for a game in 2015, that was an effort to help the NFL grow its brand.

This time, in Germany, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell might be here on site, but much of the Chiefs’ purpose is to grow their own brand.

And while the ship they docked in Frankfurt, the “ChampionShip” (hey, get it?), receives a lot of the attention, Burger King is a perfect example of a partnership with a business that already thrives in Germany, with 750 locations.

“If you’ve never heard of the Kansas City Chiefs before and you walk into the restaurant, you’re asking, ‘What is this?’” Donovan said. “And then hopefully, you watch the game.”

The Frankfurt site turned Chiefs red last month. You’ll notice it from the skinny street just outside. Every window is covered with the Arrowhead logo. The burger wrappers too. The chairs have players’ numbers on them.

A Kansas City Chiefs-themed Burger King in Frankfurt, Germany, includes jersey name and numbers behind the ordering screens.

On the trays, disposable paper explains the game of football in the most basic terms. Sections of the restaurants highlight current Chiefs players — Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Nick Bolton, Harrison Butker, Chris Jones and Isiah Pacheco among them.

“The idea behind it is (the) NFL is something new in Germany,” said Fahim Shaffi, the son of location franchisee Hamid Shaffi.

“People are not very aware of American football and neither of Kansas City Chiefs. Which is why a little bit of the story is trying to be presented on these walls.”

The player depictions come with explanations.

Next to Mahomes, a caption reminds patrons that ketchup is available on all items.

Next to Kelce, it advertises a plant-based protein, which it refers to as the “little brother” to the regular hamburger. Kelce, it informs new fans, is the little brother of Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

The Xs and Os of the Chiefs.

At a Burger King here in Frankfurt.

“It’s just absolutely amazing when you think about it,” said Winegar, whose group chat with his four kids has a simple title: Chiefs.

“I was reflecting on it on the airplane,” he said. “It’s 60 years. I’ve been following these guys for 60 years. It’s so astounding that the NFL would have even made the move. And then Cornelius had the nose on which team to go after.”

With a smile, he added, “Good judgment.”

The art inside the restaurant is temporary, though not strictly for this weekend when the Chiefs are in town to play the Miami Dolphins. The theme does not yet have an end date. Fahim Shaffi said they plan to keeps the decorations up through the Super Bowl.

You know, provided the Chiefs’ season is still alive.

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