Kansas City business owner says he’s not surprised mask mandate is back

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The mask mandate will have a huge impact on some Kansas City businesses. One owner we talked to said he is not surprised it is back. He said he has had to make a lot of changes because of the pandemic, and to him, the masks make sense.Café Europa is located in the Crestwood Shops in Kansas City. Before the pandemic, it was a 45-seat restaurant. After lockdown, it pivoted to become a café, with grab-and-go food, a bakery and gourmet grocery.”That was really received well by our customers. Our customers really helped us survive and be successful through that period,” said Ben Cascio, owner of Café Europa.But one thing never changed. Employees never stopped wearing masks. Customers were always encouraged to wear them. Cascio said he anticipated Mayor Quinton Lucas reinstating the mandate.”We did see it coming, and we felt like it was premature in the very beginning when they removed the mask,” Cascio said.He said that he believes he has a responsibility to his customers.”We have older people that come into the store. We have young families to come into this store with young children and so, we just felt like it was something we should continue to do so we never went unmasked,” Cascio said. “It’s an inconvenience. Yeah, but it’s one you get used to.”While it was not a requirement, Cascio said all his employees chose to get vaccinated. Kansas City’s indoor mask order takes effect Aug. 2.