Kansas City Restaurant Week starts tomorrow and runs through Jan. 18, featuring more than 250 restaurants, its biggest lineup yet.

Why it matters: This is the easiest excuse all winter to try somewhere new and support KC's restaurant scene and local nonprofits.

How it works: During Restaurant Week, participating businesses offer special multicourse menus at set price tiers, giving diners a chance to try new spots or revisit favorites at a predictable cost.

• Restaurants pledge to donate 10% of sales from each Restaurant Week meal to three local beneficiaries: reStart Inc., the Visit KC Foundation, and the Greater KC Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
• All menus at participating restaurants are priced at $20, $40, $50 or $65, depending on the restaurant and meal.

The latest: Visit KC's communications manager, Makenzie Wolters, tells Axios that more than 30 restaurants are participating for the first time, adding fresh options to the annual lineup.

Stop by: Here are a few Restaurant Week participants that caught our eye this year.

Beer Kitchen

Beer Kitchen is offering a $20 three-course Restaurant Week menu, one of the most affordable. The Westport restaurant is a longtime neighborhood staple and draws consistent crowds during the event.

Tannin Wine Bar + Kitchen

Tannin has participated in Kansas City Restaurant Week every year since opening 15 years ago, according to Visit KC. The Crossroads restaurant is known for its wine-focused menus.

Blanc Champagne Bar

Blanc offers a Restaurant Week option highlighting its Champagne-forward concept. The rooftop is closed for the winter, but the full-service kitchen on the first floor is cooking up a tasty-looking menu.

Blue Bird Bistro

Blue Bird Bistro is offering Restaurant Week menus for brunch, lunch and dinner, with the $20 brunch option among the most affordable entries in the lineup. The restaurant emphasizes locally sourced ingredients and has participated in the event for years.

Affäre

Affäre is offering a $65 dinner menu reflecting its German-inspired, farm-to-table approach. The restaurant is one of several higher-end Crossroads participants this year.

Pro tip: Start by choosing your price point, then pick the neighborhood you actually want to be in after dinner.

• Reservations are available through the official website or the Restaurant Week app, and popular stops will book up fast.

Is there a restaurant we must try? Reply to this email and let us know.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that Tannin has participated for 15 years (not since the beginning of Restaurant Week).

Protein mania is on the menu in Kansas City, with national chains bulking up their menus alongside your neighborhood coffee shops.

Why it matters: Protein is now shorthand for "better-for-you" eating, and companies of all sizes are capitalizing on this by marketing options for health-conscious consumers who are dining out less and seeking value.

Driving the news: Protein-heavy additions hitting food chains in the metro this week include:

• Smoothie King debuts a 100-gram Protein Pack designed to help customers meet their full-day protein target in one stop.
• Dunkin' adds Protein Refresher drinks and a Protein Milk coffee add-in.
• Subway rolls out Protein Pockets Thursday.

The big picture: This wave of launches reflects how protein has already moved from a niche to the mainstream — both across the country and here in KC.

Zoom in: ProteinHouse, an LA-based health food restaurant, has been a Kansas City staple for nearly a decade. The "healthy fit kitchen" opened in Power & Light in 2016 and added an Overland Park location in 2020.

• Grand Coffee Company has been slowly transitioning to a health-focused menu. Its protein drinks and add-ins fuel collaborations with local fitness instructors and an 8:30am Saturday run club.
• Pitchside Coffee is planning a performance menu (the owners being soccer players and all), but there's no word on when it will drop.

Travis' thought bubble: I built my own bowl at ProteinHouse ($13) and followed it with Grand Coffee's new BPM smoothie ($13). Not only did both items taste great and make my body feel good, but I now look like Arnold Schwarzenegger (not).

Zoom out: Starbucks added protein lattes and protein cold foam last fall, pushing protein into everyday coffee orders.

• Chipotle rolled out its first-ever High Protein Menu in December, explicitly tying items to the rise of GLP-1 drugs and calling out certain bowls, salads and snacks as "GLP-1 friendly."

The bottom line: Expect to see more protein grams listed next to calorie counts.

The 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent yesterday in Minneapolis had ties to Kansas City. (KCTV5)

• Follow Axios Twin Cities' ongoing coverage here.

🍻 Lee's Summit moved toward partially opting out of Missouri's World Cup alcohol law, which would limit alcohol service to 6am–3am on select match and fan fest days instead of the near-round-the-clock service allowed under state law. (KMBC)

🍜 City Market is launching a new Asian Glow Fest KC, a free celebration of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian food, music and culture, in partnership with Saigon Night Market this spring. (Press release)