BRGR introduces “The Nicky”


On September 16, 2020, Kansas City Royals infielder Nicky Lopez announced the start of his foundation called Nicky's #1's. In a tweet that Lopez posted, he shared the start of his foundation. "Had an amazing time today launching Nicky's #1's initiative with a Zoom call with my friends at Operation Breakthrough! Got to know 14 wonderful and aspiring people and hopefully was able to inspire and share experience and positivity and give them a fun time. This is the first in a series of Zooms I'm hosting with Royals community partners to provide a fun and engaging moment for KC and kids and next season I'll host the kids at the K! Looking forward to the next Zoom call with the YMCA Challenger program next week."  In an interview with Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, Lopez shared his news. “Those kids make my day,” Lopez said. “To see them smile and have them interact with me, ask any questions they want. And then seeing the outpour of effect that I had on them, whether it’s through tweets or Instagram or messages they send me about how much it meant to them. It goes a long way. "I’m not doing it for the tweets or anything, I’m doing it for the kids. They enjoy it, just seeing their smiles. And seeing how happy they are is unbelievable,” Lopez continued. “They always have one or two that surprise me,” Lopez said. “But they were all great questions. A couple months in, I went to my agent and said, ‘Hey I want to start something,’” Lopez said. “You’re given this platform and a lot of people look up to you. I want to use it. Just to make kids happy and be a positive role model in the community. If that’s what it takes and that’s what I have to do to do it, I would do anything. That’s why I started this.”
Following the launch of Nicky's foundation, local bar and grill BRGR Kitchen + Bar launched their new hot dog called “The Nicky.” "Nicky reached out to us as a fan of our restaurants. And since we are a local KC restaurant that cares about giving back to our community, he thought it would be a good fit, and we couldn't have agreed more. He has been a really great collaborator and cares about the kids he's helping," said Mindy Clarke. Unfortunately, the hot dog is only available through the end of the Royals season, but all the proceeds from hot dog sales benefit Lopez's foundation. The condiments on the hot dog include chili relish, mustard, onions, banana peppers, and cherry tomatoes and costs $12.50 on the menu. The proceeds from “The Nicky” will benefit the YMCA Challenger program and Operation Breakthrough for the remainder of the regular season. 

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