Travis’ and Jason’s mom, Donna, serves up chicken in Overland Park ahead of ‘Kelce Bowl’
One of the most famous moms in America arrived at Raising Cane’s under an umbrella and with a police escort on Monday morning in Overland Park.
Fans of both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles waited in the rain in a line that ran out of the building and through the parking lot to see Donna “Mama” Kelce, who was making an appearance at the Raising Cane’s on 135th Street in Overland Park.
Kelce, of course, is the mother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, whose teams play each other Monday night in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII at Arrowhead Stadium. “I just love the excitement, all the fanfare, I love Arrowhead,” Kelce said.
“It’s so loud and it is going to be an awesome night,” she said. “It’s going to be a jewel in the sky and I’m just looking forward to the game. I just love to watch football.”
Michele Stover of Buck Grove, Iowa, said seeing Donna “Mama” Kelce meant leaving at 5 a.m. and driving four hours to Overland Park to wait in the rain. “She is like the epitome of boy moms,” said Stover. “She has amazing boys, they are humble, they are kind, they are sweet and they’re famous. But you wouldn’t think that they’re famous, so she did a great job,” said Stover, who plans to watch the Chiefs Eagles game tonight with friends at Power and Light District in Kansas City.
When asked about her sons facing each other again, Kelce responded, “I think they both have high hopes,” she said. “Travis he always wants to win, Jason always wants to win, they’re huge competitors.”
“They’re going to give everything they have, they’re not going to leave anything,” she said. “They will not come out of this game thinking, ‘I wish I would have done better.’ I know they will give their all in Arrowhead being in that atmosphere.”
As a video production crew directed the action, Kelce spent a few minutes learning the ins and outs of working the drive-thru and as well as ringing up a few customers at the front counter. “This is very surprising, especially in the rain,” said Kelce about the size of the crowd on hand to greet her. “I can’t believe they want to see me,” she said. “I understand my boys they’re celebrities, I’m just a mom.”
“This is awesome,” said LaToya Peters, an employee trainer at Raising Cane’s, “To see Kansas City show up and show out the way they are is fantastic.”
“Well, as a mom of a son, how could I not come out and meet the world’s greatest mom,” said Amy Jungk of Leawood, who was the first in line for the drive-through. “To meet Travis’ mom today and shake her hand and maybe get some advice from her,” said Jungk, who added that she planned to order the biggest chicken finger box available and was taking some to her hairdresser.
Mike Tannenbaum of Washington D.C., is a fan of the Kelce brothers and of Mama Kelce. Tannenbaum, who is attending the game, was born in Philadelphia, lived in Kansas City, and is now from Washington, D.C. “I used to live in Kansas City, so I am on both ends of the Kelce spectrum,” he said. Tannenbaum added that the Kelce’s are such good people with all of the work they do in the community. “We need a lot more of that in today’s society.”
After signing a few autographs and eating a few bites of chicken fingers, Kelce responded to questions from the production crew, then posed for photos with the Cane’s employees, then greeted them and shook their hands. Handlers hustled Kelce out the door and under an umbrella where she made the rounds of the parking lot saying hello and waving to fans waiting in line outside in the rain.