The World Cup has restaurants and bars bouncing across Boston, as some restaurateurs say the business they’re seeing is “incomparable,” and others are scrambling to restock their beer supply.
As soccer fans from around the world have arrived in the Hub, with more on the way, the high-energy environment is boosting sales not just for downtown establishments, but also those on the outskirts.
“It has been amazing,” Jack Bardy, owner of the Wildlife Hospitality Group, told the Herald on Wednesday. “Usually, you see a dip in June, but we’ve had a real surge. The whole town is sort of on fire.”
Bardy, who owns South End hotspots Beehive, Cosmica and Spy Bar, described the vibes at his restaurants as “incomparable,” with Boston hosting tens of thousands of international fans who are here for the premier global soccer tournament.
Cosmica and Spy Bar are hosting watch parties for most games, with Bardy opening his restaurants early and closing them late. Beehive is drawing patrons who are not as into the matches, but the restaurateur said there’s still a noticeable increase in business.
Scottish fans, dubbed the “Tartan Army,” are making their presence known, Bardy said.
“We usually don’t get as many men in skirts this time of year, or if ever,” he said, with a laugh, “but there is a lot of the Scottish crowd that is lighting up the city.”
While Bardy has kept his beer supply intact, other restaurants and bars are running out fast, struggling to keep up with the demand, especially from the Tartan Army.
The Omni Boston Hotel at The Seaport has seen a “more than 50% year-over-year business growth,” which it says is “driven in large part by increased demand related to the World Cup.”
Roughly 90% of the hotel’s guests consist of Scottish supporters and American travelers.
That has meant the hotel’s restaurant, The Sporting Club, has seen how much pride the Tartan Army takes in finding a “taste of home.”
“The enthusiasm from Scottish supporters has been so overwhelming that The Sporting Club has completely sold out of Tennent’s Lager,” the hotel told the Herald, “and the supplier has no additional inventory available.”
Some Boston bars, such as Sam Adams Taproom and Hennessy’s, have run completely dry at points over the past week.
Tucked in Charlestown, away from the hustle and bustle of what he described as the “epicenter,” Matt Sullivan said he saw a 20% increase in business at his restaurant, Sullivan’s Public House, last weekend.
The restaurant also has maintained its beer supply, with Sullivan comparing the first week of World Cup action and festivities to when the Celtics competed in the 2022 and 2024 NBA Finals.
“Events like this,” Sullivan said, “especially in the face of the Red Sox not drawing a lot of attention so far this year, or positive attention, are great.”
Just outside of Boston, on the other side of the Charles River, Michael Scelfo said his restaurants, particularly Alden & Harlow in Cambridge’s Harvard Square and Josephine in Somerville, have been “busier than ever.”
The momentum started to build over the past three months, and Scelfo said the World Cup has “only brought more, which has been fantastic.”
Scelfo said he is “taking advantage” of a bill that Gov. Maura Healey temporarily signed into law ahead of the World Cup, including Alden & Harlow being located within a designated public drinking zone. Scelfo is also providing cocktails to-go.
“Everything that I have seen has been totally positive,” Scelfo said. “The people who have chosen to come and visit the World Cup and Boston, and our area, have been wonderful.”
He added, “It is nice to show them some of our brand of hospitality.”
Jack Bardy, owner of Wildlife Hospitality Group (Beehive, Cosmica, Spy Bar), at Beehive as the World Cup plays out in Boston. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Congo fans react to a goal as they watch the Portugal vs Congo World Cup match in City Hall Plaza. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
