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The FIFA World Cup largely benefited New York City bars and restaurants, a snap survey of 60 businesses found.
The New York City Hospitality Alliance found through their analysis that 63% of surveyed businesses experienced increased sales, with 29% reporting a significant increase in revenue.
Increased sales were largely driven by game-day viewers, with a majority of impacted businesses hosting watch parties and nearly half upgrading their televisions and audiovisual equipment.
“The World Cup brought energy, visitors, and business to many bars and restaurants,” Andrew Rigie, executive director of the alliance, said in a Monday press release.
While 70% of respondents said World Cup excitement benefited New York City businesses, pure enthusiasm was not enough. Operators that did not screen matches or program food and drink specials around the games reported weaker sales. Businesses that are sports-oriented, connected to competing countries, and located in areas with more tourist traffic found higher rates of World Cup-related sales.
Foot traffic has proven to be a prime source of bar and restaurant success. Small businesses in the Madison Square Garden area told amNewYork in early July that street closures for global pop star Taylor Swift’s three-day wedding festivities would heavily disrupt business. In addition to calling on Swift to compensate them for lost revenue, pub owners said that the New York Police Department had shared “no correspondence” on the closures in the days leading up to the stadium-sized wedding.
Rigie added that earlier communication surrounding major events and stronger coordination between city authorities and local businesses could further boost sales for vendors.
“The survey’s central takeaway is that major events can create real economic opportunities for New York City’s bars and restaurants, but thoughtful planning and meaningful engagement with local businesses are essential to expanding those benefits and limiting avoidable disruptions,” the alliance wrote in the release.
