The World Cup isn’t quite over yet, but Oakland bars are already feeling like winners.
As Angela Tsay, manager at Oakland Athletic Club in Uptown, put it: “Pretty much every bar that has televisions has been filled to capacity.”
Since the soccer tournament began June 11, fans have turned out in droves for community watch parties. Bars and breweries nationwide have seen an 8% increase in revenue, according to Square.
Even as the most-watched sporting event in the world cruises toward its July 19 finale, bartenders and managers across the Town are still observing notable boosts in business from all fandoms.
“We’ve seen an uptick of about 20% in customer spending,” said Justis Whalen, a bartender and manager at Nido’s Backyard in Jack London. “We had a big group of Croatian fans the other day. We’ve had people showing up for Brazil, Portugal, the U.S., but I don’t think anyone here expected just how many people, Mexico fans especially, were really going to be out in full force.”
Line 51 Brewery, also in Jack London, experienced similar fervor on Mexico matchdays. “It was like a madhouse in here. We did record numbers,” said owner P.T. Lovern, who estimated his business “easily doubled or tripled” over the course of the tournament.
“We’re definitely sad that Mexico, Colombia and the U.S. have been eliminated because those were some of the fans that came out in numbers the most,” Tsay joked. “But at this stage of the World Cup, people are going to come out regardless of what countries are playing.”
Crowd sizes exceed expectations, bars trying to keep up
Kevin Pederson also observed spikes in sales. Kingfish Pub in North Oakland, where he’s manager and bartender, even changed operating hours and staff schedules to meet customer demand.
“Even if we open at 9 o’clock in the morning and only six people show up, it’s worth it,” Pederson said.
However, as many establishments are learning, modifications only go so far when crowd sizes entirely exceed expectations.
“For the big matches, we routinely have to start turning people away even before kickoff,” Tsay said.
“It’s more fun to be with other folks.”
But for many watchers, the sense of community they get from cheering (and cheers-ing) with other people is worth braving the crowds.
“It’s more fun to be with other folks,” Kingfish patron Evan White said. Throughout the tournament, White’s frequented various bars across Oakland — including Raleigh’s Pub and Ben ‘N Nick’s — to root for the Netherlands. Since the Oranje’s elimination against Morocco on penalty kicks, he just wants “anybody to beat France.” Ironically enough, in the spirit of this goal he said he’s pulling for Morocco in the quarterfinals.
“I could watch it at home, but you don’t feel the same excitement,” White said.
Increased sales aside, bar workers are benefitting from the charged atmosphere too. For them, too many people is a good problem to have, especially in the years since COVID-19 ravaged the hospitality industry — particularly in the Bay Area — and forced many bars to shut their doors for good.
“The energy has been phenomenal. It’s almost like you’re actually in the stadium,” said Justin Zimmerman, a bartender at Mad Oak in Lake Merritt. “You know, if I’m watching at my house I’m not going to get hyped. But when I’m bartending, and Mexico scores a goal, I’m jumping up and down and hugging my coworkers. It’s electrifying.”
This sense of camaraderie isn’t exclusive to the fans, either. Tsay said barworkers across Oakland have celebrated everybody’s success throughout the tournament.
“All politics aside, the World Cup is a time for being with other people and for joy,” Tsay said. “There’s that social effervescence that happens with wins and with heartbreak, where you feel part of a bigger community, something bigger than yourself, and that’s what I think we all need more of right now.”
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