The World Cup provides a strong tailwind for restaurants so far

There are still nearly four weeks left in the FIFA Men’s World Cup tournament, but early signs indicate that the event has provided a strong tailwind for restaurants, especially those in host cities.

New data from Toast, for instance, shows that total transactions within a 5-mile radius of Seattle Stadium surged 56% on June 19 during the match between the United States and Australia. The match kicked off at noon PT, and fans swarmed the area early, as evidenced by a 145% transaction increase at 10 a.m. at restaurants.

Hot dogs were particularly hot, with a 228% increase compared to a typical Friday, while nachos (+87%), wings (+64%), and chicken tenders (+63%) were also in high demand.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, beer was the top beverage seller by volume, with sales surging 212% above a typical Friday. Fans also mixed it up with spirits, with big gains for vodka (+139%), tequila (+131%), and rum (+104%).

Notably, it’s not just restaurants in host cities that are riding the tournament momentum. New data from Placer.ai shows that Chipotle’s World Cup jersey buy-one-get-one promotion on June 11 drove a nearly 60% increase in traffic compared to the chain’s year-to-date daily average and marked the chain’s busiest day of 2026 so far.

The offer’s impact was especially pronounced during the promotion window between 3 and 10 p.m., with visits 88% above average.

Though it’s early, we can expect this positive trend to continue through the World Cup Final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Total consumer spending related to watching this year’s tournament is expected to reach $7.5 billion, with the restaurant industry identified as a major beneficiary.

That said, overall economic data shows little movement since the tournament started, according to Pantheon Macroeconomics, including stalled card spending and airline passenger traffic. Growth in airline passenger traffic through TSA checkpoints, for instance, has been flat this month. In a note, Pantheon economists Samuel Tombs and Oliver Allen wrote, “This suggests that just as many foreign tourists have shelved trips to the U.S. due to the games as have been attracted by them.”