Richmond restaurants score a World Cup sales boost
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Some of the crowd for a World Cup match at Parlay. Image: Courtesy of Parlay Bar & Lounge
The World Cup helped bring much-needed business to some Richmond restaurants during its month-long run, owners tell Axios.
Why it matters: It's been a sluggish summer for many local eateries, but Richmond soccer fans helped make it a win-win for the restaurants that went all-in for the tournament.
State of play: Even though Richmond wasn't one of the 11 U.S. host cities, dozens of the city's restaurants leaned into the fun, rolling out big screens, sweet specials and buzzy watch parties.
- And many of those that did saw big crowds — and sales — especially on traditionally slow weekdays.
- That's according to reps from restaurants that actively promoted their watch parties, including Parlay sports bar in Scott's Addition, Rosie Connolly's in Shockoe Bottom, downtown's Penny Lane Pub, Scotty's Taphouse in Scott's Addition and Memi's in the Fan.
What they're saying: "The World Cup has been amazing," says Scotty's Taphouse events manager Kaitlyn Drummond.
- At Egyptian restaurant Memi's, sharing videos of fans cheering during Egypt matches helped draw crowds back for other matches, making "a Tuesday feel like a Friday," co-owner Rania Yacoub tells Axios.
- "It's definitely helped out our summer this year," Rosie's owner Helen Emerson tells Axios, adding that Shockoe Bottom businesses needed the boost after a tough winter.
- And at British pub Penny Lane, a beloved local soccer bar, sales jumped 30% year-over-year — "most of that in beer!" — despite suspending its popular trivia and karaoke nights to accommodate the crowds, owner Terence O'Neill tells Axios.
Zoom in: For Parlay, the World Cup turned out to be bigger than (American) football and March Madness, both in crowd size and sales, owner Duke Dodson tells Axios.
- With a massive outdoor screen, tons of TVs and DJs for some matches, Parlay became a World Cup hot spot, drawing up to 500 fans and sometimes having to turn away folks.
- Eventually, they converted their parking lot into a fan zone to meet demand, which spiked after neighboring restaurant Cochiloco scaled back its watch parties.
Dodson credits Richmond's diverse community for the restaurant's stellar World Cup run, saying turnout was initially highest for USA and Mexico matches, but they also saw plenty of fans of Colombia, Spain, Portugal, England and Cape Verde.
- "It's really cool seeing people come out to celebrate their countries," Dodson says.
- It's also great for Parlay's bottom line. July is shaping up to be the two-year-old restaurant's best month ever.
Zoom out: Locals didn't just turn out at bars, they also tuned in at home.
- Richmond has consistently ranked among the top 10 for local market viewership of World Cup matches, per industry stats.
What's next: The World Cup final is Sunday at 3pm when Spain and Argentina face off.
- If you've been missing out on all the watch party fun, this is your last chance to get in on it.
- After that, local restaurant owners say they — and their staff — are taking a much-needed break.