The World Cup promised an economic boost for Houston, and while some businesses have cashed in, the payoff has been uneven.

Why it matters: Hosting seven World Cup games was a major investment, with city leaders and organizers expecting tourism and visitor spending to generate an estimated $1.5 billion in economic impact.

Yes, but: Many Houston restaurants haven't seen the surge in customers they expected, Michael Shine, executive director of the Texas Restaurant Association's Greater Houston chapter, tells Axios.

• The biggest winners have been restaurants near Fan Festival in East Downtown and sports bars that regularly draw soccer crowds, he says.
• Some restaurants featuring cuisines from the countries playing were also popular.

Threat level: The disappointing turnout comes as many restaurants are still trying to recover from the pandemic. Shine says roughly 70% aren't making money given the increased costs of food, labor and rent. And 12 to 15 Houston restaurants close each month on average.

What they're saying: "Like the Super Bowl, it just never really does what we think it's going to do except for, in our city, a handful of operations and a handful of people," Shine says.

Case in point: Memorial Trail Ice House has been one of the exceptions, even though it's well outside the Fan Festival area.

• Owner Chris Allen tells Axios nearly 500 people packed the neighborhood bar for a Mexico vs. South Korea group-stage match — far more than on a typical day — even though he did little World Cup marketing or decorating because he didn't expect much spillover. "It's a pleasant surprise," he says.

Bayou Heights Bier Garten has also benefited. Co-owner Andy Aweida says the business also got a boost from being included on lists of Houston's top places to watch matches and from its ties to soccer bar Pitch 25.

Zoom out: A new Bank of America analysis suggests it's "not obvious" the World Cup has had a strong impact on job growth, with host and non-host cities posting similar gains.

Go deeper

Watching the bats emerge at Bracken Cave Preserve is a special summer activity that draws travelers from around the globe to a field outside San Antonio.

Why it matters: The cave is home to the largest bat colony in the world, and is about a three hour drive from Houston.

By the numbers: About 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats stay at Bracken Cave during the summer, generally May through September. Bats have been roosting there for about 10,000 years.

The big picture: Mexican free-tailed bats, which are relatively small, are key to our health. They are effective pollinators and eat several agricultural pests.

State of play: The bats are migratory, and those that come to Bracken Cave are pregnant females.

• They give birth in June and the babies often begin flying in July, learning the ropes through the end of the summer so they can survive the trip back to Mexico and South America for the winter.

👋 Megan here from Axios San Antonio! I left the viewing awe-struck and speechless. The sheer number of bats means they continue to emerge for hours in a tornado-like shape that blankets parts of the sky.

• It's a rare kind of proximity to wildlife. When you cup your ears, their flying sounds like raindrops on pavement.

📍 Zoom in: If you're looking for a local bat experience, Buffalo Bayou Partnership's summer species focus is bats, and it's hosting weekly bat cruises throughout the summer for $30.

Tips if you go

🗳️ Republican Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton appears to have used an address where he did not live to vote in six elections. The Texas attorney general has warned that doing so is illegal. (Texas Tribune)

📚 Half Price Books is planning a return to Houston's Montrose neighborhood. (Chron)

💸 Gina Hinojosa is proposing sending every Texas household $1,500 in her bid for governor, with the $17 billion plan funded through the state's rainy day fund. (Texas Tribune)

🛍️ Primark is opening its second Houston-area location in Willowbrook Mall this month. (KHOU)

About 56,000 people applied for waitlists at eight Houston public housing properties before the application period closed yesterday.

What they're saying: "The sheer number of applicants demonstrates the broad need for affordable housing across Houston," Kelly Haines, Housing Alliance HTX senior vice president for asset management, said in a statement.

What's next: The agency will use a random lottery to fill the waitlists and expects about 10,000 applicants to be added, and applicants will be notified of their status by the end of July.

Travelers visiting the U.S. for the World Cup have joined the ranchwagon.

State of play: The condiment has become so popular, TSA advised travelers to leave large bottles in their checked bags instead of trying to take them through airport checkpoints.

Zoom in: Axios reader Paula Cobler sent in this photo of a DFW Airport store post-security that's selling World Cup memorabilia and, of course, bottles of ranch.

Between the lines: The U.S.' global reputation these days is mixed at best — but this World Cup, Americans are getting saucy with soft power.

💭 Our thought bubble: Clearly, Ranch is what we should have put in the America 250 time capsule.