Some downtown Vancouver businesses are seeing a record number of patrons during the FIFA World Cup.
Dublin Calling, a sports bar on Granville Street, has been packed since the tournament began, filling up during the morning games and staying that way throughout the day.
“Weren’t quite expecting how busy it has been,” Tyler Broer, general manager of Dublin Calling, told Global News.
“Saturday around 3 p.m. we noticed we were getting pretty low on beers —Australians were purposely trying to drink us dry — so we had to rush and get 20 kegs of lager.”
Broer said they have since ordered 200 more beer kegs for the big crowds still to come.
The B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association said the biggest winners are downtown, particularly at venues showing the games.
But some other Metro Vancouver communities are reporting stronger than usual sales.
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“We’re well ahead of where we thought we would be,” Ian Tostenson, CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association said.
“We don’t normally hear about 20, 30, 40 per cent sales increases. I mean, we might hear we’re up five or six per cent, which is great, but these are incredible numbers.”
The provincial government said beer has been the top seller so far.
The government said that sales through the Liquor Distribution Branch are running about $1.6 million higher than they typically would this time of year, saying it is good news for the 200,000 British Columbians who work in hospitality.
“That’s translating to tips, wages, jobs, more hours for a significant amount of people that are working in the industry,” Lana Popham, B.C.’s agriculture and food minister said.
Dublin Calling now has 30 additional staff members on hand to ensure service runs smoothly.
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