Data from research firm Circana shows the FIFA World Cup drove a 40.4% rise in on-premise beer sales in the June quarter.

Consumer spending in the food service sector also grew by 5.3% year-on-year, while traffic was 0.4% higher. Sales of classic pub meals including steak sandwiches, wedges and fish grew by more than 50%.

Circana Head of Food Service Asia Pacific Gimantha Jayasinghe told The Australian that sporting events played a crucial role for bars and hotels.

“Major sporting occasions remain one of the food service industry’s most valuable trading opportunities because they bring
people together,” he said.

“Understanding these different occasions allows operators to tailor their offers and capture demand wherever consumers
choose to watch the game.

“Major sporting events don’t simply create more demand, they change where, when and how Australians eat and drink.”

Australian Venue Co CEO Paul Waterson told the Australian Financial Review the FIFA World Cup boosted the company’s sales by about 3% in late June and early July.

Citi analyst Sam Teeger said the tournament was also expected “to have been a tailwind to Endeavour [Group’s] hotel business”.

The Circana data follows ANZ insights earlier in the tournament that showed strong spending uplifts in cafes and restaurants (up 5.5%) bars and hotels (up 5.2%).

Scottish soccer fans drink Boston dry

The FIFA World Cup was also a bonanza for American beer sales, with some bars in Boston needing emergency deliveries to keep taps from running dry on some game days.

Founder and CEO of the Boston Beer Co. Jim Koch told ESPN the company had to make two emergency deliveries to its Sam Adams Boston Taproom on the first day Scottish fans were in town.

“At one point, we were pouring them a Sam Adams Boston Lager every 12 seconds. What a wonderful group of people,” he said.

Pictured main: Currabubula Pub, NSW.