World Cup boost lifts Calgary bars as spring rains ease patio season
Restaurants and bars are banking on FIFA World Cup crowds to recover from a slow patio start caused by heavy June rain.
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Calgary's bars and restaurants are hoping to bounce back from a sluggish spring season with the start of the FIFA World Cup drawing crowds.
At the Ship and Anchor on 17th Avenue SW on Friday, the patio and standing room inside filled with soccer fans despite the early-afternoon hour. Emmanuel Okoye, among those watching the action, said the moment felt monumental. "It's our first time hosting a World Cup in our home soil, so this is a monumental day for Canada. It's monumental for the beautiful game," he said.
Nicola Trolez, the Ship and Anchor's director of operations, noted the unusual daytime crowd. "This is not a typical crowd for a typical Friday at 1 p.m.," she said. "With the weather, we haven't seen as much patio action as we typically would see."
Moshe Lander, a Concordia University economist and Calgary native, said the World Cup could benefit the city economically even though matches are being held elsewhere. "Because we don't have to fix McMahon Stadium, we can just say anybody who wants to pass through Calgary on the way to Vancouver or on the way from Vancouver, or anyone in Vancouver who wants to get out of town while the circus is around, come on over, we're only a 90-minute flight away," he said.
Lander cautioned that with the Calgary Stampede approaching, household spending could tighten if people feel financial pressure. But venue operators see the World Cup as a welcome lift. "I think we're very fortunate that we have these games to count on with the weather being what it is," Trolez said.