World Cup gives NYC bars a boost, while hotel industry says bookings are falling short
The FIFA World Cup is delivering a business boost for many bars and restaurants across New York City as soccer fans fill tables to watch matches.
But not every industry is seeing the same payoff.
"It's almost like a lifeline"
At Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria, management invested in larger, brighter televisions ahead of the tournament.
"The TVs are one of the easiest and best investments that you can make, especially for the World Cup," business manager Andrew Morinelli said.
Morinelli says the upgrade is paying dividends.
"The Knicks and the World Cup have nearly caused sales to double, which, for us, is quite an accomplishment," he said.
The Queens Chamber of Commerce launched an online toolkit to help small businesses promote World Cup specials.
"We want people to come to Queens and enjoy before, during and after the games, and we've had that bump," president and CEO Tom Grech said.
Based on anecdotal reports from business owners, Grech estimates a 20-30% sales jump for Queens bars and restaurants.
Neir's Tavern in Woodhaven is seeing strong sales for beer and margaritas, encouraging for management amid rising costs and tariffs.
"We are literally on one of the biggest stages in the world, and the small businesses are benefitting," owner Loycent Gordon said. "It's almost like a lifeline."'
Hotel tourism revenue falls short
Not every industry is experiencing the same surge.
The Hotel Association of New York City says hotels are on pace to generate only about half of the tourism revenue projected for the tournament.
"Let's remember in December of last year, when FIFA announced that there was going to be 1.2 million visitors coming into the city, we did our normal calculations based on prior history of such events," president and CEO Vijay Dandapani said. "We're not going to reach anywhere near $300 million. In fact, we'll be lucky if we get to a $150 million revenue increase for the city as a whole."
FIFA referred questions to the New York New Jersey Host Committee, which did not respond to CBS News New York's request for comment.
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