As the 2010 World Cup kicked off Friday with a 1-1 tie between Mexico and host nation South Africa, restaurants across the United States opened early to welcome soccer-crazy European expatriates and casual American fans looking for an energetic scene.

British research firm Initiative has predicted that this year’s World Cup will attract record viewership worldwide, with an average audience of 125 million people per match, and that the United States’ attention to the quadrennial tournament will increase from 2006.
As such, restaurants have ample opportunities to pitch themselves to new customers and to drive incremental revenue by opening at odd hours for live broadcasts. But operators who cater to soccer fans year-round point out that careful planning and execution are necessary to reach World Cup sales goals.
“The soccer fan has very high expectations, and if you flub it once it is really hard to get back,” said John Piccirillo, director of marketing and development for 13-unit Fadó Irish Pubs. “Think of the World Cup more as a private-party [opportunity], and think of all the details that make a private party great. It’s a discerning crowd. They’re great, but they can be cranky if you’re off, and now we’re talking about international affinity and people cheering their home countries.”
For sports bars around the country, especially ones carrying an English- or Irish-pub theme, the World Cup accounts for huge swells in traffic.

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