Downtown bars and restaurants see big boost on first day of World Cup

Downtown bar and restaurant owners have been eagerly anticipating the World Cup for years, and it seems like Thursday's opening match delivered.

The pedestrian zone on Granville Street between Georgia and Davie streets was filled with fans for the opening match of the FIFA World Cup on Thursday.

“I’m loving the vibes right now, really loving it,” said Australian soccer fan Rhys Fuller, who arrived in Vancouver on Thursday.

Hospitality owners and managers love it too, especially seeing their serving staff so busy.

“(It’s) way busier than we anticipated. And that’s such a great sign for especially right in the morning on a Thursday,” said Jason Sulyma, global marketing manager for Good C. Bars, which boasts a Granville Street location.

“So, with the weekend coming up and huge games, it’s a really positive sign for the group stage.”

Over in Gastown, The Cambie has long been a gathering place for Mexicans in Vancouver, and it was full of fans in team jerseys to watch their country take on South Africa in the opening game of the tournament.

“It’s not often that you get to be in a host city with a lot of people that are from your country and especially watching the inaugural game which your country also plays in,” said Mario Manica, a Mexican who has been living in Vancouver for four years.

Staff at The Cambie say they anticipate big crowds for a number of matches throughout the tournament.

Back on Granville Street, the atmosphere is lively and people who work on the sometimes beleaguered strip hope it’s a sign of things to come for the duration of the tournament and beyond.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for years, for decades, probably since the Olympics, to see this happening on Granville Street,” said Sulyma. “It’s really positive and it shows where the street can really go with some great support from the city and the province.”