Last call? States look to extend bar and restaurant hours during the World Cup

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) 鈥� in a growing number of U.S. cities won’t have an issue finding a well-poured pint to go with their late-night match.

State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the world鈥檚 most-watched sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve fan experiences, particularly for those who may have been . Others see the move as a last-ditch effort to boost sales as expectations for a World Cup have dampened.

So far, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington 鈥� states either hosting World Cup matches or adjacent to the activity 鈥� have all approved various measures to extend hours for alcohol sales during the tournament. Similar proposals are being considered in New York and Massachusetts.

The changes mean that closing time won鈥檛 come until 4 a.m. in Philadelphia during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations. In Kansas City, some bars can stay open as late as 5 a.m.

Many of these changes are dependent on municipality approval, and no business would be required to extend business hours. But for the hospitality industry, already struggling under waning sales and inflation, the option to stay open later is welcomed.

Mark Prinzinger, owner of Lion Sports Bar in Philadelphia, described watching soccer with fans from all over the world as a 鈥渕agical experience.” Now that he has the option to keep his bar open two hours longer, he鈥檚 hired extra staff, streamlined the menus and planned late-night programming.

鈥淧eople want to have a beer with other soccer fans and the great thing about the World Cup is that it brings people together from all over the world into one place to watch a sport that everybody loves,鈥� he said.

Fans want an experience to remember

Prinzinger and other bar, restaurant and nightlife venues in Pennsylvania will be allowed to move their closing times from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. during the World Cup and the celebrations, between June 11 and July 20. Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the legislation by releasing a video showing him cracking open a beer, signing off the social media post with a cheeky warning to the City of Brotherly Love’s reputation for getting rowdy: 鈥淐elebrate responsibly, Philly.鈥�

With more hours available to drink, some critics have raised concerns about public safety and potential strain on law enforcement even as the effort has received bipartisan support from lawmakers.

In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas initially stated that his city 鈥渄oesn’t need bars operating 23 hours鈥� during the World Cup and joked, 鈥淲orry not, if you want to drink a ton, bars can open quite early.鈥�

Yet bar owners bristle under such opposition, saying that most businesses prioritize training staff to prevent patrons from being overserved.

鈥淛ust because people are hanging out at the bar watching a soccer game doesn鈥檛 mean they鈥檙e getting blitzed,鈥� Prinzinger said. 鈥淚n fact, I would say it鈥檚 completely the opposite. I think people want to watch the game. People want to be engaged.鈥�

Rhode Island Rep. Teresa Tanzi agreed.

鈥淣ot everybody that鈥檚 going to walk into a place is going to be chugging drinks and getting loaded,鈥� Tanzi, a Democrat, said earlier this month on the House floor. 鈥淭here are going to be families who are going to want a cheeseburger, an American cheeseburger, and a Coca-Cola.”

Rhode Island, which is closer than Boston is to World Cup matches host Gillette Stadium, is weighing whether to extend alcohol sales to 3 a.m. and closing times to 4 a.m. Currently, last call in the smallest U.S. state is 1 a.m., with some exceptions for its capital city of Providence.

Even Lucas relented, eventually submitting a plan allowing Kansas City restaurants and bars to remain open until 3 a.m., and certain establishments to remain open until 5 a.m. if they submit a security plan to the police department. Currently, alcohol sales can generally be made between 6 a.m. through 1:30 a.m.

The extended hours aren’t entirely a U.S. trend. Pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open as late as 2 a.m. if the English or Scottish teams are playing in the knockout stages after the U.K. government relaxed its licensing rules.

In Scotland, which has its own semiautonomous government, local authorities can allow pubs to stay open until 30 minutes after matches end.

Late-night demand remains to be seen

According to a majority of games will be held from early afternoon through early evening. But a handful start later, with four games starting at midnight and eight games starting at 10 p.m. for those watching in the Eastern time zone.

Just how big of a demand there will be for late-night bites and drinks is somewhat unknown. In the U.S., consumer habits have shifted drastically ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people choosing to go out earlier in the day and spending less overall, said David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a firm that monitors restaurant and food industry trends.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so hard to stay open late night or overnight just because it鈥檚 hard to find labor,鈥� Henkes said. 鈥淚 applaud the effort to give restaurants an opportunity to earn more revenue, but I鈥檓 not sure that there鈥檚 going to be significant enough demand for it to make sense for a lot of operators to do so.鈥�

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Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed from London.

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