Where Will You Watch the World Cup? CHD Expert Evaluates the United States Bar Landscape and Other Popular Restaurant Destinations for Watching Big Sporting Events

Chicago, Illinois (PRWEB) June 11, 2014 -- CHD Expert, a leading Chicago-based foodservice data and analytics firm, has released the latest data on bars, as these establishments gear up to show the 2014 FIFA World Cup matches. With 64-matches taking place over this month long event, come June 12th the world will be glued to their televisions and many Americans will choose to watch these games at a local bar or restaurant where they can eat, drink and cheer with their compatriots.

Though in the USA soccer is less followed than other major sports, soccer is growing in popularity among Americans. Reports indicate that the 2010 World Cup had an average of 3.2 million viewers per match in the United States, with the Final drawing over 24 million U.S. viewers. This was up 41 percent from 2006. With this year’s World Cup just around the corner, and its viewership poised to top that of 2010, local bars are hoping to be full of fans rooting for their favorite teams.

In the USA, one of the most popular places for sports fans to catch their favorite games is the Bar & Grill. According CHD Expert, there are approximately 24,000 restaurants with Bar & Grill menu types in the U.S., or approximately 3.6 percent of the country’s total 664,000 restaurants. These Bar & Grill restaurants consist primarily of casual dining establishments, where table service and moderately priced food is provided in a casual atmosphere. As to be expected from their ability to draw in sports fans, a majority offer a full-bar in their establishment along with game time favorite appetizers and finger foods.

According to CHD Expert, the state of Wisconsin boasts the largest share of Bar & Grill restaurants of any U.S. state with 8.3 percent of the state’s restaurants falling into this menu segment. This is a larger percentage than geographically-advantaged heavyweights like California - which comes in second at 6.3 percent - and popular tourist states like Florida - coming in fourth with a 5.9 percent share. With only 1.8 percent of the U.S. market in total number of restaurants, Wisconsin succeeds in having the largest share of Bar & Grill restaurants considering each state’s unique restaurant landscape. See Figure 1.

Besides the Bar & Grill menu type, regular “Bars” are undoubtedly the other major destination for sports (and soccer) fans. CHD Expert reports that, of the approximately 54,000 bars in the U.S., 5.9 percent are categorized as “Sports Bars”, where fans are able to watch games on one of many large-screen TV’s.

While Sports Bars are popular venues to watch sporting events, there are far more Neighborhood Bars and Taverns, which constitute 64.4 percent - a clear majority - of total bars in the U.S. Other types of bars that contribute to the bar market landscape include: Nightlife Venues which compose of 20.1 percent of bars; Brewpubs and English/Irish Pubs which make up 7.6 percent of the bar market, and Wine Bars that round out the market with the remaining 2 percent.

Sports fans can rest assured that most bars with a TV will be showing the popular games as the World Cup matches will certainly draw a crowd. And while Wine Bars and Nightlife Venues are likely not the best place to go watch a match, Neighborhood Bars and Pubs are certainly known to host impromptu game-viewings. Given these optimistic numbers, and together with the ever popular Sports Bars and Bar & Grill’s, soccer fans should have no problem finding a local spot to watch one (or more) of the 64 World Cup matches, which begin this Thursday at 4PM EST when host country Brazil takes on Croatia.

“Gathering with friends to cheer on your team over good food and drink is a pleasure that is enjoyed by all cultures,” said Brad Bloom, Director of Sales at CHD Expert. “Big sporting events are huge drivers of revenue for bars and restaurants, and many venues ramp up in preparation for larger crowds. The World Cup also creates lucrative opportunities for ethnic restaurants with teams in the tournament. While you can go watch team USA play at any bar and will be among many passionate Americans, try to go watch a match like Greece vs. Japan at a local Greek or Japanese restaurant and you could be in for a cultural experience that you will never forget. The CHD Expert database helps businesses pinpoint any restaurant by menu type, geography, revenue and other variables, both in the USA and abroad. If you’re looking for global restaurant data get in contact with us for a demo of our services.”

CHD Expert is the worldwide leader in collecting, managing and analyzing data for the Away-from-Home Global Foodservice Market. For almost 20 years CHD Expert has been dedicated to support Foodservice channel members in providing a global vision and an in-depth understanding of the industry (in Europe, The America’s, and Asia Pacific).

Our objective is to support food service suppliers with their insights and category management, along with sales and marketing strategies by providing the most comprehensive and accurate foodservice census. CHD Expert offers detailed unit level intelligence for more than 5 million operators worldwide. For additional information, please visit http://www.chd-expert.com or call 1-888-243-0154.

Nicolas Watson or Brandon Gerson, CHD Expert, http://www.chd-expert.com, +1 (312) 768-6913, [email protected]