THE number of World Cup-themed meal orders has increased by 63% month on month, statistics from food delivery platform Meituan showed. Soccer fans favored hotpot and barbeque restaurants and bars as the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup is ongoing.

At 1 a.m. Monday, several customers gathered at a barbeque restaurant, drinking alcohol while enjoying watching the games. “It’s a happy night to meet like-minded friends. We enjoy delicious food and cheer for our favorite team,” a die-hard soccer fan surnamed Wang, told Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

On the Dazhong Dianping app, the most searched keywords were “restaurants to watch soccer games,” according to the review platform. Netizens began to search for the restaurants to watch the World Cup three weeks ahead of the kickoff. There is a high demand for these restaurants in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Changsha.

Some restaurant owners said that this year’s World Cup covers the time period from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m., which is an opportunity to bring economic growth to the night economy for dinner and late-night snacks.  

(Chen Siqi)