World Cup tourists come to Los Angeles to watch the soccer, but they stay for the $21 milkshakes and double-doubles.
As the final FIFA World Cup event in Los Angeles wrapped up Friday, soccer fans were eating like locals and the region's famous chains were cashing in.
In the weeks that Los Angeles has hosted the World Cup, international soccer enthusiasts have flocked to the area's big brands, often in large groups wearing their countries' jerseys.
It is a phenomenon observed in many of the host cities. In Dallas, the giant Buc-ee's gas station is the main attraction. For people visiting New Jersey, delis have been a very popular choice. In Los Angeles, the ideal place between games was Erewhon.
Thirsty international sports fans gathered to take photos outside different Erewhons, wandered the halls smiling, and of course, bought expensive milkshakes.
While Erewhon did not comment on his business, mobility data company Arity, which uses phone data to track consumers, said Erewhon's visits to outlets around SoFi Stadium quadrupled what they were a week earlier, on June 12, the day of the U.S. national soccer team's opening game there.
Arity looked at which stores people visited within a 10-mile radius of SoFi that day and also found increases in visitors to nearby El Pollo Loco and Trader Joe's.
Locals have seen groups of people in Korean T-shirts huddled together, trying to decide what to order at In-N-Out.
Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe's were buying up all the mini canvas bags.
Shortly after the quarterfinals between Belgium and Spain ended on Friday, the In-N-Out near SoFi had a long line of soccer fans stretching out the door in bright red, yellow and black jerseys and matching striped hats and scarves.
One of the workers said he had to explain “diffusion” and “animal style” to foreign football fans.
“I didn't know this place existed,” said one Romanian fan while waiting in line.
Los Angeles and other cities and states that have hosted the event need football fans to spend money to make the event worth all the time, effort and money it requires.
An optimistic report for 2024 projected that the World Cup could bring more than $800 million to the Los Angeles region as 180,000 people converge on the area to sleep, eat and spend.
There were initially concerns that people would not attend the event due to high ticket prices and the difficulty in obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.
However, at least at some Los Angeles hotels, there was a last-minute surge in visitors that drove up occupancy and room prices.
While sports fans aren't in the region to shop, they do take the time to do so.
World Cup customer spending is also evident in beer sales. Andrew Heritage, chief economist at the Beer Institute, said beer purchases at entertainment and attractions in Los Angeles, outside of World Cup venues, were up about 10% of normal.
“That tells me that fans in the Los Angeles area have decided to extend their stay and enjoy all the other things the area has to offer, rather than just the game itself,” he said.
On social media, the purpose of these shoppers is clear: buy a quick souvenir or local specialty and take a selfie.
Arity's data suggests that fans are very efficient when spending locally, diving in, getting what they want and leaving as quickly as possible, said Jeff Schlitt, a director at the company.
“Normally you're there for an hour. They'll be there for 15 or 18 minutes,” he said. “Why? Because they were purpose-driven buyers.”
For some travelers, the most popular American chains are not unknown. But some of Los Angeles' native foods are still a surprise.
While a Dutch attendee at the Belgium-Spain game was taking a photo of the In-N-Out sign after the game, he said he had never had a burger like the one he had just tried.
“We only have McDonald's and Burger King,” he said. “It's much better.”
