Boston bars – Scottish fans surged through Boston’s bars and liquor stores during the World Cup, pushing venues like Hennessy’s Bar and Federal Wine & Spirits to sell out of beer and drain coolers—surprises that are now shaping staffing, deliveries, and restocking plans.
On a busy downtown weekend, the shock didn’t come from a bad day—it came from demand that wouldn’t slow down.
“We’ve been here for over 30 years, and we’ve never seen anything like it,” said Noelle Somers, chief operating officer at Hennessy’s Bar in downtown. “We tripled St. Patrick’s Day.”
At Hennessy’s, the Scottish crowd didn’t just fill seats. Somers said many patrons learned the names of the bar’s bartenders, hugged them, gave generous tips, and drank for hours. “They brought fun back that was lost,” she said—adding that she rarely sees energy like that in the bar.
By Sunday night, Hennessy’s had sold out of beer. The bar received a delivery to re-up Monday, and another one was slated for Thursday—timed for the next weekend of soccer matches.
Not far away, that same surge played out in a different kind of failure: inventory, not excitement. In Saturday’s afternoon heat. one patron walked into Federal Wine & Spirits in Boston’s Financial District and bought two bottles of water. The storefront was packed with 15 to 20 Scots, who booed her for the purchase.
“They were raucous and fun,” said Peter Zettel, a clerk at Federal. “It was quiet for maybe a minute.”
While the crowd kept moving, the store’s stock didn’t. The cooler at Federal Wine & Spirits in Boston sat empty, waiting to be repaired on June 15. Owner Len Rothenberg blamed it on how often the doors were opened on Saturday, during the local start of the World Cup. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
By then, Federal had already sold out of Budweiser and Corona. Coors, Miller, and alcoholic seltzers were low on stock. Rothenberg said the front door constantly opening contributed to a refrigerator breaking, and that it now circulates hot air and would hopefully be fixed before the weekend.
“It met its match against the Scottish,” he said.
Hennessy’s and Federal were two of many businesses caught off guard by the World Cup’s ballooning alcohol demand. Now, both are ordering extra beer and stocking additional refrigerators.
The difference wasn’t just in where people gathered—it was also in who they expected to show up. Some bars, like McBride’s Irish Pub in Providence, didn’t anticipate many visitors because they’re located outside of busy downtowns.
But on Friday, despite being short-staffed, McBride’s grossed $2,000 more than average. “They’re drinking everything,” said McBride’s co-owner Jennifer Monastesse. “We didn’t know what to expect or what they would drink, so we brought in everything.”
Saturday ran about the same. Monastesse said tourists left their nearby Airbnbs early for Boston Stadium, and after Scotland’s victory, fans packed the pub. On Sunday, a bagpiper played in front, as Monastesse described.
In downtown Boston, The Dubliner also saw its coolers packed for the World Cup.
A replica FIFA World Cup trophy sat on a table outside Hennessy’s Bar as Scottish supporters gathered ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11. Erin Clark/Globe Staff
At The Dubliner, assistant general manager Hans Hoffens said many Scots drank Guinness, Michelob Ultra, Corona, and Tennent’s. Though the Dubliner did not sell out. Hoffens said the bar is picking up more staff to handle large crowds of foreign tourists—people who. he said. tend to linger for hours longer than other patrons.
“Here,” Hoffens said, “they’re not chugging down beer.”
Still, the rhythm of the demand doesn’t look like it will stop. The hits are expected to keep coming as the English fans descend into Boston to watch their team’s matchup against Ghana next Tuesday.
That could be the city’s next big test.
Boston World Cup Scottish fans bars liquor stores Hennessy’s Bar Federal Wine & Spirits McBride’s Irish Pub The Dubliner beer demand