The bunting’s ready to go up, the pints are ready to be poured and, for the first time since 1998, the national men’s football team is ready to take to the pitch in a World Cup tournament.
At a time when it often seems like there isn’t much to celebrate, this year’s tournament may just be a ray of sunshine (despite the games taking place in the dead of night) and operators told SLTN they are upbeat about trading during the much-anticipated tournament.
Billy Milligan of Fullbacks in Milngavie, which was named Best Venue to Watch the Match at the SLTN Awards in 2024, said the tournament will be screened in Fullbacks as well as upstairs sister venue Charlie’s Loft, with tickets for the first Scotland game selling well.
In an effort to tempt customers out before kick-off, tickets are free before 9pm and £5 afterwards, with live music before the matches and customers even able to claim a free pizza if they arrive before 9pm.
Staff will be wearing Scotland tops and customers will be encouraged to wear their own or other Scottish garb such as tartan.
He reckoned beer will be the biggest seller on match days, although the team was also hard at work creating ideas for tournament-themed cocktails for non-beer drinkers.
“I do think it’s going to make a big difference,” said Billy. “It couldn’t have come at a better time, I suppose. The industry’s so tough at the moment.”
Others shared Billy’s optimism but, like the Milngavie operator, were preparing to pull the stops out to encourage customers out of their homes. The late-night match times, in particular, were highlighted as a challenge.
“This year, the time difference adds another layer, meaning operators will need to get creative—whether that’s extending opening hours, opening earlier, or building events around less traditional trading times,” said Louise Maclean, business development director at Signature Group, which operates more than 20 venues across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and St Andrews.
“For those willing to adapt, that creates a real opportunity to capture trade that wouldn’t normally exist.”
Louise advised operators to plan ahead as much as they can, in terms of bookings and zoning in the venue, to ensure they can accommodate pre-booked groups as well as walk-ins, and to make sure staff are trained for ‘pace and energy’, to ensure service remains smooth but still personal.
Like at Fullbacks, Louise encouraged other operators to ‘think beyond the 90 minutes’, encouraging guests to arrive early and stay later through food offers or DJs. And any World Cup-themed activity should be promoted heavily and consistently through social media to raise and maintain awareness.
Overall the tournament should create an uplift, said Louise, ‘but the scale really depends on how engaged fans feel with the tournament as a whole’.
“Ultimately, it’s about turning a game into an event,” she said. “The venues that succeed are the ones that create memorable, shared moments—because that’s what keeps people coming back throughout the tournament, not just for the headline fixtures.”
And lager and more sessionable beers are also expected to be the top sellers in Signature venues throughout the tournament, with Louise saying the company expects customers to opt for ‘approachable, easy-drinking options they can enjoy over the course of a match’.
“That said, we’ve seen a growing appetite for premiumisation, with customers trading up to craft lagers, IPAs, and locally brewed options.”
Signature hopes to tap into that trend with its own Cold Town Brewery range, which it has expanded with the addition of new session lager Super Swally – an easy-drinking beer designed to celebrate Scotland’s participation in the World Cup.
Not everyone will be opting for pints, of course, and Louise also reckoned that spirit and mixer drinks and spritz-style serves will likely do well with the non beer-drinking attendees.
“The key is balancing speed of service with quality, ensuring guests aren’t missing key moments of the match,” she said.
The games will also be screened at several of Buzzworks’ venues, including its Vic’s, TBar, The Fox, Coach House and Mill House units.
A spokeswoman for the company said that each of the venues will be running their own food and drinks specials around the tournament.
“We think there will be people out for all games, especially the ones with earlier kick off times, and for the tournament as a whole,” she said.
“We are excited for it and anticipate a good atmosphere and are hopeful people come out to watch the games.
“The days of the Scotland games will be exciting and memorable for our teams and they are looking forward to the hype around them.”
