International soccer fans traveled to North America for the World Cup action, but many are leaving just as impressed by what’s on the plate as what’s on the pitch.
“It’s greasy, it’s disgusting, but it’s absolutely glorious,” said Jack Goodwin, a soccer fan from London, describing the American food he sampled in Dallas, Boston, New York, and Atlanta.
Goodwin didn’t stop there. “I don’t want to say this because it’s a little bit harsh, but the portions are a little bit larger — a lot more tastier — so I can understand the, um, obesity here. I don’t want to be harsh, but yes, the food is fantastic here.”
Visitors are going out of their way to sample regional favorites and American chains unavailable back home, including In-N-Out Burger and Buc-ee’s convenience stores. Norway striker Erling Haaland even shared a photo on X showing him standing outside Katz’s Delicatessen in New York.
Harrison Murphy, who traveled from London with his brother to catch the knockout rounds, stopped into a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta for breakfast.
“Have you had Chick-fil-A? It was fantastic and so cheap. The sauces are free! It was remarkable,” Murphy said. “I said, ‘This is my first time, what should I try?’ The woman said, ‘You’ve got to try the Chick-fil-A sauce.’ My God, was it fantastic.”
Gary Bishop, a resident of Glasgow, Scotland, had never encountered poutine — widely regarded as Canada’s national dish — before arriving in Toronto for the tournament. After trying it, he called it “absolutely delicious.”
“It was like chips with gravy, cheese. But it was a really thick gravy. Different from back home. Vinegar, there was lots of vinegar through it,” said Bishop, who was wearing a Scotland jersey while walking through Toronto’s FIFA Fan Festival. “Really nice.”
Not all visitors are seeking something new. A Texas beer distributor, Andrews Distributing, welcomed a busload of Dutch fans to its Dallas warehouse for Heinekens and dancing.
Restaurant owners across host cities — from Cuban eateries in Miami to barbecue spots in Kansas City and taco trucks in Mexico City — say the influx of fans has been a thrill.
“I have not seen anything like this ever in my life,” said Paul Barker, founder and principal of Pauli’s, a Boston restaurant celebrated for its heaping sandwiches and comfort food. Fans from Scotland, Brazil, England, and other countries have queued up for his famous lobster rolls and posed for photos with staff, Barker said.
“Food becomes a natural conversation starter,” he added. “It’s just been incredible for us to be part of this.”
Some chains have leaned into the World Cup moment. Waffle House, the round-the-clock breakfast chain with 2,000 locations across the South, launched a pop-up shop in downtown Atlanta selling branded soccer balls, jerseys, and patriotic merchandise. The company said in a statement that it was “honored by the enthusiasm and curiosity” shown by visiting fans.
For others, the attention came as a pleasant surprise. Whataburger, a Texas-based chain with 1,100 locations, found itself going viral after fans from Japan and other countries shared their visits on social media.
“The attention has been completely organic and honestly pretty entertaining,” said Whataburger President and CEO Debbie Stroud. “We knew the World Cup would bring the world to Texas and our footprint across 17 states. We just didn’t realize so many visitors would leave talking about a patty melt.”
Terry Black’s Barbecue, a small Texas chain, anticipated that authentic barbecue would be high on visitors’ wish lists. The company began ordering extra meat more than a month before the tournament for its Dallas and Fort Worth locations, each roughly 20 minutes from the World Cup stadium.
The chain takes four days to season and prepare its beef brisket, then smokes it for 12 hours. Turkey, pork, and sausages are also smoked on pits that run continuously, 24 hours a day.
Managing the surge of World Cup visitors has required a great deal of extra planning, said Darien Kapture, the chain’s senior vice president of food and beverage operations. But it has also brought unforgettable moments, including a night when Argentina supporters packed Terry Black’s Dallas location to celebrate their team’s win over Austria.
“They were hooting and hollering and praising the brisket,” Kapture said. “It’s great to see that these folks are coming to America and getting to experience what we experience every day.”
Goodwin, the London visitor who said he “blew his mortgage” on a U.S. World Cup road trip with his father, called Terry Black’s barbecue “the most gorgeous food ever.”
“The best food we’ve had here is in Dallas,” Goodwin said. “Texas barbecue. Unbelievable.”
Not every reaction has been glowing. Some fans have grumbled about steep food prices inside World Cup stadiums, and one British fan told the BBC that a cup of breakfast tea purchased from Dunkin’ was “not great.”
But positive reviews have far outnumbered the complaints. Ranch dressing, in particular, has won over so many international visitors that the Transportation Security Administration issued a lighthearted reminder encouraging tourists to pack bottles of it in their checked luggage before heading home.
