During the one-month sporting extravaganza that started on June 12, bars and  restaurants that acquired special permits to screen the matches live got a

massive response from customers. Two matches, the final and the third place playoff, remain to be held.

According to the DAO, a total of 217 restaurants had taken permission to screen the World Cup matches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Of the total 144 restaurants that acquired permits in Kathmandu, only four have applied to screen the semi-finals, play-off and final on Monday.

Similarly, only four out of the 44 restaurants in Lalitpur have applied for special permission to show the last four World Cup games.

“The World Cup created a late night movement in restaurants and bars, giving a boost to our business. Many of the pubs and bars were packed with football enthusiasts during the nights when special matches were on,” said Pramod Jaisawal, president of the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (Reban) and owner of Mela.

“Given the limited number of restaurants receiving licences to screen the World Cup matches, the lack of competition also added to the rush.”

Reban estimates that the World Cup boosted business at restaurants and bars by at least 15-20 percent this month.    

FC Sports Bar located at Jhamsikhel has been screening the matches with all the available seats packed during most of the matches. “The flow of customers is such that our restaurant which can accommodate 300 people was full during most of the matches, particularly during the knock-out stage,” said Subrat Poudel, co-owner of the bar. The bar is planning to create additional space for the final expecting a massive surge in customers. “We will create space to accommodate 500 people for the final  match,” Poudel said.

The bar has been showing all the matches since the start of the World Cup on two screens of 17x9 ft and 10x10 ft sizes. Entrance costs Rs 500 per person which includes one drink.   

Similarly, Embassy Restaurant located at Pani Pokhari has been receiving a huge number of football fans coming to watch the World Cup matches. The seats at the restaurants were largely filled during most of the matches.

“During the Germany-Brazil match, all our 160 seats were occupied,” said Chhabindra Shrestha, owner of Embassy Restaurant. “The odd hour timing hasn’t stopped football enthusiasts from watching the matches in restaurants.” Even female football fans have been watching games in restaurants despite the late hour.

As the final match is going to be held on Sunday, many restaurants have come up with special packages for their customers. The Hotel Radisson has launched a scheme for customers under which they can watch the matches by paying Rs 500 per person at its The Corner Bar where they can get a 650 ml bottle of beer or a 60 ml shot of whiskey with a glass of Coca-Cola.

“As football fans are eagerly waiting for the final match, we have come up with this special package,” said Karuna Manandhar, public relation executive of the hotel.

She added that the World Cup created a vibration in the restaurant business. “We usually have to close the bar before 11 pm, but the World Cup boosted business,” she said.  

Meanwhile, some restaurants have also complained about police highhandedness in their effort to control too much drinking that could lead to road accidents. However, the Reban chief said that they had not received any complaints about police action from their member restaurants.