The Mexican restaurant industry, led by major players like Alsea, CMR, Grupo Gigante, Arcos Dorados, and Grupo Anderson’s, anticipates substantial growth in average consumer spending during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. They project a ticket price increase of between 20% to 29%, which could result in a considerable economic boost amounting to approximately 728 million dollars. However, industry analysts have raised concerns about the challenges that could hinder this growth, emphasizing the need for improvements in various operational aspects.

Claudia Ramírez del Palacio, the executive president of the National Chamber of the Restaurant Industry and Spicy Foods (Canirac), has indicated that the industry is already implementing strategies to address these challenges, focusing on critical areas such as capital investment in infrastructure and staff training initiatives. Despite the optimistic outlook regarding consumer spending, the sector must overcome significant barriers related to the lack of adequately trained personnel and better supply chain management.

Industry experts highlight that while the World Cup presents an excellent opportunity for revenue increases, the success of these projections hinges on the ability to address these key operational inefficiencies. With their current lack of a skilled workforce being described as a potential bottleneck, the restaurant industry in Mexico must act promptly to enhance both the capacity of their employees and the technological integration of payment systems to fully capture the potential influx of consumers during the tournament.