Beer-guzzling football fans risk drinking parts of Moscow dry, with some bars and restaurants in the Russian capital saying they are running low and having to wait longer than usual for fresh supplies.
Moscow has been transformed by the World Cup, with singing, chanting and beer-swilling fans overwhelming some of the packed bars and restaurants around the Kremlin and Red Square.
“We just didn’t think they would only want beer,” said one waiter at an upscale eatery in central Moscow who asked not to be identified for fear of scaring off future customers.
The waiter said his restaurant ran out of draft lager on Monday and deliveries are taking longer than usual, at least 24 hours, because suppliers’ stocks are also running low
“There are really a lot of people in Moscow … and they are all drinking,” he said. “It’s hot, and it’s football.”
Baltika, the Russian, unit of Carlsberg, said although there was an increased risk of supply disruption during the World Cup, its business had not been affected.
Heineken said sales were so far going well and it did not yet see any challenges supplying its beer. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s biggest brewer and an official FIFA sponsor for the World Cup, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The tournament has been going on for the past 7 days.
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