There’s less than three weeks to go until the first World Cup match takes over Foxborough and surrounding areas. Local businesses and residents say they’re ready for the excitement.
“I’m really excited about the culture that’s gonna come around the area,” Cameron Pelletier, a man who lives in the area, said.
“It’s gonna be chaotic but it’s gonna be worth it,” Katya Demelo, a woman who lives nearby, said.
Many said they’re looking forward to getting in on the fun from Boston to Foxborough however they can.
“We tried to look for tickets… a little bit out of the price range, but it’s okay, we’re gonna be in the area, make the best of it,” Demelo said.
“I’m gonna try to score some last second tickets, if possible,” Pelletier said.
While many have expressed traffic being a concern before and after matches, they’re not letting it stop them from enjoying the moment.
“I know it’s gonna be a lot of traffic but honestly it’s a great opportunity,” Pelletier said.
“It’s once in a lifetime type of opportunity,” Demelo said.
Businesses in the area said they’re preparing for it as best they can. Some restaurants said they’ll even be switching up their menu items to cater to the global stage they’ll be serving.
“For each game there will be food from the countries that are gonna be here. So, the first game is gonna be Haiti versus Scotland, so we’ll have a dish from both Haiti and from Scotland as well as drink specials from both countries,” Alex Borges, front of house manager at Estella, said.
Borges said they hired 10 new staff members at Estella Patriot Place to make sure they have enough cooks, bartenders, and servers on hand to handle the crowds.
At Citizen Crust, Ashlee Morin, a manager, said they’re planning to do the same.
“Hopefully it will remind them of home, that’s the goal,” Morin said.
Along with the extra staff, extra beer will be on hand to make sure glasses stay full.
“We’ll probably be bringing in hundreds of cases of beer every single week just to make sure that there’s plenty to go around,” Borges said.
But they all remain confident they can handle the crowds.
“We’ve done three days of Taylor Swift, we’ve done home playoff games, it’s really nothing different than that, this is what we’re used to,” Morin said.
Haiti will take on Scotland in the first match at Boston Stadium on Saturday, June 13 at 9 p.m.
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