Did L.A. businesses get the promised World Cup bump?

Businesses and bureaucrats got an early indicator this week of whether the World Cup was worth the cost for Los Angeles—beer sales. Although there were some struggling sectors and important lessons to apply before the Olympics, the number of people pounding pints at pubs was unprecedented.At Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica, the line for England games formed four hours before the game began. Customers ordered full English breakfasts and Guinnesses and sang national anthems.In an industry that hasn’t seen traffic come back since COVID-19 and was further pummeled by the Palisades fire last year, it was a welcome sight for Lisa Powers, the restaurant’s operations manager.“The city felt alive again,” she said.The British pub had prepared for months, buying televisions, modifying seating, hi