Terry Black's Barbecue began sourcing extra brisket more than a month before kickoff for its two locations in Dallas and Fort Worth, each about 20 minutes from a World Cup stadium, and now runs its smoking pits 24 hours a day, senior vice president Darien Kapture told the Associated Press [1]. Each brisket takes four days to season and 12 hours to cook. The night Argentina beat Austria, supporters packed the Dallas location: "They were hooting and hollering and praising the brisket," Kapture said [1].

That independent, prep-line spending is the part of the story the viral clips miss. On X, the tournament's food coverage travels as fans discovering oversized American portions and photogenic chains — Erling Haaland posted himself outside Katz's Delicatessen; Japanese visitors made Whataburger, a 1,100-location Texas chain, trend. AP instead traces the money into small kitchens: Paul Barker of Pauli's in Boston, selling out lobster rolls to fans from Scotland and Brazil, said, "I have not seen anything like this ever in my life" [1]. In Toronto, Glasgow visitor Gary Bishop tried poutine for the first time and called it "absolutely delicious" [1].

This follows the paper's question about where host-city costs and benefits land from July 12. The chains are leaning in too, from Waffle House's downtown Atlanta pop-up to a TSA reminder that ranch-dressing converts pack bottles in checked bags [1]. Which shops the visitor money reaches, and how much, is the gap the viral feeds leave open [1].

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos