What is it that makes total strangers want to come together over breakfast and beer?
It's the question that gets asked every four years when the World Cup kicks off somewhere across the globe. Although this year the event is in Russia, it has not stopped businesses from opening pre-dawn to play host.
"It is about being with people; it's about the energy of the crowd," said Kevin May, who moved to the United States from the UK 12 years ago.
He was sitting on a barstool before noon at Fremont's The George and Dragon to watch some football on the first full day of competition. The G&D was one of the first, if not the first, to play all the World Cup matches on live television many years ago. One of the owners says during the matches business is five times normal daily revenue, although it is now probably threefold because other similar establishments have caught on.
"They're all jumping on the bandwagon," said Gareth Etchells, who owns the Atlantic Crossing in Ravenna. "It just used to be The George and Dragon, and me a little bit later."
He also noted the reason why.
"Our busiest month ever was four years ago for the last World Cup," Etchells said.
That means extended hours, and a 5 a.m. opening on June 24, even though the place can't legally serve beer until 6 a.m.
The G&D was filled with fans far and wide on Friday, including dozens of Iranian-born locals cheering on that national squad.
"It's kind of a festive season for us," Pouria Ghadimi, a recent UW grad. "Brings everyone together and they don't care about the problems, and just watch soccer."
May wasn't sitting too far away.
"Given some of the things going on the global stage at the moment, it just reminds you with a country like Iran, there are a bunch of people here. They look like us, they talk like us, they're interested in the same thing - actually they're not that different. And in that respect, you know, it's gotta be a good thing, isn't it?"
