When the Toronto Blue Jays fell just short of a World Series title this fall, it felt like a gut punch for fans who had packed bars and restaurants night after night. For operators across the country, however, the story ended on a far more positive note. New data from CGA by NIQ show that the Jays’ deep playoff run translated into significant gains in sales, traffic and average cheque values, delivering exactly the kind of lift the hospitality sector has been seeking in a challenging year.
Those Blue Jays World Series bar sales were especially dramatic in Toronto, where game nights turned already busy weekends into record setting occasions. The performance rippled across Ontario and into other provinces as fans gathered in bars, restaurants and pubs to watch what became one of the most closely followed championship runs in recent memory.
“It was great to see the impact that it had not only on Toronto and Ontario, but nationally as well,” said Mitch Stefani, Client Solutions Director at NIQ. “When big events like this happen, especially sporting events, we have really seen how impactful they are to the hospitality industry and to bars and restaurants.”
Record Nights in Toronto as Jays Take the Field
Game days for the Jays became a stress test of sorts for the city’s food and beverage scene. According to NIQ’s sales data, World Series Games 1 and 2 at home delivered Toronto’s best performing Friday and Saturday of 2025. Compared to an average Friday, Game 1 saw sales velocity climb by 39 per cent, ticket counts rise by 20 per cent and average cheque values jump by 16 per cent. Game 2 on Saturday produced a similar pattern, with sales velocity up 33 per cent, ticket counts up 14 per cent and cheques again 16 per cent higher than usual.
Stefani notes that the momentum actually began earlier, during the American League Championship Series. Game 7 of the ALCS, played on a Monday, turned what is typically one of the quieter days of the week into Toronto’s single most lucrative Monday of the year for bars and restaurants. “It was the most dollars generated the average outlet did on a Monday throughout the entire year in Toronto,” he said.
For operators, the appeal of these Blue Jays World Series bar sales went beyond single busy nights. They helped stretch demand across multiple days and series, turning the city into a sustained viewing zone where fans were eager to be out of the house and in front of big screens. “Ticket counts, the number of checks generated, were in double digits across the board compared to the average Friday and Saturday,” Stefani added. “Locally, the impact was definitely there, and you could feel it in the foot traffic.”
Ontario Leads, National Market Rises Above 2024
While Toronto grabbed many of the headlines, the Jays’ run lifted the broader Ontario market as well. For the week ending October 25, 2025, Ontario’s bars and restaurants recorded a 13 per cent increase in sales velocity versus the same week in 2024, with ticket counts up 12 per cent and average cheque values inching higher as well.
Across Canada, an already improving on premise picture received a notable boost. CGA by NIQ’s BeverageTrak data show that total national sales velocity in the week to October 25 sat five per cent above the same week a year earlier, while ticket counts were seven per cent higher. That week also marked the thirty fifth consecutive week in which national sales velocity tracked ahead of 2024 levels, pointing to a market that is gradually regaining its footing.
Stefani points out that the enthusiasm for the Jays extended far beyond the GTA. “Everywhere had spikes in their ticket counts and velocities,” he said. “It was not just one demographic going out. It was really everyone buying in and supporting the team, whether locally in Toronto and Ontario or across the country.”
Quebec, for example, has been outperforming last year consistently since early summer. In the most recent period, the province saw sales velocity climb 11 per cent year over year, supported by ticket counts that were 13 per cent higher than the same week in 2024.
Alberta, which had already benefited earlier in the year from the Edmonton Oilers’ own Stanley Cup run, also improved. For the week ending October 25, sales velocity edged one per cent ahead of last year, while traffic rose eight per cent, suggesting that operators are seeing more guests even as cheque values fluctuate.
A Softer Picture in British Columbia
The national story was not uniformly positive. British Columbia was the only province to post a slight decline compared to 2024 for the week ending October 25. Velocity in the province sat about five per cent below the same week a year earlier, ticket counts were down three per cent and average cheques were three per cent lower as well.
That softness may be influenced in part by the prolonged BC Liquor distribution strike, which began to affect product availability for operators as the postseason was unfolding. Although many bars and restaurants were able to maintain inventory, some suppliers and venues faced challenges bringing product into the province. Even so, Stefani notes that the data do not show an extreme collapse in performance. “We have seen some slowdowns there compared to other provinces, but nothing that caught us by surprise,” he said.
For venues in Vancouver and across British Columbia, the strike backdrop may have pushed operators to rely even more heavily on careful stock management and long term supplier relationships, especially as local fans still filled pubs to cheer on the Jays.
Beer, Spirits and Canadian Whiskey Surge Together
It would be easy to assume that beer alone powered Blue Jays World Series bar sales. The data tell a more nuanced story. Nationally, the week that included Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS and Game 1 of the World Series became the biggest week of the year for beer in Canadian bars and restaurants, with sales velocity up 112 per cent compared to the previous week. Domestic beer sales climbed 99 per cent, import beer rose 117 per cent and craft beer jumped 111 per cent.
Spirits were equally strong. The same week generated a 126 per cent gain in spirits sales velocity versus the prior week, and the following week, which included later World Series games, remained one of the two largest of the year for spirits. “We saw several categories reach a hundred per cent or more growth versus the previous week,” Stefani said. “That balanced growth is a good thing, and it is something operators definitely felt when going through everything.”
Canadian whiskey, in particular, had its second largest week of the year during the first wave of Jays related celebrations, with sales almost doubling compared to the prior week. It then posted its largest week of the year in the next period, up another five per cent from that elevated base. Stefani links part of this to a broader trend of consumers choosing domestic spirits at a time when American whiskey has been facing pressure from tariffs and shifting preferences. “There is a lot of support local sentiment,” he said. “A lot of consumers are looking to buy Canadian, drink Canadian and support Canadian, and that is helping the category.”
Vodka, rum and gin all benefited as well, with rum and gin each recording their largest weeks of the year. Hard seltzers also posted their second largest week, showing that even more niche segments gained from the surge in sports related outings. For operators, the breadth of the uplift highlighted how diverse groups of guests, from casual beer drinkers to cocktail focused consumers, turned game nights into reasons to go out.
Sports Viewing Keeps Younger Guests Coming Out
The Jays’ playoff run unfolded against a backdrop of ongoing questions about how often younger consumers are choosing to drink in bars and restaurants. CGA by NIQ’s consumer research suggests that sports remain one of the most reliable occasions for pulling those guests through the door.
In September, ahead of the playoffs, NIQ surveyed 1,200 consumers about their plans for the coming months. Nearly half said they were likely to visit the on premise to watch sports in the next three months. Among those aged 18 to 34, fully 71 per cent said they expected to go out to watch games.
“Sporting occasions are a big one for that younger demographic,” Stefani explained. “At a time when there is a lot of talk about moderation and people cutting back, these events are still a driver of footfall.”
The research also underlines the importance of locations near stadiums and arenas. When consumers were asked whether they would visit a bar or restaurant before or after attending a game in person, roughly one third said they would go beforehand, 27 per cent said they would go after, and 34 per cent said they would do both. For businesses clustered around venues like Rogers Centre, Scotiabank Arena or CFL and NFL stadiums, that pattern translates into multiple opportunities to capture spend on game days.
Promotions and Value Remain Central
Even in a season of high spirits, price remains a central concern. NIQ’s consumer work shows strong interest in value oriented offers, especially among those using sports as an excuse to go out. When asked how likely they would be to take part in a promotion or brand activation while watching sports in a bar or restaurant, 81 per cent of respondents said they were likely to do so.
Stefani has seen operators respond with a mix of tactics, from late night happy hours timed to first pitch, to bundled food and drink offers that help guests feel they are getting a better return on their spending. “Food and drink combos are a growing promotion type,” he said. “If consumers can get a burger and a beer at what feels like a good value, they are more inclined to make that trip, especially on game days.”
Those strategies helped venues catch the tailwind from Blue Jays World Series bar sales and, in many cases, build relationships with guests that can last beyond baseball season. With NHL and NBA schedules now in full swing, and key CFL and NFL games still on the calendar, operators have further chances to refine those offers and capture repeat visits.
Beyond the Jays: What the Data Mean for Canadian Operators
Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway for Canadian bars and restaurants is that the underlying market was already improving before the Jays began their run, and that performance has stayed ahead of last year even when playoff spikes are removed. Ticket counts and sales velocity have been pacing above 2024 levels for weeks, indicating that many consumers continue to see eating and drinking out as their preferred way to treat themselves.
“Global research has shown that eating out and drinking out are still the top avenues where consumers treat themselves,” Stefani said. “The on premise has a big role to play, despite the price increases consumers may be feeling.”
For operators, the lesson from this fall is clear. Major sports events, when combined with thoughtful promotions and a strong in venue experience, can unlock significant gains in revenue and traffic. The Jays may have missed their chance at a championship, however their playoff push has shown how closely Canadian hospitality fortunes remain tied to the country’s sporting calendar, and how powerful those Blue Jays World Series bar sales can be when the right team catches fire at the right time.
