⚽ CID sees mixed results from World Cup

World Cup Proves To Be a Mixed Bag for CID So Far

The World Cup in Seattle has largely been billed as a massive success for local businesses, but the actual economic picture is more complicated. Small businesses in the Chinatown International District have seen some success and some failure. And it’s possible that all the festivities are keeping locals away. [Seattle Times]

• ‘Worst sales day of my entire life’: In a video posted to Instagram, Vince Vu of Anh Oi bake shop, said that despite being told to “prep like crazy” for World Cup visitors, he believes that there is “very little overlap between sports tourism and culturally-specific businesses” like his, and that sports tourism encourages locals to stay home. CID Business Improvement Area executive director Tuyen Than says that regulars “don’t want to get caught up in the traffic and the crowds.”
• “Huge push to our business”: About a block south of Anh Oi, Joe’s Bar and Grill said they saw record sales during the Friday USA games. However, as Vince points out in his video, the bar food at Joe’s may be more what a tourist crowd is looking for.
• ‘There’s so much to this neighborhood’: Yesterday on the podcast, we spoke with Tuyen Than, executive director of the Chinatown International District’s Business Improvement Area, about the history of the CID, why some residents want surveillance cameras for their own safety, and how the CID recently broke a world record. [City Cast Seattle]

💲 Ferguson looks to top executives for economic plan: Governor Bob Ferguson has put together the Governor’s Economic Development Council to develop the state’s economic strategy amidst criticism of Seattle’s tax policy and the recently signed millionaire’s tax. Included in this 26-member council are executives at Amazon, Microsoft, Uwajimaya, T-Mobile, as well as University of Washington leaders, Suquamish and Pullayup Tribe leaders, and more. [GeekWire]

🌭 Proof our hot dog is the best: As if you didn’t already know, Seattle has the best hot dog, and we’ve got famed chef and humanitarian José Andrés on our side now: he chose our dog as #1 in a Wirecutter Taste Test video. Cream cheese and onions (with or without jalapeños, your choice) FTW! [Wirecutter/Northwest Progressive Institute]

👷 No more free warnings for work-area speeders: Starting today, if you’re caught speeding through a work zone on camera, the state will fine you $125 for the first violation and $248 for subsequent ones. This comes after a year of no-fine warnings only, which resulted in 77,000 first-time violators. 2025 saw over 1,500 work area crashes. [Washington State Standard]