World Cup promises aren’t materializing for some Atlanta small businesses

Welcome to ATL operated three sites for vendors near Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium during the World Cup) and on its website bills itself as “the official small business activation for Atlanta during the 2026 World Cup.”

About 120 businesses signed up. But dozens have pulled out, and booths are sitting vacant downtown.

Discussions between the vendors and the program organizer are ongoing about refunds and other remedies, according to communications reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“It was a financial nightmare,” said one vendor, chef Jarvis Williams, owner of Social Express Catering & Meal Prep.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Williams said he cleared his summer schedule to focus on the World Cup. He saw the vendor program as a way to test a new takeout concept called Fire & Flavor ATL, featuring jerk bowls. He said he spent about $60,000 in booth fees, equipment, food and labor. But he made only $1,200 in sales over four days of vending before he left the event.

“We had to cut off the bleeding,” he said.

‘Down from projections’

The Welcome to ATL program was the brainchild of Candace Mitchell, an entrepreneur and the executive director of Atlanta-based consulting firm CVM Worldwide.

Mitchell said the program had a “rough start” because foot traffic during the first World Cup matches didn’t meet expectations, though vendors allege the issues go deeper, to operational failures and broken promises.

“It’s not just us,” Mitchell said. “Foot traffic and tourism as a whole is way down from the projections.”

Hotels and short-term rentals have also reported soft demand for the World Cup, for example.

Before the tournament, city and business leaders said the World Cup would be the economic equivalent of eight Super Bowls, one for each of the soccer matches Atlanta is hosting.

Mitchell said she created Welcome to ATL with the goal of providing economic opportunity to small businesses during the global soccer event.

“We wanted it to be a branded, unified presentation of Atlanta through the small businesses and the entrepreneurs who we consider the real heartbeat and culture of the city,” said Mitchell, who founded beauty tech company Myavana.

She said she has experience organizing large events, helping startups and working with groups, including the Atlanta Beltline.

For Welcome to ATL, Mitchell said she secured permission from the property owners of The Center (stylized as The CTR and formerly known as the CNN Center), South Downtown, a newly renovated neighborhood a few blocks from the stadium, and the pedestrian Steele Bridge, which is part of Centennial Yards.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

She then approached Showcase Atlanta, an initiative created by Mayor Andre Dickens to help local businesses benefit from large events.

Showcase Atlanta jumped on board as a sponsor because it “felt in line with our missions,” interim Executive Director Lamar Stewart said. He said the organization provided funding and promoted the event as an opportunity for small businesses. But Showcase Atlanta did not run it, he said.

“We were not a part of the operations or the contracts or agreements with any of the vendors,” Stewart said.

The city sent out a news release in April announcing the Welcome to ATL program and presenting an “open call” to would-be vendors.

A Dickens spokesperson told the AJC the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs has worked to boost foot traffic in the vending area by providing free programming through the Atlanta Cultural Exchange held at The Center.

On June 23, a little over a week after Atlanta’s first match, Dickens also posted an Instagram video encouraging residents to be a “tourist in your own city” and promoting the vendor program along the Steele Bridge and in South Downtown. But the affected vendors said they felt that effort was too late.

Welcome to ATL is not the only opportunity for small vendors during the tournament. Showcase Atlanta has a callout to vendors for a festival at Piedmont Park planned for the final day of the World Cup and set up a location for food trucks to sell across from the FIFA Fan Fest at Centennial Olympic Park.

Welcome to ATL vendors would sell their goods and services — which have ranged from T-shirts to massages to tamales — the day before a World Cup match and game day. The booth rental fees started at $600 per two-day match block, and vendors agreed to pay 30% of the day’s gross sales to a partnership composed of the property owners and CVM Worldwide, according to Mitchell.

Vendors said they were promised essentially a turnkey experience, that they would be provided everything they needed, from a branded booth to marketing.

But reality didn’t meet expectations, some business owners said.

‘Amicable resolution’

When Ali Moradi, the owner of Gyro Chef Mediterranean, saw an email from Showcase promoting the activation, he jumped on the chance to participate. He had been at meetings organized by Showcase for months, so he said “it was a no-brainer” to apply.

“We said, ‘OK, this is well-designed, … well-evaluated by the city of Atlanta.’ So we just jumped on it and filled out the application,” Moradi explained.

He signed up for four booths, two in South Downtown and two at Steele Bridge. He said he spent $128,000 on booth fees, rental equipment, labor and perishable food.

Using a tool provided for Welcome to ATL vendors, he projected he would make about $40,000 a day for the 16 days he was going to be vending. That would’ve been more than $600,000 in one month.

But sales fell far below those projections. He said he sold less than $1,000 in the four days he had his booths set up before cutting his losses and pulling out of the activation.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

“Nothing is similar to what they promised,” Moradi said.

Another participating vendor, Renea Pierre, whose family operates Nature’s Own Herb Shop and sold smoothies and juices during the World Cup, said her business also incurred financial losses. They invested about $18,000 in booth fees, equipment, labor and inventory but made only $300 in sales over four days before pulling out, she said.

The Atlanta Police Department also raised issues with alcohol sales on-site, according to documents reviewed by the AJC.

DoorDash, another sponsor, also left the event. Its logo on the activation’s banners is now covered with duct tape after the food delivery service ended its partnership with CVM Worldwide.

A DoorDash spokesperson said in a statement that it expected its merchant partners would receive “a high-quality platform” to showcase their business and connect with customers.

“Unfortunately, the experience did not meet the expectations communicated to DoorDash or participating merchants, and we are deeply sorry to the small business owners who invested their time, resources, and trust in this activation,” the statement said.

Mitchell said DoorDash’s issues were because of a lack of foot traffic in the area. “If our areas were booming, this would not be an issue,” she said. “I feel like that’s outside of my control.”

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Sharif Jones of Cold Chillin’ Juices, which sells natural fruit and vegetable juices, has remained as a vendor, with a location at The Center.

“As far as actual sales and traffic translating into sales, it’s been less than what I expected,” Jones said. “It hasn’t been without its hurdles.”

But he said he planned to stick it out and felt compassion toward the organizer. “I try and give people grace,” he said.

Mitchell said she has worked to pivot through the challenges. Some vendors, for example, moved to The Center, where more fans have flocked and vendor sales are growing, she said.

Mitchell also said she will offer full refunds of vendor fees for those businesses that were on the Steele Bridge and in South Downtown, along with reimbursement for lost inventory and labor costs, according to a letter sent to the vendors group over the weekend and reviewed by the AJC.

“I’m here to come to an amicable resolution with this group,” Mitchell said.

But the vendor group said Mitchell’s proposed remedy was “too narrow” in scope, according to a letter sent Tuesday evening and reviewed by the AJC. They are asking for refunds for all affected vendors regardless of their location, along with other demands, such as the return of the 30% cut taken from vendor sales.

Mitchell said despite the bumpy road, she hopes to raise awareness that the vending program remains in operation at The Center for Atlanta’s final World Cup match, a semifinal scheduled July 15.

“It’s had a challenging start, but it is growing, and we want the local community to come out and support and just be a part of making this a win during the World Cup,” she said.