Cafés consider the World Cup one of the best times to make money. With the World Cup now over and the Saudi league and major European leagues beginning in mid and late August and Ramadan just one month away, coffeeshops will now struggle to attract customers.

During the World Cup, many coffeehouses reserved minimum purchases to SR50 and some offered new types of drinks named after players and teams.

Competition was also very high during the tournament with many cafés redecorating their venues and putting up special plasma screens.

“We’re trying our best to make the best out of the summer season. Most of our visitors travel abroad during this time of the year, something that negatively affects revenue,” said Abdullah Sultan, assistant general manger of IN10SO, a popular car racing and entertainment center at Serafi Mega Mall.

“We’re also launching several new offers and programs to attract as many customers as possible during the coming few months. We cannot be sure these offers will be popular, especially since Ramadan is coming,” said Sultan.

He added that IN10SO will also offer free additional credit together with tickets “so visitors can play games for free. However, we still expect a 50 percent decrease in customers.”

According to Sultan, watching Saudi and international matches at coffeehouses is popular among young Saudis, but with the end of the World Cup the next few months will be difficult, especially with Ramadan so close.

Game Time, a popular coffee shop in Jeddah, has lowered its prices for the duration of the summer and Ramadan.

“We’ve decreased our prices by 20 percent. Many people think the summer season is our rush season, but it isn’t,” said Saeed Al-Ghazal, a cashier at another coffeehouse.

“Most Saudis and expatriates are unable to watch matches at home and prefer to visit coffeehouses. We’re expecting gloomy days with the absence of major football leagues during the coming month,” he added.

Some coffeehouses have developed new ways to attract customers, including tourists.

Mohammed Maghrabi, owner of Ne’na’ah Coffeehouse in Jeddah, said cafés need to be managed differently during off-peak seasons.

“Most café owners and managers don’t know how to attract customers. For example, I try to make customers believe they are in Egypt. Preparations for this low season began one month ago. I asked my brother to bring the latest movies from Egypt to play here in my café,” said Maghrabi.

“Such movies are difficult to get hold of here in Jeddah. This spurred me to send messages to our customers, announcing when the films will be shown. I’ve used Facebook to advertise what we’re doing,” he added.

“In Ramadan, there will be no opportunity to attract customers. Every Ramadan, we lose about 70 percent of revenue. I’m also planning to change the decoration and make it a little more Islamic and try to provide Ramadan dishes and drinks. This will hopefully help us attract customers,” he added.