A Secondary Challenge For Boston Marathoners: Can They Drink All The Beer In The City?

BOSTON, MA — Beer sales up more than 200 percent. Vodka sales up nearly 370 percent. Though Boston's premiere drinking holiday may still be St. Patrick's Day, Marathon Monday is right on its heels.

Toast, the restaurant tech platform, recently published data that shows the Monday of the Boston Marathon is a major boon for area restaurants, particularly those near the finish line.

To read the full report, click here.

The company compiled platform data from 2024 that spanned the weekend leading into Marathon Monday, and the day of the race. It compared those numbers to an average weekend for towns and cities along the marathon route — Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston — and the zip codes surrounding the finish line.

The key takeaway from the data set is this: Restaurants along the route are slammed during the weekend leading up to the race, but especially on Monday.

Average gross merchandise volume was up 56 percent along the route on Monday, and 68 percent at the finish line. Transaction totals were up 44 percent along the race while those near the finish line were up 55 percent.

The weekend was also busier than usual, with transactions up by 11 percent across the race route.

What Are People Eating?

As Toast found, comfort foods in particular were the most sought after, though a number of culinary specialties saw a boost in purchases during the weekend ahead of the marathon.

Pasta and nachos were the most purchased items with a 20 percent increase in sales, followed by:

• Bowls — 19 percent
• Fajitas — 18 percent
• Fries — 17 percent
• Salad and burgers — 16 percent
• Breakfast Platter — 15 percent
• Sandwiches, burritos and pizza — 14 percent
• Ramen and sushi — 10 percent

Food sales skyrocketed on Monday, with pizza, fries, chicken tenders, burgers and nacho orders up more than 100 percent compared to the typical Monday near the finish line.

And What Are They Drinking?

A celebratory tequilla shot appeared to be in order for many people, with tequila sales up 16 percent across the weekend.

Beer and rum sales jumped 13 percent compared to an average Boston weekend while vodka and gin were up 10 and nine percent, respectively.

Monday was an entirely different ball game for alcohol sales, as the lowest jump for a type of drink was wine at 54 percent along the route and 98 percent near the finish line.

Whiskey and gin were up over 100 percent near the finish line, tequila was up over 200 percent, vodka and rum were up over 300 percent and beer took the crown, with over 400 percent more people ordering a pint of suds than the average Monday for restaurants near the marathon finish line.

That's what to expect for the weekend. Here's what was happening across the Massachusetts restaurant world this week:

• Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken Coming To Second North Shore Location
• Pizza Event Sliced Into 7 Parts Throughout Somerville
• Brookline's Coolidge Corner Could Have New Dining Option By The End Of The Month
• Two Eateries Combine Their Signature Items For A Limited Time: Report