How election week looked from behind the bar in Philadelphia, a swing state’s bluest city

The day after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, bartenders at Good Dog served tissue boxes alongside Old Fashioneds from 11:30 a.m. to close.

When Biden was declared the victor in 2020, they quickly ran out of Prosecco. “It was the best day of service I’ve ever had,” said Jeff Kile, general manager of the Center City bar.

This Wednesday, hours after Trump clinched Pennsylvania and the presidency for the second time, the bar was full all day long with “people drinking like it’s Saturday night,” Kile said.

But in the heart of deep-blue Philadelphia, one of few Pennsylvania counties where a majority voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, Good Dog staff didn’t need to put tissue boxes out this time.

“Today has just been a lot of drinking,” Kile said Wednesday afternoon. “But it’s lively. We’ve done it before. We can do it again.”

» READ MORE: Donald Trump’s win touches off a mix of celebration and trepidation in the Philly region

The swing in emotions meant boons for area beer distributors on Election Day — when some shop owners saw sales more than double compared to a regular Tuesday.

Across Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Gopuff, the Philadelphia-based delivery app, saw a 60% increase in champagne orders, according to data analysis provided by a company spokesperson, while drink mixers were up 500% and smoking-cessation products rose 100%.

At several Philadelphia bars, customers cleared out before results started rolling in Tuesday evening, but the businesses saw an uptick the day after as people in the majority-Democratic area wanted company and liquid consolation.

“People were drowning their sorrows,” said Todd Lacy, co-owner of Attic Brewing in Germantown. There was a sense of solidarity in the air, too. “I think people coming together and having some drinks reassures them that other people are going through the same thing.”

Bar Hygge in Fairmount was full until closing time Wednesday, said general manager Jacqlyn Boerstler, and she watched as customers exchanged somber glances.

“People were drinking heavier,” Boerstler said. And “people wanted to stay and hang out longer.”

For several bottle shops across the region, the rush came Tuesday, with many customers wearing “I Voted” stickers, and some coming straight from their polling places.

“We were substantially busier than a typical Tuesday, that’s for sure,” said Jordan Fetfatzes, general manager of Bella Vista Beer Distributor, which is around the corner from a South Philadelphia polling place. In the past decade, Fetfatzes could not recall another election that drew so many people to drink.

This Election Day, the store saw more than 200 customers, about twice as many as usual, he said, with customers spending around $20 on average.

At Stone Beer & Beverage Market in Fairmount, business on Election Day was up 76% compared to recent Tuesdays, said owner Nick Wendowski. Many carried baskets with multiple six-packs.

“That is pretty indicative of folks getting together and sitting in front of the TV or the computer and watching those results come in,” he said.

In the suburbs, where the political demographics are relatively more diverse, the story varied by location.

At Epps Beverages in Royersford, Montgomery County, “there was a strange energy in the air,” an anxious excitement, but only about 20 more customers than usual, said owner Dominic Lucchesi.

At Lou Beverage in Downingtown, Chester County, business was slightly down compared to recent Tuesdays, said owner Vincent D’Addezio, and was down more than 30% compared to Election Day 2020, when the store gained business due to bar-restaurant pandemic restrictions.

In nearby West Chester, it was just “an average Tuesday” at Spaz Beverage, said vice president Glenn Collins.

But at Bryn Mawr Beverage, a small distributor on the Main Line, staff saw twice as many customers as usual, said manager Gregory Eiseman, and patrons were buying noticeably more.

“It reminded me a lot of when there are major sporting events,” Eiseman said.