In an April 29th article, Billy Penn at WHYY reported that Philadelphia restaurants are considering adding a mandatory 20% service charge as they prepare for an influx of 500,000 visitors—including international guests—for the FIFA World Cup 26™.

During a World Cup briefing hosted by the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association (PRLA) at Brauhaus Schmitz, World Affairs’ Lauren Swartz delivered a presentation on cultural diplomacy and how to best welcome a global audience while navigating an influx of diverse cultural customs this summer.

Words from Our President

“The world is coming,” said Lauren Swartz, the President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. “People have very different expectations about how they’ll be served, how long the meal should take, how they should interact with the host or the hostess.” 

Philly sports fans, she noted, might approach a game at a bar setting differently than someone from say, Côte d’Ivoire or Croatia. 

“We say things like ‘Go Birds,’ and we do high fives, and we do like the bro hug, tap on the back, right? And that feels very comfortable to us,” she said. “But people in different cultures, of course, have very different ways of doing this.”

Request a Cultural Diplomacy Training Session

To learn more about our individual and group training sessions to help welcome the world in 2026, visit our Cultural Diplomacy Training webpage. Both virtual, asynchronous modules and in-person trainings are available.

About World Affairs

The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia is where continents, cultures, and ideas connect. As the region’s largest and longest-running international nonprofit, World Affairs opens doors between Philadelphia and the world through powerful speaker events, international exchanges, youth education, professional development, and curated travel programs. Since 1949, global leaders, Philly students, entrepreneurs, teachers, and citizen diplomats have come together at World Affairs to share stories, exchange ideas, and expand perspectives. Today, the invitation is open to all: to learn and discuss, to explore and host, and to experience Philadelphia—and the world—in new ways.