Revenue / 02.28.24
The Stadium, Ballpark and Arena Concessions of the Future Are Here Now
Teddy Durgin
If you ever read or watch interviews with longtime coaches and older or former players in any of the professional sports, inevitably the conversation will turn to “Well, the game has changed. It ain’t what it used to be.” And most of the time, they will then qualify that with some of the positives of “today’s game” versus yesteryear — everything from bigger salaries to grander stadiums to better on- and off-the-field protections.
Ballpark and stadium concessions ain’t what they used to be. But, for the most part, they are better than they ever were. In many cases, they’re a lot better. For one, there are more food and drink offerings targeted to an increasingly diverse fan base for many pro teams. This past NFL season saw Aramark, Sodexo, Legends and Levy — football stadiums’ main food and beverage partners — debut new menu items they developed in the offseason to fuel cheering crowds on game days.
Jeff Hecker
Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s new culinary program, Game Time, built menus more closely around football schedules. For earlier kickoffs, the company now offers brunch favorites. For evening games, there’s a late-night menu. On the brunch side, there are 10 new items, including a Brunch Banh Mi (Empower Field at Mile High Stadium) and a Chicken Croissant Cone (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.) For the late-night crowd, there’s an Elvis Sandwich (U.S. Bank Stadium) and Cannoli Nachos (Lincoln Financial Field) for those craving a sweet ending.
Local flavors continue to be popular. For instance, Cincinnati Bengals fans can grab the city’s famous chili at Skyline Chili, the new official partner at Paycor Stadium, while NRG Stadium in Houston is offering up smoked barbecue cuernos and tacos from El Tiempo Cantina. Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, meanwhile, features such local food offerings as Dirt Dog concession stands and the Impact Sports Bar & Grill for Kings and Lakers season ticketholders.
Margo Malone
Jeff Hecker, Vice President of Ticket Operations for the New York Jets, says, “We have definitely added to our vegan and Kosher menu, as this has been asked for by many people throughout the years.”
Baseball has also come to play in this regard. Look no further than the City by the Bay. According to Margo Malone, Senior Manager of Season Ticket Memberships and Special Projects for the San Francisco Giants, “Bon Appetit is the park concessionaire, and every offseason their chefs make small changes to the menu but are mindful to retain fan favorites.
At Media Day the week before the first home game, improvements to the venue are announced and new food items are sampled. One of my personal favorite places to dine at the park is The Garden, a unique space nestled behind the centerfield wall. Vegetables and herbs are grown on-site in this area and used to create plant-based dishes like fresh tossed salads and gluten free flatbread pizza.”
Trevor Purvis
Perhaps the biggest improvements to stadium concessions have come thanks to cutting-edge technology. Trevor Purvis, Director of Ticket Technology and Solutions for the Houston Astros, says, “At Minute Maid Park, we have enhanced the way we offer our concessions using a variety of technology. We have two Amazon Just Walk Out stores, where you swipe a credit card on the way in and grab what you want and walk out. We have a handful of Masgin units that greatly speed up throughput and allow the customer to self-service the checkout. We also offer UberEats as a way to order ahead and pick-up. And we have a QR code on each seat that links out quickly to a wayfinding map with an in-depth list of offerings around the ballpark.”
Amazon has made inroads at hockey arenas, too. Hayley Chapman, Senior Director of Ticket Operations & Administration for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership (MLSE), says, “Some of the most exciting changes have happened in the technology space. We have also added Just Walk Out by Amazon on our concourses, allowing fans to tap their credit card, enter, pick their food and beverage, and just walk out. Easy, simple, fast and seamless! We also offer in-seat ordering, and pre-order is available at various concessions stands around our venue.”
Other companies see opportunity and are following suit. In October 2022, DoorDash announced a partnership with Chase Bank Arena in San Francisco, the home of the Golden State Warriors since 2019. An official company statement read: “A key component of the partnership will allow fans attending games and events at Chase Center to order in-arena food and beverage items using the DoorDash mobile app.”
Around that same time, grocery delivery company Instacart announced a new point-of-sale (POS) system at Boston’s Fenway Park. The system entails fans placing their items on the device, which then scans them and then asks consumers to select their payment option.
Also in the spring of 2022, online food ordering company Waitr (which has since been rechristened ASAP) announced a partnership with the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets to exclusively supply mobile ordering capabilities at MetLife Stadium. That was followed by Uber announcing that Uber Eats at Stadiums would be bundled into its new suite of products. The technology, which drives digital ordering for pickup from concessions sellers at live event venues, is now active at several Major League Baseball stadiums.
And then are the ticket deals tied in with venue concessions. The Astros’ Purvis says, “We offer two food-focused discount packages. The first is the Coca-Cola Ballpark Bundle [where your] ticket comes with a hot dog, soda and popcorn for $22.” The second is the Family Value 4 Pack offered for Sunday games and includes four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas.
Malone of MLB’s The Giants notes, “The Giants offer a family-friendly Weekend Four Pack, which includes Splash Cash that can be redeemed for a hot dog and beverage. Prices start at $29 per ticket, with a minimum of four tickets and a maximum of eight.”
And while the Giants have “Splash Cash,” the NFL’s Jets have “Jets Cash.” Hecker, the team’s VP of Ticket Operations, concludes, “The NFL limits what we can do with add-ons or promotions. For us, it’s about tying in concessions and merchandise to our rewards program. Season ticketholders [STHs] get a certain amount of ‘Jets Cash’ at the beginning of the calendar year and continue to earn additional dollars based on activity. We encourage the use of Jets Cash to pay for concessions at each game. It’s the best perk we provide to STHs … in essence, free food and drink for being season ticketholders!”
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Tags: Concessions , Revenue