Vendors dance at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.
Spring training is in full swing, which means the grills are hot and the hawkers are on the clock. The tried-and-true hamburgers, hot dogs and other traditional ballpark fare still rule concession stand sales, but this year they’re joined by the new beverage king: craft beer. Major League Baseball’s spring training ballparks in the Cactus League and the Grapefruit League are also trying some interesting new options and bringing back signature items from past years to kick off the season for America’s pastime.
In Jupiter, Fla., Roger Dean Stadium is playing with the big dogs. The venue’s Dean Dog ($6.25), a dog that measures nearly one foot, continues to be one of the top sellers, according to Daniel Stock, general manager for Delaware North Companies Florida Sportservice at the stadium. As host to the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals for spring training, Roger Dean Stadium also offers a St. Louis bacon-wrapped hot dog ($8.50), a Miami Dog topped with Caribbean roasted pork ($8.50) and, as a tribute to the Cardinals-Cubs longstanding rivalry, a Cub Hater: a Chicago-style hot dog ($8.50). Of the city-themed items on the menu, the Cub Hater is the No. 1 seller.
New this year at Roger Dean Stadium is a portable dedicated to three craft beers on draft: Monk in the Trunk, an organic amber ale from Jupiter’s own Inlet Brewing Company; #9 from Magic Hat Brewing Company; and India Pale Ale from Goose Island beer company. Stock said the portable is extremely popular. “The lines are 1.5 to two times longer at the stand than they were last year [when it carried macro brews],” he said.
The stadium is also testing Geebo, a remote ordering system for concessions, which allows guests to order food from their seats from mobile phones or Geebo’s Virtual Concierge locations throughout the building. Every seat has a barcode on the back of it, and Geebo has been giving out prizes to market the new app. “Since we have so many people that are repeat [customers], it’s catching on each day,” noted Stock.
JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., hosts the Boston Red Sox for spring training and has added a number of new items that cater to fans seeking traditional ballpark favorites, such as nachos ($4.50), a jumbo dog ($6) and jumbo burger ($6). A couple staples are now also offered in gluten-friendly and gluten-free options. A gluten-free pizza ($8.50) is offered at two pizza stands, and gluten-free Redbridge beer ($6.75) is available throughout the stadium. Aramark, the stadium’s concessionaire, has introduced gluten-free and gluten-friendly items in a number of its venues.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a demand,” said Rich Roper, regional vice president at Aramark, who oversees Aramark’s operation at JetBlue Park as well as Fenway Park in Boston. “In my view, it’s not a matter of how many people [request gluten-free items], it’s ‘let’s take care of as many customers as we can.’”
The venue has added a craft beer garden on Yawkey Way inside the park, featuring a bevy of microbrews, including selections from Kona Brewing Company, Magic Hat, Black Diamond Brewing Company and Belfast Bay Brewing Company. The craft beers, which go for $7.50, are very popular at the park this year, according to Roper. “It seems that it’s a trend,” he said. “Not just a trend in baseball; it’s a trend, period. So we actually made a craft beer garden with nine different craft beers.”
Returning to the park is the Taste of Fenway, the venue’s food truck vendor that serves lobster rolls and more traditional fare like hot dogs and chicken tenders. New on the Taste of Fenway menu is the grilled cheese sandwich ($5), but Roper noted that the lobster rolls are the main draw at the food truck. For a new, sweeter option, the venue has brought in artisan gelato from Normal Love Confections, a business also based in Fort Myers.
Also in Florida, Space Coast Stadium in Viera has two grill stands at the center of the stadium concourse that are the primary focus of the venue’s concessions operations, which are managed by Ovations. The stands serve hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers and the park’s signature Strasburger, named for Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The burger is topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheddar cheese and applewood-smoked bacon, and drizzled with barbecue sauce. Another stand in the venue has a menu that changes each year, and this year it is serving seafood items such as a grilled mahi sandwich, fried shrimp basket, and fish and chips basket, which Ovations Regional Vice President Thomas Anastasia said does very well.
Beer is on the menu in a big way at Space Coast as well. The venue has a popular beer bomber offering, which is a 22-ounce serving of beer for $11. “We really find that fans like to get that big packaging so they can get a big beer and not [have to] return as often, and we’re able to charge a higher price point because of the quality of the product,” said Anastasia. “They don’t shy away from it at all.”
In the Cactus League in Arizona, Hohokam Park in Mesa and Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear both have some new concessions offerings for spring training spectators. Both parks’ concessions are managed by Ovations. At Goodyear, which hosts the Cincinnati Reds, Ovations is partnering with a local Southwest eatery called Mateo’s, which will have its own portable offering regionally-inspired foods such as tacos and burritos ($8).
At Hohokam Park, the Chicago Cubs’ spring training facility, Ovations remains loyal to the team’s home city, as well as its adopted Southwest spring training region for concessions. This year, Ovations introduces two new items, working with businesses that also reflect the two regions. Hungry Hill Sausages is based in Illinois, and the company’s Italian beef sandwiches and Italian sausages are available at the park for $8. In addition, the park has partnered with TQLA, a Southwestern-inspired restaurant that offers taco salad, tacos, burritos and other regional favorites.
And, as with many of the other spring training facilities, Ovations is shining the spotlight on craft beer at both locations this year. “Our matrix of beer [offerings] I believe is second to none,” said Ovations Regional Vice President Jay Satenspiel, who oversees concessions at both venues. This year will be the first year that Hohokam Park sells 312 Urban Wheat Ale ($8) from Chicago’s Goose Island, which has a restaurant close to the Cubs’ regular season home stadium of Wrigley Field.
Interviewed for this story: Daniel Stock, (561) 630-1841; Rich Roper, roper-rich@aramark.com; Thomas Anastasia, (904) 612-8350; Jay Satenspiel, (919) 395-7900