Edgar's Fish Tacos at Safeco Field in Seattle are indicative of the trend toward shareables and smaller portions.
Level of expectation for venue food used to be a cold beer, a hot dog and fresh popcorn.
Concessionaires still deliver the basics, but today, “we live in a foodie world,” said Shervin Mirhashimi, Legends COO. “There is constant dialog about F&B options and people are just more informed about choices.”
Fans today are expecting that unique item consistent with their marketplace. “That drives the fan satisfaction,” Mirhashimi said.
At Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Calif., Legends changed the way it delivered food at the Stadium Club. It had been a traditional buffet, but Legends created appetizer stations, offering up small plates and lots of choices, while guests custom ordered their main protein, cooked to order and delivered to the table. After dinner, an array of desserts emerged. Mirhashimi called it a blend between a restaurant and a buffet, with an action component and table seating.
Today’s baseball fan is “looking for areas and places within the ballpark where they can remain connected to the event on the field but also to their friends,” said Carl Mittleman, president, Aramark Leisure Services. His firm has been working on development of more gathering destinations within venues and, fortunately, the real estate is becoming available to make that happen.
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, has three spaces created for socialization, Corner Craft Bar, the Terrace Bar and the extension of the Hall of Fame Club, Mittleman continued.
“As the demographics shift to millennials, you don’t see them sitting as much as traditional fans may have done,” Mittleman said.
The rooftop at Coors Field, Denver, is another example. The team took seats out and created a multi-tiered destination in the upper deck of the outfield. “We saw over 600-percent increase in food and beverage purchases because it was created for a different fan,” Mittleman said. “That is a fan who wants a place to connect, socialize, then maybe they move.”
These social gathering spaces become destinations. And it’s not only in stadiums and arenas. At the Las Vegas Convention Center, Aramark converted the Harley Davidson store into a cocktail lounge. It’s right by the cab line and is used as a meeting and gathering place.
Today’s customer is absolutely more sophisticated, agreed Savor’s Shaun Beard. “They know where food comes from. They shop differently. They are more conscious of what they are eating.”
Traceability is paramount. “If we’re doing a salmon salad in one of our QSR’s (quick service restaurants), customers want to know where that three ounces of salmon came from, was it line caught, where was it caught, how fresh is it, how long has it been there? It’s not a nicety to tell, it’s a necessity to tell,” Beard said.
Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio, just rolled out a great innovation, a two-story corner bar in the outfield, indicative of the way many millennials want to interact with the game and friends, said John Wentzell, Sportservice. “Part of it is a self-serve draft wall — beer you want and the amount you want.”
From craft cocktails to barrel bourbon to moonshine, “craftsmanship around alcohol and food is really important,” Wentzell said.