The Burgerizza
When Shawn Mattox, Delaware North Sportservice District Manager in Atlanta, and his team get an idea, they do what they call “text-storming.”
“Someone will snap a photo and send it to us, and then another one of us will say, ‘That’s cool, but what if we do this?’” Mattox said. “And then another one of us will say, ‘But how about this?’”
That’s how the Burgerizza was born, a culinary mash-up from a mash-up of ideas. And the fans at Atlanta’s Turner Field have eaten it up. “I haven’t checked the numbers recently, but early on, we were selling around 200 to 250 per game,” Mattox said. “The TED [a foot-long hot dog layered with a number of toppings] and the Tater Tot Chop are doing well but, by far, the Burgerizza is leading the pack.”
It’s constructed like a large sandwich, with pizza dough as the base. The culinary staff then piles a 20-ounce burger patty covered in five or six slices of cheese and crispy bacon on top before placing the piece de resistance—a pizza, with sauce, cheese and pepperoni—like a crown on this royal menu item.
The Burgerizza, which is sold in Turner Field’s Taste of the Majors concessions area, is usually cut into pieces and conquered by about four people. “I’ve never sat there and stared at someone while they ate a whole Burgerizza, but I’m sure it takes place,” Mattox said, chuckling.
“The whole idea is to create something you can’t get outside of the ballpark,” Mattox added. “Obviously if it’s unique enough, there’s a whole social media element to it. Fans take selfies with it and with their friends.”
Shawn Mattox, Delaware North Sportservice District Manager
Turner Field, Atlanta
A part-time position turned into a lifelong career when Shawn Mattox took a job as a vendor working spring training in Arizona. “I just had a fun time doing it,” he said. “I went on to work full-time. … Then spent time growing and learning as I advanced my career with Delaware North. I’ve been with the company about 25 or 26 years now.”
Those 25 years will come in handy as Mattox and the Delaware North team at Turner Field have a large task head. The food and beverage service provider’s first year as the Atlanta Braves’ partner will see a transition to the new SunTrust Park, a facility that’s under construction but will open in 2017.
Mattox will work to transform the new Braves home into a destination as iconic as Turner Field. “When you can walk the concourse and see—and this is going to sound corny, but I love this—a family enjoying your food and beverage options, and you see people enjoying the game and having a good time, and you’re part of that hospitality experience, that’s what I really enjoy.”
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