Fun-cessions

His experience as a chef and restaurant consultant helps inspire Richard Hamilton, who joined Sportservice as vice-president of food and beverage in 2012, as he takes over the ongoing charge to raise the performance of an already impressive culinary team.

Two initiatives summarize the future for the huge food and beverage division of Delaware North Companies — signature concepts and culinary education and training.

Sportservice has been a leading trendsetter in developing unique concessions stands. Very unofficially, Hamilton dubbed them ‘fun-cessions’ — admitting he gets teased about that. It’s a new way of thinking in serving tasty, nontraditional sports fare. “We’re developing signature concepts with high quality foods that are very creative, made to order, use flavorful ingredients, are healthy and are very fun.”

CONCEPTS IN THE WORKS 

Richard and his team of chefs are working on a myriad of new offerings including signature steak sandwiches; double, triple and quad burgers; and double, triple and quad hot dogs. The burgers of 15 years ago are not the burgers of today, Hamilton said. Today consumers expect high-end stuffed burgers with various toppings and cheeses and homemade buns.

Already introduced at various locations, Sportservice now serves street tacos, Korean BBQ, hot chicken, and a grilled tri-tip and grilled artichoke combination. “The sky’s the limit,” Hamilton said. “In my office right now, I’m looking at a board of easily 50 different concepts we’re starting R&D that will find a place somewhere.”

The ideas often start organically among the culinarians on staff. Hamilton and crew also walk the property with clients, seeking new ideas and checking local restaurants to find how people in the market are dining. 

Sportservice ‘proofs’ the food annually at every client venue every home stand to decide what needs to be tweaked and refreshed. At the same time, culinary teams are looking forward to the 2014 season, preparing to beta-test new concepts next month, that the team expects to become a much-followed trend by other ballparks. 

Among the offerings: a street taco; a signature new burger concept; a fry concept; a tater tot concept; a steak concept and Smokey Q, a barbeque smokehouse concept.

Smokey Q will feature a signature brisket, turkey, ribs and pork, a selection of six or seven sauces and a few sides.

Sportservice recognizes that local branded products are equally vital to each venue as well. The key is knowing the client and the fans; figuring out the right balance and blend and understanding the local fan preferences.

Although ballpark favorites are still big sellers, Hamilton concedes, “Sportservice knows today’s fan is much more sophisticated about food and rightfully has higher expectations. No longer is food sustenance; it’s enjoyment.”

TRAINING FOR TOMORROW

All of Delaware North Companies’ 149 fulltime, salaried chefs, most of whom work for Sportservice, are required to have continual training and education in the culinary arts. That has been a strong direction from the Jacobs family, owners of Delaware North Companies.

“The direction we’re going, culinary will not be the only certification that we do, not the only direction we train our chefs,” Hamilton said. “I believe our chefs not only need to know how to cook well, they also need to be good businessmen and women and they need to have some operational, business and service ends to their training.”

Chefs are certified in various colleges, including Sullivan and Kendall Colleges, or through Culinary Institute of America schools such as Greystone in St. Helena, Calif., and Hyde Park, N.Y. Delaware North Companies master chef, Roland Henin, along with two master chefs-in-training, also oversee the education of Sportservice’s culinary team.

“We get groups together and send them for four to five days for training or certification from the ACF [American Culinary Federation],” Hamilton explained. “New hires either have the certification we’re looking for or they are sent for the level of training we’re looking for.”

 As vice president of food and beverage, Hamilton brings extensive experience as a chef and manager to Sportservice. He gratudated with honors from both Le Cordon Bleu and Ritz Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie. Most recently, Hamilton served as vice president at Elizabeth Blau and Associates, a hospitality consulting firm.