The 2017 World Series fed millions of dollars into two stadiums that offered delicious food, a sea of specialty drinks and mountains of merchandise at seven action-packed games between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although the Astros won the Major League Baseball World Series, both teams rang in winning sales with food and beverage and merchandise, according to stadium officials.
“It’s exceeded everything that we’ve experienced. Even some of our manufacturers are surprised how big our numbers are compared to the Cubs and Dodgers,” said Tom Jennings, Astros vice president of merchandising and retail operations at Minute Maid Park, Houston.
Food and beverage and retail personnel at Minute Maid Park and Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles, worked endless hours before, during and after the World Series to make sure they could keep up with the demand.
“One of the things in our line of work that we always say is that it’s organized chaos. It’s what we live for,” said Dodgers Stadium Executive Chef Ryan Evans, with Levy Restaurants. “It’s probably one of the highest revenue baseball games… I don’t know what to compare it to… the numbers that we did… I’ve never seen numbers like that.”
Both teams declined to give food and beverage and merchandise figures, saying only that sales were a home run.
Food and beverage specialties scored big with the roughly 43,300 fans per game in Houston and 54,000 fans per game at Dodgers Stadium. Four of the seven games were held at Dodgers Stadium (the first two and the last two).
“It’s no longer about hot dogs and nachos. People are getting more educated when it comes to food,” Evans said, noting the World Series is no different.
Mat Drain, district manager for Aramark at Minute Maid Park, also understands fans’ needs.
“The feedback we receive from fans, between interaction at games and surveys, point toward having more variety and more than just the staple F&B items… The core items still generate tons of interest, but our goal is to reach all sections of the fan base with our menu,” he said in an email.
Both stadiums offered explosively yummy food, such as the Blue Heaven Ice Cream Donut Sandwich, the Houston Green Chili Chicken Steak Fries, the Short Rib Waffle Fries and the Savory Waffle Cone Station, to name a few.
A hot dog at Minute Maid Park was $5.50 and the stadium’s most expensive food items were the Prime Rib Sandwich for $18 or the Giant Nacho (which fed four) for $25, Drain said.
Each team put their own culinary spin on menu items to fit the World Series and to ensure it included team pride.
The Astros served specialty drinks in Mason jars that had the Astros star logo, offering Jalapeño Pineapple Margaritas, Cosmopolitans and Old Fashions — all for $18 a drink, with the Mason jar included.
The Dodgers served its Al Pastor Nachos and Al Pastor Fries in mini-plastic Dodgers’ helmets that also served as memorabilia for guests to take home. The Vegan Noodle Bowl was served in a plastic-bowl that was shaped as half of a baseball.
“It’s a way to have that lasting impression. We want them to go home and say, ‘The game was great and the food was amazing and these helmets are really cool,’” Evans said.
Evans, who is in his first season as executive chef for the Dodgers, created 12 food specials for the World Series concessions. Typically, he has only two food specials, aside from regular menus, at regular homestands, he said.
“We put our heart and soul into the food. We want to be the best in baseball, and we want to be the best culinary team in baseball,” Evans said.
A friendly and competitive camaraderie took place between the Astros and Dodgers merchandise and retail vice presidents immediately following both teams winning spots in the World Series.
All teams work with Major League Baseball on logo designs and upcoming demands for games and the World Series and, over the last couple of years, MLB has worked more closely with teams on what merchandise needs and wants, Jennings said.
“We’re all independent (merchandisers). The Dodgers brought all their product in; we brought all of our product in,” Jennings said. “We shared some information with the Dodgers. It’s a little tight knit community where we can share best practices.”
The Astros embraced the saying “Earn History” throughout the American League Championship Series and during the World Series games. Social media also exploded with #EarnHistory, as it was the Astros first time to win the World Series.
“It was surreal,” Jennings said about the win.
As the World Series games continued, Jennings and his team “brought in a pretty large amount of product. We got deliveries as early as 4 a.m. the next morning at the Astros team store.”
The final game took place in L.A., but nearly 20,000 fans gathered for a watch party at Minute Maid Park. The merchandise was flying off the shelves at the team store in the stadium throughout the entire game, and people didn’t mind standing in line, Jennings said.
“We had people lining up at the store, probably at the Fifth Inning,” he said. “Instead of watching it on TV, people started lining up at the team store. By the time the Ninth Inning rolled around, we had 400 to 500 people lined up to get championship merchandise.”
The Astros had to close the store between the Seventh Inning and the end of the 9th inning in order to stock championship retail items.
“The number one item was the infield cap that had World Series on the side,” Jennings said. “When we actually clinched the victory, hats and T-shirts that the players were wearing on the field were the most popular.”
Both teams had a variety of retail of products, including glassware, pendants, pens, hats, T-shirts and more.
Sales weren’t only huge during the seven World Series games, but also before and after, according to both teams.
“From the moment we clinched the World Series, there were lines, upon lines, upon lines of people wanting to buy things,” said Allister Annear, VP of merchandising and retail for the Dodgers. “It was nuts.”
Business immediately jumped 60 percent for the Dodgers, Annear said, declining to give sales figures, saying only that, “Our numbers were unbelievable.”
For the Dodgers, women’s merchandise was up 60 percent in sales and kids retail was up 13 percent, Annear said, adding that women were really snatching up the female version of the baseball players’ jersey.
Although the lines were long at Dodgers Stadium throughout the entire World Series hype, customers didn’t seem to mind, Annear said. “We had very, very, very few complaints. Everyone was completely happy and excited,” he said.
It’s been 29 years since the Dodgers won the World Series, but Annear said the team is hoping to end the “drought” next year.
Since the last game of the World Series was at Dodgers Stadium, the team ordered what’s called “If Win” boxes full of merchandise that said Dodgers World Series Champions. However, since the Dodgers didn’t win, Annear had a grace period to send the boxes back to the manufacturer.
“We literally have to ship it back unopened,” he said. “It’s great to have it here when they win.”
Annear has great respect for the Astros and Jennings’ retail team.
“As crazy as it was for us, it was just as crazy for Houston. There was great bonding with the two teams, especially on the merchandise level. We’re still competing, but it’s all in good fun and good sport.”
WHAT THEY ATE: WORLD SERIES MENUS
DODGERS STADIUM, LOS ANGELES/LEVY RESTAURANTS
Cheet-0-Lote: Roasted sweet corn on the cob slathered in chipotle-lime mayo, dusted with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, cotija cheese & tajin seasoning.
Chicken Waffle Sammy: Belgian waffle, spicy crispy chicken with candied smoked bacon, maple syrup.
Vegan Noodle Bowl: Vietnamese bean thread noodle, nappa cabbage, shredded carrots, diced cucumber, peanuts, diced jalapeño, peanut sauce.
Shrimp Shooter: Grilled jumbo shrimp bathed in L.A.’s michelada mix with a shot of Don Julio tequila.
Char Siu Baby Back Ribs: Smoked baby back ribs slathered in Char Siu style BBQ, served with garlic fries.
Lobster Roll: New England style lobster mix on a King’s Hawaiian Sweet Roll, served with garlic fries.
Wagyu Beef Cheeseburger: Kobe-style American beef ½-lb. burger, creamy American cheese, crispy bacon, grilled onions, herbed mayo on a Brioche bun with kettle chips.
Smoked Chicken Platter: Smoked chicken leg & thigh with sweet smoky BBQ sauce, served with roasted corn, ramen slaw & corn bread.
“Al Pastor” Nachos: Major League Souvenir Helmet includes crispy tortilla chips topped with “Al Pastor” style pork, refried beans, nacho cheese sauce, pico de gallo & avocado crema.
“Al Pastor” Fries: Souvenir helmet includes crispy fries topped with “Al Pastor” style pork, pico de gallo & avocado crema.
Short Rib Waffle Fries: Braised short ribs, red wine reduction sauce over waffle fries topped with crispy cheese curds.
Vegan Nachos: Crispy tortilla chips topped with Vegan cheese, pico de gallo, jalapeños & salsa verde.
Coctel de Camaron: Shrimp cocktail includes tomato, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, avocado, jalapeño in shrimp broth & lime juice.
This Team! Dog: 1/3-lb. all-beef dog topped with chili, cheese sauce, pastrami, drizzled spicy mustard & pickles.
Blue Heaven Ice Cream Donut Sandwich: Blue vanilla ice cream in a blue glazed donut with blue & white sprinkles.
Specialty Apples: Caramel apples with crushed Oreos, s’mores or chamoy.
Churro Sundae: Cinnamon sugar churro complements soft-serve ice cream topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup & blue sprinkles in a helmet.
Souvenir Moscow Mule: Ketel One Vodka, lime juice, ginger beer, lime wedge in a souvenir LA Ketel One mug.
Blue Slugger Cocktail: Vodka, Blue Caracao, Pineapple juice, fresh lemon sour mix with a splash of Sprite.
Blue Crush Cocktail: Ciroc Vodka, Blue Caracao, Sprite, lemonade & sweet & sour.
MINUTE MAID PARK, HOUSTON/ARAMARK
NEW FOR THE SERIES
Houston Green Chili Chicken Stak: Fresh cut fries, green chili chicken, cotija, pico de gallo, sour cream.
L.A. Queso Stak: Fresh cut fries, pork carnitas, pico de gallo, jalapenos, sour cream.
#EarnHistory Burger: Double stacked bacon burger with cheddar cheese and a split brisket sausage served on a fresh baked challah bun with crispy jalapeno strips.
Street Taco & Salsa Bar: Pulled pork tacos served with pineapple chunks and mango habanero glaze. Salsa & guacamole station served with chips.
Brisket Taco Station: Braised brisket served on flour tortillas with pickled red onions, fresh jalapenos, cilantro, and a chipotle aioli.
Savory Waffle Cone Station: Savory seasoned waffle cone filled with cheesy mac n cheese topped with braised brisket, shredded cheese, and green onions with a drizzle of siracha aioli.
MINUTE MAID PARK FAVORITES
Shake Shack ShackBurger: Cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato, ShackSauce.
Torchy’s Tacos Fried Avocado: Hand-battered fresh avocados fried and served with vegetarian refried beans, topped with pico, lettuce & cheese. Served with poblano sauce on a corn tortilla.
Little Bigs by Bryan Caswell: Grilled chicken sliders with homemade pickles.
Springer Splash Funnel Cake (inspired by George Springer’s early season foul ball that landed in a MMP deep fryer): Funnel cake with a baseball-sized scoop of ice cream and raspberry sauce for laces.
Chicken & Waffle Cone: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, honey mustard drizzle.