Ovations will provide food and beverage at the new stadium for San Jose Earthquakes.
Major League Soccer’s San Jose (Calif.) Earthquakes have signed a partnership deal with Ovations Food Services, a subsidiary of the sports and entertainment firm Comcast-Spectacor, to handle all food services at the team’s new $60-million stadium.
The 18,000-seat venue, located by the city’s airport, is on schedule to be completed by Dec. 1 prior to the 2015 MLS season in March.
This is the second MLS facility Ovations is working with. The company also operates the concessions at Philadelphia Union’s PPL Park.
“We are excited to partner with Ovations, which has expertise in venues of this size,” said Earthquakes' president Dave Kaval.
The commission-based deal’s term is 14 years, with Ovations purchasing all foodservice equipment.
The new stadium will include 11 permanent concession stands, 20 to 30 portables, a food truck area and what is said to be the longest bar in North America.
Ovations designed the Earthquakes’ foodservice program with an emphasis on speed of service and enough points of sale and personnel to handle large crowds.
“The biggest difference with soccer compared to other sports is that fans are less likely to leave their seats during the game,” said Charlie Neary, Ovations’ executive vice president, West Coast. “This means there is a very limited amount of time to capture sales, so half time is crunch time.”
Ovations made changes to the original foodservice areas’ designs, reconfiguring the concessions outlets and adding a kitchen space.
“With the design, there were a couple of factors that were important to us, and we were successful in getting the Earthquakes’ team on board with the changes,” said Neary.
The initial design included warming ovens in the concessions areas for cook-and-hold production. With Ovations’ plan to prepare food to order, this equipment was eliminated.
“Premade items are not a part of our ‘Everything’s Fresh’ brand’s approach,” Neary said.
Another design change replaced the concessions stand by the 115-foot-long Scoreboard Bar with an outdoor barbecue area. This includes barbecue pits to produce beef brisket, pulled pork and St. Louis style ribs, among other items. The bar will be accessible on all four sides and staffed with 24 bartenders serving snacks, beverages, cocktails and 20 types of beer, including craft and imported varieties.
The design for San Jose Earthquakes' new stadium.
The stadium’s menu will include traditional fare, such as hot dogs and burgers, in addition to vegetarian items like grilled vegetable wraps, salads, Vietnamese spring rolls and Crimini mushroom sliders. Gluten-free foods also will be available.
The Earthquakes’ former food truck program, also in the bar area, has been expanded. This will now involve up to 14 independently-operated food trucks rotated through on a game by game basis, with the goal to create an environment for foodies.
The Epicenter, a multipurpose area, will be located on the opposite side of the bar, along with a kids' zone and VIP barbecue section.
“This area’s open horseshoe shape and a video board on the back of the scoreboard will allow fans to watch the game while socializing,” Kaval said.
When the stadium broke ground on Oct. 21, 2012, 6,256 people dug for two minutes, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest participatory groundbreaking.
Designed by 360 Architecture, the new facility will have one of the steepest raked seats in the MLS at about 40 percent, to enhance field views. The seats also will be painted with a pattern that includes different shades of blue and some red to pay homage to the club’s history in the North American Soccer League.
“This seat pattern contains a coded message related to the club, and we will be holding a competition for fans to crack the code when the venue is completed,” Kaval said.
Another distinguishing feature is the use of reclaimed San Francisco redwood throughout the facility, including within the 12 field-level suites.
At press time, the facility’s locker rooms, front office, concession stands, rest rooms and premium areas were in the final stages of completion.
A couple of smaller run-up events, not yet announced, will be held prior to the start of the MLS season.
“This will give us the opportunity to get in there with our employees and test everything before the start of the MLS season,” Neary said. “We’re feeling really comfortable with that much lead time prior to opening day.”
With two MLS stadium contracts, Ovations is looking to expand its clientele to include more soccer facilities moving forward.
“The nice thing with MLS is there is still room for expansion, and we hope to be a part of this and serve these teams,” said Ken Young, Ovations’ president.
Interviewed for this article: Dave Kaval, (650) 784-3635; Charlie Neary, (925) 426-5128; Ken Young, (813) 948-6900