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Foodservice Ups its Game

May 28, 2009

Ever since the first ticket was sold at a baseball game, foodservice was there. I don’t know what was sold. It could have been a hot dog or a beer since some things never change, but fans have been buying high priced, questionable quality fare at sporting events for a long time. That has been improving over the past few years at sporting venues all over the country, but the change is accelerating and foodservice and the fans are the winners. However, you know that you have hit the big time when the New York Times restaurant critic, Frank Bruni, weighs in on the subject with his opinion. And on the front page, no less!

The high rollers in the suites have had access to better food for years; now there is something for the rest of us. Concessions at many sporting venues around the country have been responding to fan requests for better and better food. And many times what they mean by better food is food from a place that they have heard of. Chili’s has a restaurant inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium opened with many local restaurant venues, to the delight of fans. Famous Dave’s is now selling ribs at Coors Field in Denver.

Both the Yankees and the Mets are in new ballparks. They took the opportunity to up their food game in their new digs with some high profile restaurateurs and restaurants. Danny Meyer helped Citi Field, home of the Mets, improve their burger offerings with burgers, fries and shakes from his Shake Shack concept. In addition to burgers Danny is also contributing his expertise with barbeque from Blue Smoke, soft tacos, and more. ESCA seafood chef Dave Pasternack has a venue called Catch of the Day.

The Yankee’s are determined to not be left behind in the pennant race for the stomach. The famous butcher shop Lobel’s is there with steak sandwiches. With Danny Meyer already tied up across town, the Yankee’s turned to Johnny Rockets for their burger upgrade. Walk around the arena and you will find such diverse treats as brisket sandwiches, Asian noodle soups, and sushi. Yes, sushi, and made to order at a ball park no less.

Mr. Bruni was less than impressed with most of the food being offered at both stadiums. Of course his official title is Food Critic, not Food Fan, so you would expect a little grief no matter how much better it was, or how hard they were trying. His ultimate verdict when comparing the food offered by the Yankees and the Mets:

The Yankees rallied to beat the Phillies that day. But on the epicurean front, they lost to the Mets.

When the food gets better, and they involve brands that the fans have heard of and enjoy, everyone is a winner. Play ball!

 

 

 

Posted by Lane Cardwell on May 28, 2009 | Comments (0)