What is your favorite ballpark food?

shysocks · February 17, 2016

If I leave a game without getting a brat with grilled onions, something has gone wrong. Like, notify-my-family wrong.

Edited February 17, 2016 by shysocks

he gone. · February 17, 2016

Well not to attack the thread here, but I think we missed out on the majority of the good foods in the park ... if someone is saying CrackerJacks are their favorite then we have a problem.

The staple is the Polish, extra onion for me. However there is generally pretty good food throughout. The partnership with Beggars was smart. No more Digornio.

I will say that it seems some parks are doing more and more of this, and I would like to see the Sox do this as well - but we need to start moving away from Levy Restaruants and SportService and more into replicating true Chicago restaurants that we are famous for.

It's about time you separate yourself. Like it or not, the baseball game for a lot of people is the atmosphere. almost like an amusement park. Yes, people go for the rides, but they are also spending $25 to get into the "park". To go shopping and get clothing, to go to the fundamentals deck, to walk around, to take in sights, etc.

Food is a big part of this. I know there are long term contracts with LEvy, etc. However, if we truly want to separate our experience from the Northside, I say we start shaping our games into a true "Chicago experience"

Pizza from Beggars. Italian Beef and Dogs/Polish from Al's. Reubens from Manny's. Mexican from ________. More craft beer than just a few stands (those lines are generally long). Upgrade your nachos and pretzels, etc. to something more than just chips and melted cheese.

You market this buy having an open competition from the vendors etc. Build up excitement.

Of course there is the business side of this. Contracts, profit margins, the ability to get said vendors to "water down" their product by selling at a park, etc.

But with an empty stadium, its not like the others -- bulls, hawks, cubs.. we need a selling point. why not move towards this as a selling point? I'm sorry, but with 4k TV's and angles and the ability to watch from anywhere -- you need to sell more than the product of baseball.

Swingandalongonetoleft · February 17, 2016

Polish with grilled onions at The Cell. In the past, I've actually gone to games purely for that reason. A few seasons ago, I also discovered those loaded potatoes. I'll get those from time to time.

LDF · February 17, 2016

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 04:14 PM)

Well not to attack the thread here, but I think we missed out on the majority of the good foods in the park ... if someone is saying CrackerJacks are their favorite then we have a problem.

The staple is the Polish, extra onion for me. However there is generally pretty good food throughout. The partnership with Beggars was smart. No more Digornio.

I will say that it seems some parks are doing more and more of this, and I would like to see the Sox do this as well - but we need to start moving away from Levy Restaruants and SportService and more into replicating true Chicago restaurants that we are famous for.

It's about time you separate yourself. Like it or not, the baseball game for a lot of people is the atmosphere. almost like an amusement park. Yes, people go for the rides, but they are also spending $25 to get into the "park". To go shopping and get clothing, to go to the fundamentals deck, to walk around, to take in sights, etc.

Food is a big part of this. I know there are long term contracts with LEvy, etc. However, if we truly want to separate our experience from the Northside, I say we start shaping our games into a true "Chicago experience"

Pizza from Beggars. Italian Beef and Dogs/Polish from Al's. Reubens from Manny's. Mexican from ________. More craft beer than just a few stands (those lines are generally long). Upgrade your nachos and pretzels, etc. to something more than just chips and melted cheese.

You market this buy having an open competition from the vendors etc. Build up excitement.

Of course there is the business side of this. Contracts, profit margins, the ability to get said vendors to "water down" their product by selling at a park, etc.

But with an empty stadium, its not like the others -- bulls, hawks, cubs.. we need a selling point. why not move towards this as a selling point? I'm sorry, but with 4k TV's and angles and the ability to watch from anywhere -- you need to sell more than the product of baseball.

i really had a hard time tying not to respond. this will bring up an old topic and it is about money.

while you do make a great post, esp about the one of the joys of seeing a game in person, your point on levy and SS is where i am going. those 2 companies are and have some of the sox ownership and hawks ownership as well. the levy brothers are from the same area as one of the sox owners. 2nd, they also supply the norhtside team as well.

but i really do not want to rehash that whole financial income and sub companies and profit.

now back to the food at the park. i have been to some parks, nothing like i am sure of some of the other posters. the one thing i come away with after watching a game, the food in the sox park are sooooo freaking great, the same at the bears. however, the experience of the culinary side from the bulls and hawks.

LDF · February 17, 2016

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 04:21 PM)

Polish with grilled onions at The Cell. In the past, I've actually gone to games purely for that reason. A few seasons ago, I also discovered those loaded potatoes. I'll get those from time to time.

those potatoes will fill me up. i want to eat and to drink .... the before, the vendor know to come every 2 innings to our section, we will buy and load up on the beer plus a healthy tip for remembering .

he gone. · February 17, 2016

In the end it's a business. That's why you see sh** food at Great America, sporting events throughout the country, etc. . The ability to make better food is there. I have underwritten financials of some of said companies. They are doing well. I understand there are politics and financials that go into this, hence why its unlikely to change.

My post is really more the chicken and the egg. Most teams are zombies, just going with the status quo. If you are winning you can get away with that.

Just thinking outside the box. If you have an empty stadium how does one fill it? You pander towards your customer. Technology so people can be on their smart phones, food, beer, etc.

It can be done. But spending 0.50 on nachos and charging $7.00 is a great profit. Spending $1.25 on nachos and charging $7.50 is not as great of a profit.

Somebody would be out of a job if sales didn't increase to make up that margin. There are so many metrics that go into these breakdowns.

Surveys,etc. saying -- if we did this and this, whats the likelihood of you attending a game? I get it. But I'd like to think the consumer is smarter than that.

I personally know that I'll drink the majority of my beer pre-game. I'll have a nice meal beforehand and not spend more than $20 on items generally. If they had good food?

I'd buy a few items. I know that when I'm in stadium club I'll generally come with an empty stomach because the food up there is better.

Beer is beer. Same thing. They get a better margin on Miller Lite than on Half Acre. You'll always see more Miller Lite. But no doubt the experience would be better with better food/drink.

he gone. · February 17, 2016

Again, don't want to get off topic either.

So Polish, extra onion. Half Acre beer.

Their Cuban, although not spectacular, is decent for ballpark food.

LDF · February 17, 2016

QUOTE (BrianAnderson @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 04:54 PM)