The Bar Keeps Rising

While the trend permeates the minors and the colleges, the originators of the “suite life” phenomenon have their own concerns: how do they top themselves? “When we started, in-seat service was new, but now it’s old hat,” laments Kevin Kenney, general manager for contract services provider Aramark at Camden Yards. “So we have to keep raising the bar.” Kenney says he does that by tinkering with the menu and increasing service levels.

At Coors Field in Denver, another Aramark account, General Manager Richard Hesse says one of his challenges is that the suite clientele has evolved since the park opened in 1995. “We’re seeing a lot more families rather than business people now, especially on weekends.”

That kind of trend has prompted some suite caterers to add kids menus to their suite offerings and to put more emphasis on traditional ballpark favorites. Of course, every venue has its regionalmust- haves. AtCamden Yards, it’s crabcakes and Boog’s Barbecue, the barbecued beef and pork offerings from the restaurant located behind the centerfield bleachers that is owned by former Orioles star Boog Powell. Texas venues like The Ballpark in Arlington and the new Enron Field in Houston emphasizeTex-Mex. In California, Pacific Rim cuisine is a must, while in the Midwest it’s sausages and other heartland food.

While the older venues adapt to changing expectations and demographics, the new parks coming on line hope to hit the ground running by riding the established trends.

For example, at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, which opened this April as the new home of the Giants, contractor Volume Services America provides a private concession area for the 5,200 club seat holders and suite guests where they can patronize exclusive concepts like Edsel Ford Fong, featuring sushi and Asian-style rice and noodle bowls; Joe Garcia’s Cart and its Tex-Mex menu; and Guiseppe Bazurro’s pizzas. Of course, traditional amenities like a private club, in-suite catering for the luxury boxes and in-seat service for the club seats are also offered.

With more than two dozen new NFL, NBA, NHL and major league baseball facilities planned for the next decade, and who knows how many college and minor league arenas and stadiums, this may be onsite foodservice’s most dynamic growth niche.