Bring Your A-Game! Enhancing the Foodservice Experience at Stadiums

The stadium experience is not just about the thrilling moments on the field; it's also about the food that accompanies gameday excitement. Catering to the appetites of tens of thousands of fans in a limited time frame poses a unique challenge for food vendors within stadiums.

In our previous blog, we showcased how facility care solutions enhanced the customer experience at SoFi Stadium. Now, we’re looking at how you can achieve the same positive results with foodservice operations. In this blog, we dive into the foodservice solutions you need to keep fans coming back for more—including creative stadium food ideas, menu optimization, efficient serving solutions, pricing, and beyond.

The Scale Challenge

At the most basic level, all foodservice establishments operate in the same way: taking orders, cooking, serving, and cleaning up. It’s the sheer scale of stadiums—combined with a small timeframe—that makes stadium foodservice a unique challenge. Special considerations must be made to feed such large crowds in such a short time while keeping the quality and the customer experience in check.

At this large scale, stadium foodservice operators need to ask the following questions:

• How do we keep food fresh, crispy, or hot?
• How do customers get their food back to their seats?
• What is the customer experience while eating?
• What is the cost per piece?
• How fast are the trash cans filling up?
• How fast can we cook, serve, and clean?

The answer to many of these questions lies in the food packaging.

The Importance of Functional Packaging

At a large 20,000+ seat arena in Philadelphia, a popular pizza outlet was serving its oversized slices on two flimsy, cheap paper plates, resulting in a negative customer experience. The grease leaked everywhere, you needed both hands to carry it, and it still made a mess everywhere.

Mark Maggi, a sales consultant at PJP, a BradyPLUS company, immediately noticed the issue while he was attending a game at the stadium and suggested they make the switch to a container from Southern Champion Tray that fit the oversized slices perfectly. While the cost per piece was more than the paper plates, the customer experience was immediately improved.

“Consumers are already paying so much to attend a sporting event or concert in a stadium,” Maggi explained. “If we can figure out how to create a better gameday experience, even if it costs a little more, the customers will pay. Sometimes, if the vessel makes sense, cost is not an issue.”

When it comes to food packaging and stadiums, going cheap is not the solution—functional packaging is.

Tailoring to Your Stadium

Another great way to engage customers through packaging is with custom branding. With the proper permissions, incorporating the team’s logo or slogan into your food packaging is an easy way to boost sales and increase visibility.

Creating unique packaging—specific to the stadium’s city—is another way to create more buzz around the food you’re selling. For example, the same arena added a custom hoagie wrap to their Philly Cheesesteaks, featuring illustrations of popular Philadelphia landmarks and phrases. A simple packaging tweak can make a simple sandwich into a highly visible, iconic customer experience.

Warehouse Management

Behind the scenes, strategic SKU minimalization is essential for efficient warehouse management and profitability. In an arena, warehouse space is limited, and typically, managers order ahead for 2-3 events at a time. A strong relationship between a warehouse manager and their sales consultant is essential to ensure that the right products are available in sufficient quantities when they’re needed.

And that's a wrap! Gameday foodservice is all about an easy experience, great bites, and unforgettable moments. From optimizing packaging solutions to serving regional favorites with a branded twist, we've explored the ins and outs of enhancing the gameday experience.

Ready to bring your A-Game and upgrade your stadium’s culinary experience? Connect with a foodservice specialist today. We collaborate with stadiums to ensure your supply chain and customer experience are as smooth as the perfect pass.