A few years back I interviewed Tim Restall, the President of Hartford Yard Goats Baseball. Tim mentioned that he approaches Food & Beverage at the ballpark as if he's running a restaurant. I thought that made perfect sense! People in your community are going out to eat so give them reasons to think of you when they are looking for places to go.
Ballparks serve up fun but do you serve up great food?
Here are some things to think about to help you compete with other restaurants in your area:
- Attention to detail. Hot dogs should be hot. Do you have napkins or wet wipes available with messy foods?
- Consistency of quality. What do your fries taste like? I don't mean on busy nights when they don't sit or when a certain manager is working a stand. Fans want to enjoy something and expect the same experience the next time. I'm a crispy fry girl. If I get crispy fries once but not the next time you lost me.
- Service. Great service can elevate average food. This is where preparing your staff not just to sell food but to be a part of your atmosphere is important. They should be friendly, informed and fun. At the Fightins' we had a pregame meeting with the manager of every stand. We gave them a cheat sheet with information on the promotions, groups in attendance, post game bands etc. to relay back to their staff.
- Put personality into the food, decor and service. A small example is a tiki bar. Fruity drinks really do taste better with a drink umbrella and served to you by someone wearing a Hawaiian shirt but you can get much more creative than that.
- You need one or more unique features in addition to the baseball game being played. This can be a unique food item. Tim and the Yard Goats were recognized recently for their Spicy Chicken Donut Sandwich. Another option is serving a traditional item in a unique food vessel. I have eaten nachos, popcorn and icecream out of batting helmets, drank beer out of a plastic bat and ordered kids meals served on frisbees. The way you serve your food can also make you stand out.Do you ring a bell to celebrate when an item is ordered? What if a mascot made deliveries? If you put together a family meal; let's call it a pizza, sides of chicken tenders and fries, juices boxes for the kids, soft drinks for the adults (with option to upgrade to beers) and food delivery by your mascot I would over pay for this. This gets my dinner delivered to my kids who are contained in our seats and a guaranteed picture of my kids with your mascot which I then post on social media. Win! Win!
Promote Your Food:
- Foodie Photos- when you log into instagram you'll see that food porn is alive and well. Arguably the best way to promote your ballpark cuisine is with great images to draw in the hungry eyes.
- Don't just be your own critic, invite one. Invite a food critic/ food blogger to your ballpark? Why not? Restaurants do this. This would be a different experience for them for sure. Be sure to find a time that you have a suite or a unique spot open and make sure they have the opportunity to sample a little bit of everything that your ballpark has to offer. More importantly, invite them to attend along with their family if they have one.
- Local Ingredients / Local Flair. When I interviewed Tim he told me that in Hartford they serve chowder and have an amazing partnership with a local brewery. Another idea could be local ingredients. Do you have a corn on the cob stand? Does the corn come from a local farm? What foods are a part of our local culture and do you serve them at your ballpark?
- FUN. When I worked in baseball we sold a burger that was an experience, the Grandslammer. First, it was huge. Second, if you wanted to participate it came with an eating challenge. Fans and even players competed to get their name and time up on the Grandslammer board.
Restaurants are trying to differentiate themselves. What does your restaurant have that most don't? That's easy- 9 innings of baseball, a mascot and a videoboard to name a few. What else? If you have happy hours and post game concerts are you promoting this? Here's what makes you different from the local bars- kids are welcome. My favorite part about the concerts we had at the Fightin' Phils was always the kids dancing stage front.
I am your target market -mom with 3 kids. Families are looking for kid friendly places to eat and things to do. Be that place! No one should be able to compete with you.
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