FLUSHING N.Y. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Aramark, which has a 30-year contract to provide foodservice at the 42,000-seat Citi Field, debuted a range of foodservice options April 3, including some concepts from such well-known New York operators as Danny Meyer, Drew Nieporent and Dave Pasternack. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
While many stadiums have long offered their patrons local flavor, Aramark’s partnerships with the trio of heavy hitters are credited with taking stadium food to a whole new league—and so far the fans are cheering wildly, said Clint Westbrook, Aramark’s regional vice president for stadiums, arenas and convention centers, Northeast. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“I can’t tell you how much it has exceeded our expectations on the partnership level,” he said. “The fan response has been incredible.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Westbrook declined to share specific sales numbers, but noted that there are more concession stands at Citi Field than there were at Shea Stadium, the Mets’ home from 1964 to 2008—about 41 percent more, according to reports—and that the larger number of registers has paid off. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“With 12,000 less seats [at Citi Field], we exceeded opening day in Shea from last year,” he said. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“I think the difference is that while we have slightly more numbers of points of sale than Shea Stadium, we have a better point-of-sale ratio to attendance, which allows us to drive more throughput.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group operates a number of concepts at Citi Field, including Shake Shack, a hamburger concept, and Blue Smoke, a barbecue concept, both of which are familiar to New Yorkers. USHG also oversees food and beverages at the Delta Sky360 Club, a 1,600-seat premium-seating area behind home plate, and created two new concepts for the ballpark: El Verano Taqueria and Box Frites. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Drew Nieporent’s Myriad Restaurant Group, known for such popular Manhattan restaurants as Nobu and Tribeca Grill, operates the Acela Club, an upscale, 350-seat restaurant with a multitiered dining room and outdoor patio seating overlooking left field. The Acela Club has two seatings: just before a game, at around 4:30 p.m., and at 7 p.m. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
David Swinghammer, president of the growth business division at USHG, said he and Meyer were very pleased with the smoothness of operations at Citi Field and the feedback from customers. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
He would not divulge sales figures, but acknowledged that the initial sales were beyond expectations at the Shake Shack in the Taste of the City area that features several concessions. Located behind the centerfield scoreboard, Taste of the City opens two hours before game time and stays open through at least the seventh inning. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“In that five-hour period we will do as much in sales as in a 12-hour period at the Madison Square Park location or Upper West Side location,” he said, referring to USGH’s two other Shake Shack units in New York City. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Nieporent also has been pleased with business at the Acela Club so far. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“Last night, we did 552 dinners,” he said, “and that is in the span of an hour and a half.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Nieporent is a native New Yorker and is a longtime Mets fan. The chance to operate in Citi Field offered his company an opportunity to dive into a new place and maybe create fresh revenue streams. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“We were brought in to work with Aramark,” he said, “but [also to] create something very uniquely New York, putting our own imprimatur of what we do best.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
He added: “It has been very good. It has been a huge challenge. That is probably the reason we did it, because we are always looking to challenge ourselves.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Chris Bigelow, president of The Bigelow Cos. Inc., a sports and entertainment foodservice consulting firm, said partnerships between local brands and sports stadiums can be a win for fans, operators and concessionaires. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“It is great for the customer, because they get things they are familiar with and they like, and it makes the ballpark different from any other ballpark,” he said. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Bigelow said the operators could benefit from their brand being associated with the stadium and vice versa. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“It is an advertising vehicle,” he said. “The word of the restaurant is going to get out, and, obviously, it helps the concessionaire elevate the perception of their food by using these brand names.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
Bigelow said some operators enter into stadium partnerships with grand plans that can clash with fans’ tastes and interests. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“A lot of these guys think they are going to change what people buy in a ballpark,” Bigelow said. “That is why I think Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack is a perfect situation. You gotta match the consumer. People don’t want fine dining [in a baseball stadium].” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
In determining their offerings, USHG officials put themselves in the fans’ shoes, Swinghammer said. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“We didn’t know about volume and what to expect, because we had never done this before,” he said. “We focused on what is good baseball food, and so we just looked from the standpoint of what we would really enjoy from the ballpark.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
The partnership with Philadelphia-based Aramark also gave USHG a chance to open a new taco concept, El Verano Taqueria. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“I have always wanted to open a taqueria in our company, and this is a great place to do it,” Swinghammer said. “We thought it was natural ballpark food.” —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
The Mets have 81 home games throughout the baseball season, which runs from April to September, with the chance for more in October if the team reaches postseason play. But Aramark visualizes their operations as a year-round business. In September 2008, the Mets and Aramark launched Metropolitan Hospitality, which offers a 200,000 square-foot space for corporate meetings, private parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events. —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.
“The goal was to build an entertainment destination ballpark, whether it be for a ballgame, or a nongame-day event,” Westbrook said. “We already have 80-plus events on our schedule between now and next year with people that want to utilize the park for special events.” — [email protected] —The New York Mets got off to a rocky start before righting themselves this season, but concessions at the team’s recently opened ballpark have been nothing short of winning since the start, officials say.