ballpark buzz - DataSsential

APRIL 2014
FoodBytes
BALLPARK BUZZ
THE NEW FACE OF STADIUM MENUS
A TOPICAL TREND REPORT FROM
ARPIL 2014
FoodBytes
NOTABLE TRENDS
These are a few of the trends you’ll find on
multiple ballpark park menus this year:
PREMIUM BURGERS
Sushi has been on the menu at New York’s Yankee Stadium for over 5
years, and now you can find it at many ballparks across the country.
GLUTEN-FREE
BURRITOS
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
BACON
BUY ME SOME CRAFT BEER AND KOREAN TACOS
CRAFT BEER
WINE
BRISKET
PASTRAMI
SHORT RIB
TEXAS TOAST
FLAVORED MAYO
PRETZEL BUNS
MEAT+APPLES
EGG TOPPERS
WAFFLE CARRIERS
BELGIAN FRITES
DINERS
FARMERS’ MARKETS
If you haven’t been to a baseball stadium lately, you may be surprised
by the menu. You’ll still find hot dogs, peanuts, and nachos, of course,
but at today’s stadiums that’s just the beginning of the expansive
selection available, with something for every taste and diet.
In fact, each ballpark offers up a small slice of the trends taking over
menus across the industry – you’ll find gluten-free and
vegan/vegetarian options, lighter kid’s menus, local craft beers and
better burgers, outrageous stunt foods to grab some attention,
decadent menu items like red velvet cake and bread pudding at highend club restaurants, and street foods and food truck fare at
concession stands.
Many parks are partnering with local operators and celebrity chefs to
offer up regional favorites – and tap into the operator’s local network
of farms and producers. Now you may be able to buy a piece of fresh
produce directly from a small farm cart within the park (possibly in
partnership with a local farmers’ market) or select locally-grown fresh
vegetables to add to your meal at a chopped salad or wrap stand.
But ballparks are still places to splurge a little (or a lot), and now
almost every park has a menu item designed to gain attention and
press – five-pound burgers, two-foot hot dogs, etc. In the pages ahead
you’ll find many dishes topped with potato chips or Doritos, burgers
that dare you to finish them, and even a BBQ parfait that has its own
Twitter account.
In this month’s edition of FoodBytes, your free monthly TrendSpotting
Report from Datassential, we bring you an in-depth look at ballpark
menus, including the wide range of new items added to stadium
menus for the 2014 season.
Play ball!
Cover Photo: Garlic fries at the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field
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ARPIL 2014
TWISTS ON CLASSICS
FoodBytes
Although classic ballpark franks and bags of peanuts aren’t going anywhere soon, ballparks have followed the rest of
the industry by updating these traditional favorites to make them more interesting, often with unique or premium
toppings.
BURGERS
The "better burger" trend has made its way to the ballpark; now you can find local, grass-fed, or handformed patties -- or all three -- topped with unusual toppings. Denver’s Coors Field partnered with the
local "craft casual" operator CHUBurger to serve "all-natural, grass-fed burgers" with fresh cut fries, while
both Boston’s Fenway and Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park have a burger topped with a fried egg -- the
latter with pepper jelly and oven-roasted tomato. You'll also find a fried egg, drenched in sharp cheddar
cheese, on the Brunch Burger at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, topping a patty that is 60% beef and 40% bacon,
served between two doughnuts. Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field tops a cheeseburger with a scoop of bacon
macaroni and cheese, while Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark features a 1900 Burger made from
house-ground short rib, top round, and bacon.
Brunch Burger
HOT DOGS
Detroit's Comerica Park has a new Poutine Dog on the menu, topping a natural casing frank with French
fries, cheese curds, and beef gravy, which joins a Pork & Beans Dog, Late Night Dog (fried egg, bacon, and
cheddar), and Slaw Dog. Citizen's Bank Park added a Philly Cheese Steak Dog, served at a hot dog and beer
pairing stand called the Philly Frank and Stein, while Arizona’s Chase Field serves a Venom Dog, topping a
foot-long habanero sausage with beans, guacamole, and sour cream. As part of their 100th anniversary
celebration, Chicago’s Wrigley Field is offering up a hot dog inspired by every decade the park has been
open, from the 1950s TV Dinner Dog (with mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn) to the 1990s Bagel Dog. The
park was also the first in the country to offer permanent concessions, though today the old stands limit the
types of modern kitchen equipment that can be installed.
Poutine Dog
Tatchos
NACHOS
Nachos aren't just for tortilla chips anymore. PNC Park added Tatchos to the menu -- fried sea saltseasoned tater tots smothered in chili, spicy nacho cheese, green onions, and sour cream. Aramark's park
GM, Steve Musciano, told QSR that the dish has been so successful they will be rolling out to more
locations. Atlanta’s Turner Field added the Circle Changeup Nacho, topping corn chips with chorizo and
queso blanco, and Cutter Nachos, topping white corn tortilla strips with tequila marinated steak; both are
topped with jalapeno peppers, fresh avocado cut in front of the guest, green onions, iceberg lettuce, black
olives, black beans, and pico de gallo. Toronto’s Rogers Centre added 12 Signature Nachos topped with
home-cooked kettle chips with warm cheddar cheese, charred corn and roasted pineapple salsa, peameal
bacon (a local favorite made with cornmeal), salsa verde, diced tomatoes, shredded pickles, and a
jalapeno-infused island sauce.
GRILLED CHEESE
Brisket Grilled Cheese
Today's grilled cheese sandwiches go well beyond cheddar and American. At Citizen's Bank Park, the
Brisket Grilled Cheese features house-braised and smoked brisket with pepper jack cheese on griddled
Texas toast. PNC Park features The Closer, with a whopping nine different types of cheese (provolone,
mozzarella, Parmesan, gouda, cheddar, pepperjack, Swiss, bleu, and feta) between four thick-cut slices of
sourdough, garnished with candied bacon, leeks, and a granny smith apple compote. At Cardinals Nation,
an entertainment district developed by the St. Louis Cardinals, the two-story restaurant offers plenty of
updated comfort food favorites on the menu, including the World Champion Grilled Cheese featuring
fontina, white cheddar, monterey jack, and provolone on toasted sourdough (though the park notes the
deviled eggs have been the top seller, so far).
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ARPIL 2014
FoodBytes
The Seattle Mariners offer gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options at “The Natural” stand and
local Ballard Bee Co. honey topping local Beecher’s cheese curds as a new concession item.
HEALTHY
& FRESH
Today every park offers healthier fare, including
LOCAL TASTES
Many stadiums partner with nearby operators
and well-known chefs to include specialties and
local favorites on the ballpark menu, while
regional dishes, ingredients, and produce can be
found in everything from the beer to burgers .
wraps, sushi, salad stands, fish tacos, and more, and
most cater to special diets, including gluten-free and
vegetarian/vegan fans – over 25 ballparks offer
veggie hot dogs. And this year Sodexo announced
they have joined the Partnership for a Healthier
America, with plans to offer a healthier kids meal in
40% of their cultural destination accounts by next
year, including ballparks.
LOCAL BEER
Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark features a new
Reds Brewery District, an 85-foot-long bar with 60
taps, 23 of which are dedicated to craft beers, with
a dozen local options on a regular rotation. The park
also offers two new Moerlein Lager House Craft
Beer stands, with several of the local brewer’s beers
on tap. Seattle’s Safeco Field, which is well-known
for its beer selection, is offering new Cask
Conditioned Ales from local breweries, made with
unfiltered, unpasteurized beer that finishes
fermenting in the cask from which it is served.
GLUTEN-FREE/VEGAN
PNC Park has a new Just4U Station, with gluten-free
salad options featuring local, seasonal fruit and
veggies. At Washington D.C.’s Nationals Park an
exclusively vegetarian stand – Field of Greens – will
open featuring veggie cheesesteaks, a Greek salad,
and a grilled portobello burger. Chase Field features
the Bisbee Tamale, a vegan tamale stuffed with soy
chorizo, potatoes, and pinto beans topped with salsa
roja and guacamole. At Fenway, the gluten-free hot
dog cart offers Fenway franks, brownies, cookies,
muffins, and chips.
FRESH SEAFOOD
At coastal stadiums seafood is a must-have.
Nationals Park features crab in a wide variety of
options. In 2012 the park added the crab pretzel (a
toasted pretzel split open and stuffed with cheese
and crab) and this season they added a Chesapeake
Crab Co. stand serving crab nachos, crab balls, and
crab grilled cheese. At Citizen’s Bank Park, Prince
Edward Island Mussels are cooked with shallots,
bacon, and a craft beer ale sauce, served with a
grilled baguette. San Francisco’s AT&T Park offers a
Big Bridge Sandwich with Bay shrimp and fresh
Dungeness crab on authentic San Francisco
sourdough bread. And Safeco Field, in Seattle, has
freshly shucked oysters and both a salmon
chowder and salmon sandwich courtesy of local
chef Ethan Stowell.
SALADS/FRESH PRODUCE
New York’s Citi Field will provide fresh vegetables and
herbs for use in the Delta Sky360 and Acela Clubs
from the new rooftop Flushing Farm. The park also
features fresh seasonal salads, fruit parfaits, and a
fresh whole fruit cart at the World Fare Market.
Green Fork, at Houston’s Minute Maid Park, offers
three $8 salad options made-to-order. Fresh
cucumbers show up at a number of parks, including
cucumber mint lemonade (with optional vodka) at
Minneapolis’ Target Field and the Summer Dog
(brought back from a few seasons ago) at Citizen’s
Bank Park topped with cool cucumbers, pickled onion
salsa, and ancho chile sauce.
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OUT-OF-THE-BOX
ARPIL 2014
FoodBytes
Like many QSRs that have attempted to cut through the noise and create a much talked-about food sensation (see
last month’s issue of Creative Concepts for more on this topic), ballparks have added a number of over-the-top
dishes to the stadium menu for fans looking to indulge. Most parks offer a bacon-wrapped hot dog, and now you’ll
find bacon ground into burgers, bacon slab sandwiches, and bacon-on-a-stick. Some stadiums have taken inspiration
from Taco Bell and added Doritos to an item. And you’ll find a number of massive creations that are often marketed
with a contest – finish the meal and win tickets or a t-shirt, for example.
BACON
Frozen Beer
FROZEN TREATS
At U.S. Cellular Field, the
Banana Split Sundae
Helmet is a three-pound
banana split with four
scoops of ice cream
topped with caramel,
strawberry, and
chocolate sauces topped
with whipped cream and
cherries, served in a
plastic batter’s helmet.
The Texas Rangers have
Frozen Beer on the
menu, a cup of beer
with a head of frozen
beer swirled on top (you
can also order beerbattered fries at the
park).
The Bacon, a new sandwich at the Cincinnati Reds’
Great American Ballpark, features a one-pound slab of
bacon topped with shredded lettuce, tomato and
black pepper mayo on an artisan roll, served with
chips, a pickle, and potato salad. Fans can also take on
The Bacon Challenge – eat four sandwiches, plus the
sides, in one inning. Both U.S. Cellular Field and the
Texas Rangers added bacon on a stick to the menu;
the Ranger’s version features Hungarian bacon dipped
in maple syrup.
Bacon on a Stick
HOT DOGS & CORN DOGS
Last year, in addition to a 24-inch-long shaved steak sandwich, 24inch quesadilla, and 1-pound burger, the Texas Rangers introduced
the Totally Rossome Boomstick, which piles brisket and Doritos on
top of a 2-foot hot dog. Chase Field added an 18-inch corn dog, the
D-Bat, stuffed with bacon, cheese, and peppers for $18. A
representative for the park said they sold 300 on opening day and
plan on adding more carnival-style food in the future.
BURGERS
The Tampa Bay Rays
have a 4-pound Fan
vs. Food Burger at
Tropicana Field,
served with a pound
of fries. Fans who
successfully eat the
5 pound meal
receive tickets to a
future game. Kent
Hrbek’s Pub, inside
Target Field, serves
up a bloody mary
garnished with an
entire cheeseburger
on a stick.
D-Bat
BRISKET & PULLED PORK
Brisket and Doritos are also featured in the Brisket Dorito Bag, a take on
a walking taco topped with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream,
and chives at Miller Park in Milwaukee. And the Pulled Pork Parfait,
introduced at the Brewers’ Miller Park last year, is layered with pulled
pork, mashed potatoes, and pork gravy. The menu item caused such a
sensation that a fan even created a Twitter account just for the dish.
Pulled Pork
Parfait
Fan vs. Food Burger
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MINOR LEAGUES,
MAJOR EATS
Minor League teams are known for their
outlandish stunts, and their concessions are
no exception. Akron, Ohio’s Canal Park has an
entire Extreme Foods menu, which was
expanded this year to include items like the
Pineapple TeriyAKRON Bowl, filling a hollowed
pineapple bowl with teriyaki rice, and a beer
float that tops vanilla ice cream with Irish
stout, chocolate sauce, and sprinkles.
Last year the league held a contest for the
best ballpark concession. The top prize went
to a 5-scoop sundae from the Toledo Mud
Hens, but nominees included:
The Homewrecker: Three half-pound hot
dogs, 1 ½ pounds of French fries, two pounds
of chili, ¾ pound of cheese, diced onions, and
bacon.
Clawlossal: A foot-long chili cheese dog with
pub chips, an 8 oz. burger, a pulled pork
sandwich, a corn dog, five onion rings, two
jalapeno poppers, and two pickle spears, with
fans who eat the entire meal winning the cost
of the meal and a t-shirt.
The Moby Dick: Five quarter-pound fish filets,
8 slices of cheese, 6 oz. of clam strips, 1/3 lb.
of French fries, a cup of cole slaw, lettuce,
tomatoes, pickles, tartar sauce, on a hoagie
roll.
Bats and Balls: Rocky Mountain oysters (bull
testicles), peeled, pounded flat, coated in
flour, salted and peppered, deep-fried and
served on a bed of French fries
Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Brat: A
traditional bratwurst between a Voodoo
Doughnut bacon maple bar.
Other options included a hot dog wrapped in
a funnel cake, deep fried chicken bog balls,
fried asparagus, a Surf and Turf Burger topped
with a whole soft shell crab, and Fried Moon
Pies (part of “Fried Day” at Knight’s Stadium).
ARPIL 2014
FoodBytes
The Choomongous is a 24-foot-long Korean
barbecue sandwich at Globe Life Park.
GLOBAL TASTES
The extraordinary variety of ethnic eats found at ballparks reflect
both the more adventurous palates of fans and the
demographics of each individual ballpark. Now many parks have
global concession areas featuring everything from sushi to bao,
elote to tongue tacos.
LATIN
Latin-inspired dishes can be found at many parks, with new menu
items featuring more adventurous, and often authentic, flavors. At
Safeco Field fans can enjoy the returning Lengua (Tongue) Tacos,
while Citi Field features on-trend El Verano Taqueria Elote on the
menu. At Comerica Park the Street Tacos offer a choice of slowroasted chicken, pork, or beef barbacoa on corn or flour tortillas
topped with pico de gallo, cheddar and cotija cheeses, onion, cilantro,
lime, and taco chili sauce. Chilies can also be found in the Adobe
Mango Chicken Sausage at U.S. Cellular Field, which mixes all-natural
chicken with mango and adobe chilies made by local meat purveyor
Bobak’s.
ETHNIC MASH-UPS
Korean tacos, the food truck staple, have found their way to many
ballpark menus, and now Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas has a
two-foot long Korean barbecue sandwich called the Choomongous.
The sandwich, which is topped with a spicy slaw and sriracha mayo, is
sold in its own case for $26. Minnesota’s Target Field also has a mashup on their menu with the Porketta Slugger, which fills an egg roll
with porchetta and cream cheese served with a house-made red
sauce. The park also partnered with a number of local operators
featured in last year’s Dine Around: Minneapolis/St. Paul, including
Butcher & Boar and Izzy’s Ice Cream.
PIEROGIS
Pierogis are becoming a more common concession at ballparks, even
as a topping. Three years ago the Pittsburgh Pirates (who also feature
a pierogi mascot race during the game) introduced the Pulled Pork
and Pierogi Stacker sandwich on a pretzel roll, and this year they top
a Hebrew National foot long hot dog with mini potato pierogis,
coleslaw, and homemade onion straws.
The West Michigan Whitecaps’ “Auger Dogger,” a fried
hot dog wrapped in spiral potato chips.
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FoodBytes
ARPIL 2014
FoodBytes
HUNGRY
FOR MORE?
This is just a small taste of the research and
data we have collected in order to make
accurate, data-backed trend identifications.
Now let Datassential take you deeper into
the implications of these trends and what
they mean for your company.
We can take you behind the data that shows
how restaurant menus are shrinking and
morphing, show you an in-depth look at the
surprising demographic data on consumers
(including Millennials) that informed these
trends, and show you real-world examples of
every trend covered.
And it’s all backed by the industry’s most
accurate and trusted menu database,
MenuTrends, and the industry’s largest
operator research panel, OPERA.
To start putting these trends to work for you,
contact Datassential today:
1-888-556-3687
[email protected]
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ARPIL 2014
FoodBytes
A MAJORITY OF CONSUMERS SAY
THEIR TASTES ARE SHAPED BY
THEIR RESTAURANT EXPERIENCES
What’s happening on the menu today can
be a leading indicator of tomorrow’s food
trends.
Datassential MenuTrends tracks 7,000 distinct US
restaurants and over one 1 million menu items.
Because the database is designed to mirror the US
restaurant census by segment, region, and menu
type, MenuTrends is the only system that offers true
projectable data. All segments and cuisine types are
tracked extensively – from food trucks to fine
dining.
MenuTrends INSIDER is also updated every month
with Limited Time Offers (LTOs) and other new
menu activity, with product photos that bring the
listings to life. And with thousands of ready-to-use
reports and simple trend detection tools, you can
jump right into the database, identifying,
measuring, and predicting the food and flavor
trends that matter to your business.
Call us today to begin using the food industry’s
authoritative resource for flavor trends.
Call Jack Li at 310-922-6299 or
email [email protected].
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FoodBytes
TOPICS COVERED IN LAST MONTH’S
TRENDSPOTTING REPORTS
ON THE MENU
In the March issue of On the Menu, we traveled to Italy to check out gelato, negronis, and
sea beans; discovered the vibrant taste of Japanese spice blends togarishi and furikake; and
looked at the healthy ingredients broccolini and fresh-squeezed juice. And in our coverage
of new menu items and LTOs at top chains, we looked at fish tacos spicing up lent menus as
well as curries, sriracha, bananas, hybrid desserts, and so much more.
UPCOMING: We cover Kewpie mayo, nut milks, scotch eggs, picklebacks, brie, and cranberry.
DINE AROUND: HONOLULU
In last month’s Dine Around we covered the exceptional seafood and vibrant tropical
produce in Honolulu, from favorites like macadamia nuts, shave ice, and kalua pork to new
tastes that would be brand new to many mainlanders – lilikoi, malasadas, crack seed, and li
hing mui powder, just to name a few.
UPCOMING: We check out Nashville’s trendy food scene, including local favorites like
Nashville hot chicken and fish, red-eye gravy, and the “meat and three.”
CREATIVE CONCEPTS: LIMITED TIME OFFERS
In Creative Concepts, we took an in-depth look at the operators who are trying to create the
next viral food sensation with long lines, limited amounts of food, and extreme LTOs to
create buzz, demand, and craveability, with extensive data on the foods consumers are
willing to wait for and what makes a dish a “must-try.”
UPCOMING: We’ve got the password to get you into the New Speakeasy, which updates
the prohibition-era bar with innovative cocktails and creative bar snacks.
LAUNCHED THIS MONTH!
INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS
Datassential’s newest TrendSpotting Report covers chain activity from a single
country or region every month, with each issue covering chain operators within the
country, brands that are moving into the U.S. market, and/or how well-known
operators are adapting their menu for the local market. Contact Maeve Webster
at [email protected] or 312-655-0596 to request a free trial subscription!
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FoodBytes
SPECIAL REPORT SERIES
SYSCO – US FOODS MERGER
This upcoming special report series from Datassential and The Hale Group brings
you a comprehensive analysis of how the merger will impact operators’ purchase
decisions. Who do they buy from? What do they buy? And why do they buy? For
more information, contact Brian Darr at [email protected] or 312-655-0594.
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