3 Trends in Baseball Stadium Foodservice

It’s game time. Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s Alicia Woznicki talks equipment and design at ballparks.

OraclePark
On March 21, Aramark Sports + Entertainment officially announced the addition of Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, to its baseball portfolio. Photo courtesy of Aramark Sports + Entertainment.

March 28 marks MLB’s Opening Day, packed with 15 baseball games. FER caught up with Alicia Woznicki, Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s vice president of design and innovation, to learn about the latest equipment and design trends in baseball stadium foodservice. Aramark provides food and beverage programs in MLB stadiums across the country, from Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, to Fenway Park, featuring the Boston Red Sox. Woznicki pointed to the following happenings:

  1. Flexible equipment. Along with baseball games, the stadiums “also feature concerts and special events throughout the season, meaning the audience can change quickly,” Woznicki says. “Being able to flex with the type of equipment we utilize, and the type of food and beverage we offer, is critical.” Woznicki points to Aramark’s Launch Test Kitchen as an example. Here, flexible equipment allows Aramark to change culinary themes—such as from Asian to Mediterranean—every month.
  2. Approachable design. “We want our food and beverage locations, as well as our service styles, to feel approachable and never intimidating,” Woznicki says. “When people are comfortable in your spaces and comfortable using your technology, they will come back again and again.” At the Hall of Favs, fans can order some of the more popular concession items all at one location via self-order kiosks or mobile ordering, both of which Woznicki says they’re familiar using.
  3. Improved speed of service. Aramark considers fans first when designing a space or implementing a new service style. “We put ourselves in the customer’s shoes and ask ourselves if this is something we would have a positive experience with,” Woznicki says. Speed of service is a huge focus. At Walk Thru Bru, for instance, fans can quickly grab beverages via self-serve markets and get back to their seats “in record time,” she says. Upright glass door reach-in refrigeration units display a wide variety of beverages.

Overall, Woznicki says, Aramark focuses on planning family friendly menu items as baseball is traditionally a family-focused sport. And since it has the longest season, the provider also works to keep things fresh so fans stay interested. On March 21, it shared a new-in-2024 lineup of ballpark menu options, from Loaded Funnel Cake Fry Sundae at Citizens Bank Park to Fowl Pole Jerk Chicken Sandwich at Minute Maid Park.

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