We won't have Sodexo to complain about ...

[bgbill]

http://www.sent-trib.com/news/food-vend ... e0f1a.html

This goes for all athletic food concessions, but it seemed to be the worst experience at football games. I hope BGSU can find a Falcon Fast vendor.

[hammb]

Good riddance.

Now FIX the problem. Please for the love of god get us some real concessions. Sodexo was terrible. Gladieaux before them was terrible. University Dining Services was terrible.

There is a MAJOR movement in sports right now to fix what has been an abomination for decades. It's no longer acceptable to serve day old popcorn, reheated pretzels, crappy hotdogs on stale buns, and Bud Light. I went to the Tigers game last weekend and had a tough to find seasonal from Founders, and had enticing options like Bacon on a Stick and Pierogies. I can go to Progressive Field, Cleveland Browns Stadium, or Quicken Loans Arena and get options that are embracing one of the great food cities in the country.

BG, likewise, has a strong food scene (for a small college town anyhow). Please, don't just sign some new contract with some new crappy "concession" vendor. Please, BGSU, use this opportunity to get some decent options into the venues that actually offer stuff we WANT to buy. Myle's pizza, Spots cheesesteaks, SouthSide 6 gyros, etc. These food options are doable on a stadium scale, and would make awesome additions to our gameday experience.

[Flipper]

The facilities at the Doyt are crap...you can't possibly hope to run a modern concessions program using a site that most high schools surpassed in the 80's or 90's. I've eaten way better food at mobile trucks set up at art fairs...

Until the stadium reno is done and real cooking, refrigeration and cleaning equipment can be installed...I don't see any other option than food trucks.

[Schadenfreude]

I've eaten way better food at mobile trucks set up at art fairs...

Maybe food trucks should be the model. There is room along the outer fence for quite a few of them.

[hammb]

The facilities at the Doyt are crap...you can't possibly hope to run a modern concessions program using a site that most high schools surpassed in the 80's or 90's. I've eaten way better food at mobile trucks set up at art fairs...

Until the stadium reno is done and real cooking, refrigeration and cleaning equipment can be installed...I don't see any other option than food trucks.

I agree completely, but the food truck movement in this country is real and it's HUGE. That's what I was harping last year. Get some food trucks in here. Perhaps you cannot get the local options I mentioned above unless you provide them the truck, but there are plenty of food trucks in Toledo that you could probably get a contract for the season and have them down here.

There are plenty of options to prepare and serve food in even the Doyt type setups, but the issue there is sanitation is going to be very difficult. Wash basins, sanitizers, etc are going to need new infrastructure to be sure. But the Stroh supposedly HAS a commercial kitchen in house and should be able to serve up some decent fare. Probably only at the South Side stand, but if I could get something worth eating I'd be willing to walk to the other side of the arena.

Hell if the University will front me the cash for this http://toledo.craigslist.org/for/5036403978.html" target="_blank I'll gladly get a vendor's license in time for the season and be out there serving up some quality BBQ for every home game.

[hammb]

Should also add that a few years back I went to the game at WMU and they had a little grassy area that had Fair vendor trailers setup. I think they had a stand grilling burgers/dogs/brats/etc, they had a french fry stand, they had an onion ring stand, maybe an elephant ear place and a lemonade thing? You know the stuff that they have at every street fair/festival in the country. All of which is VASTLY superior to the crap that we've had served at our sporting events for years.

The bottom line is that the people contracting this out have been content with the old model of stadium food service. Throw out some shitty popcorn, pretzels, hotdogs, and pop and call it a day. Charge out the ass for it, and just realize that you have them by the balls if they want food. That's the old way, and it just doesn't fly at sporting events these days. Sodexo opting out should be seen as a blessing and an opportunity to FIX it.

[Redwingtom]

But the Stroh supposedly HAS a commercial kitchen in house and should be able to serve up some decent fare. Probably only at the South Side stand, but if I could get something worth eating I'd be willing to walk to the other side of the arena.

Couldn't they use that kitchen to prepare the stuff for the Doyt and then just truck it over there? It would only take a minute or so to transport it over.

Then they could have volunteer groups cook and sell the stuff and earn a portion of the sales just like they do for the Mud Hens.

You're only looking at cooking dogs, brats and popping some pop corn. The rest can all be handled with pre-packaged sodas and candies.

I would also then add a few specialty trucks like you say...to prepare things like elephant ears and onion rings.

Add a couple beer trucks and you're all set. You're only talking 4 or 5 events a year normally.

[Falconfreak90]

Thank God they are gone... fix the problem and improve. There is nowhere to go but up. It was embarrassing.

[factman]

Maybe CSC does concessions too! Yeah.......that's the answer.

[Critical Thinker]

Pollyeyes.


Problem solved.

[Schadenfreude]

I would also then add a few specialty trucks like you say...to prepare things like elephant ears and onion rings.

When some of us are speaking of food trucks, we aren't talking about county fair food. These trucks can can be pretty sophisticated or exotic. Here in the DC area, trucks are dishing out Korean kimchi, Indian dishes, Jamaican ox tail, Brazilian steaks, you name it.

Onion rings are fine, too. But the possibilities are really only limited by the trucks willing to make the drive to Bowling Green. Cleveland has some pretty decent trucks, but I don't know about Toledo.

[hammb]

I would also then add a few specialty trucks like you say...to prepare things like elephant ears and onion rings.

When some of us are speaking of food trucks, we aren't talking about county fair food. These trucks can can be pretty sophisticated or exotic. Here in the DC area, trucks are dishing out Korean kimchi, Indian dishes, Jamaican ox tail, Brazilian steaks, you name it.

Onion rings are fine, too. But the possibilities are really only limited by the trucks willing to make the drive to Bowling Green. Cleveland has some pretty decent trucks, but I don't know about Toledo.

That's what I'm talking about. Toledo has a budding food truck scene. Rosie's has a truck, grumpys has a truck, etc. Its not what you're seeing at places like Cleveland or DC, but it is growing.

And they all turn out food that is vastly superior to what we have had.

[Dayons_Den]

Speaking from the event management side of it, they are likely less concerned about what tastes good and more so concerned in what makes the most financial sense. Yes, Mr Spots and food trucks and stuffed breadsticks would make us all happy but as a department the vendor check from a third rate concessionaire speaks louder than the money the food trucks would make off of us fans. As someone who works in that field I can say that third parties often feel they shouldn't have to pay a vendor or marketing fee and most of them offer pretty low revenue splits to set up shop. Now, if someone in the department could figure out how to bring in the good food options as well as generate a good kick back to the department then obviously it woudl be a win-win. I'm just here to say that is not easily done.

So what has happened is the food offerings are so poor that most fans fill up in the parking lot rather than eat the offerings. The athletic department doesn't have much motivation to change that because they can shop the vendor rights around and be done with it and not care that 75% of the people will never order a stale soggy bunned hot dog. It will take someone with some ingenuity to better the food offerings and still make a financial win for the department.

[Lord_Byron]

We have an active Food Truck scene here in Rochester. Once a month, they hold a Food Truck Rodeo at our public market, and it is a hugely well attended event.

It would be a great addition to the game-day experience, and the trucks could even set up outside the stadium. That said, I don't think that if I was an operator that I would commit to it. Here's how I see the conversation going:

BG: We'd like you to set up your food truck at the Doyt on three Saturdays this fall.
FT: Great. What times would you like us?
BG: Sorry, that's TBA. You'll have to block the whole day. We could need you anytime. We'll let you know a few days in advance.
FT: Gee, it would be nice if you had a consistent start time so we could create a repeatable experience for fans.
BG: Sorry, we're TV whores.

[hammb]

I certainly realize what you're saying Dayons. There is no doubt that bringing in established food businesses, they're going to want a larger portion of any revenues than what the we've paid for generic services like Sodexo. The deal to them also has to be pretty lucrative because many of the Toledo trucks have places that they set up shop and don't give up any revenue/pay any fee. I'm pretty sure that the business model for a lot of the fairs/festivals is that they pay a flat fee to set up at the event, and it's not a large fee either. I'm sure it pales in comparison to what the AD brings in by taking a cut from sales from Sodexo or whatever.

All that being said, it IS being done elsewhere. As I mentioned before every Cleveland sporting venue has local eateries. Obviously those are permanent structures in professional venues that host 10-20x the amount of events in a year that the Doyt does. So maybe it's not even a feasible model to emulate, I don't know. We've had pizzas held in warmer boxes for years, I would hope they would at least APPROACH Myle's (their pizza would hold up VERY well to this serving style, much better than say Pollyeye's which relies on crispy crust), but at the same time I realize the AD probably brings in some good cash from the corporate crap pizza they've had for years. If getting local eateries in isn't feasible, then find a better catering service to handle things. The Hens changed from Gladieaux to another catering company a few years back and they now have a good variety of food options, some of which are actually quite good.

I realize the infrastructure at the Doyt would depend on trucks as the current stands are not capable of much more than they currently provide. If that is the case, and they cannot work out deals with existing trucks/vendors, why not have the Athletic Department purchase 3-4 trucks and set them up permanently along the fence row...then use a catering service to man them/prepare food/etc?

The way I see it this is an opportunity to fix a major issue that has been ongoing with BG sports for as long as I can remember. I routinely attend events at all the venues I've mentioned here, and all of them offer concessions that I not only purchase, but in some cases look forward to. The old school crap dogs/pretzels/popcorn, just doesn't cut it anymore. If that IS what you're going to offer the least you could do is actually pop the popcorn on site and have pretzels or hotdog buns that aren't so stale they chip the Doyt's concrete when dropped. Sports venues are finally realizing there is more money to be made by offering worthwhile food choices. And let's not discount the notion that this plays into the gameday experience and could impact attendance figures (if even a small amount) as well.

I know personally it's a PITA for us to rush out and grab something quick to eat between work and the evening games at the Stroh. I would be THRILLED if there was a worthwhile food option where we could grab something to eat at the games.