Nearly 1,100 people will receive notices around Nov. 15 telling them that they will not have jobs providing concessions and other services at Turner Field next year.
However, many or most of them will have a chance to be work for the company that will be taking over the contract.
“Our intention is to hire as many of those people as possible,” said Jeffrey Hess, vice president of operations for Delaware North Sportservice.
Delaware North has already held four job fairs, and will encourage former Aramark employees to apply, he said.
Up to 1,200 people will be hired, Hess said. “But the bulk of our hiring probably won’t get started until January.”
With 81 regularly scheduled games, plus the hopes of a playoff, the hours worked by many employees will be erratic and unpredictable, he said. “You could have a 14-inning game, you don’t know. You could have a 13-game home stand and then have it be dark eight days.”
Pay for workers will be roughly what it was under Aramark, he said.
A spokeswoman for the Braves was unavailable for comment Friday.
The Braves announced in May that the Buffalo-based company will take over the concessions and catering work for next season, ending a long-time relationship with Philadelphia-based Aramark.
Formal notice with the state was just filed by Aramark to give notice that it will not be providing jobs to 1,078 people next year at Turner Field. The filing is known as WARN – for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification.
“As required by law, we provided WARN notices to our personnel to inform them that we will cease providing services at this location,” said Aramark spokesman David Freireich, in a written statement.
According to Smith & Street’s SportsBusinessDaily, Delaware North Sportservice signed a seven-year agreement that will start in 2016 at Turner Field and carry into the Braves new stadium, SunTrust Park, in Cobb County.
The new stadium will open in the spring of 2017. Plans calls for Sportservice to run concessions and “premium dining” for suites, clubs and restaurants, it reported.
Aramark and the Braves had done business for more than 50 years, according to SportsBusinessDaily.
The Web site reported that the deal changes compensation arrangements between the team and its concessions contractor: Delaware North Sportservice will collect a small fee from sales and then split profits after expenses with the Braves.
Counting the Braves, Delaware North Sportservice provides concession services to 11 Major League Baseball teams and eight National Football League teams. The company also provides services at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
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