Lousy food and entertainment venues have been synonymous probably since the Colosseum in Rome held its first gladiatorial contest.
In the ensuing gazillion centuries, anyone who has attended a concert or sporting event has surely suffered through a chewy hot dog or a limp, greasy slice of pizza – and most of it overpriced, just to make you hate yourself even more for being hungry.
But that’s changed in the past five years, with many venues reconsidering their inventory and furnishing a higher-end array of quick-fix cuisine.
Philips Arena, the fourth busiest arena in the nation, veers from the norm in part since its affiliation with the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group expanded last year from the club level to the general concession side of the arena as well. That means non-club ticketholders can order fries with melted bleu cheese from a Buckhead Diner outpost, a cooked-to-order bowl of pasta from Veni Vidi Vici or Southwestern fare from Nava – all under $10.
Additionally, at the start of the Atlanta Hawks playoff games in April, the venue also opened a gluten-free kiosk.
“There’s been a lot of drum beating the past five years about gluten-free foods and those of us in the business are doing right by our patrons,” said Jay Kudla, director of operations for Levy Restaurants, the food service provider for Philips.
Philips still provides arena staples such as hot dogs, fries, burgers and chicken fingers. Also, sometimes the most specialized concession areas, such as Veni Vidi Vici or the Asian-themed Stir Fry, won’t be open for particular events – recently, Bon Jovi and Bob Seger – since, said Kudla, the space is better utilized with additional drink carts for certain concert demographics.
The venue also houses two Absolut vodka bars, a Bacardi bar and a Jack Daniels bar, recently extended 12 feet.
But always, said Kudla, he and his team listen to patron requests and constantly tweak menus.
“It’s an ever-changing industry,” he said. “And a cyclical one. By 2003, you couldn’t find a veggie burger on a menu. By 2006, it started to make a comeback. If you don’t change, you get lost in the lurch.”
If you’re heading indoors or out for any venue-hosted events this summer, here’s a look at some distinctive food choices.
Gwinnett Center Arena
Ben Witte goes to about 40 concerts a year, so he knows when he walks into a venue, there’s going to be popcorn, hot dogs and beer.
As the vice-president and co-owner of Proof of the Pudding, which provides food services for Gwinnett Center Arena and Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Witte challenges himself to be unique whenever possible.
At the recent Katy Perry concert at Gwinnett, Witte played into the pink cotton candy theme of her tour and set up a cocktail stand with sweet ‘n' fruity adult beverages sold in glow in the dark martini glasses.
As for standing concessions, the obligatory pizza station also sells grinders with meatballs and sausage and peppers on homemade bread (a grinder is a northeast Italian-American version of a sub); a Mexican outpost offers burritos and soft tacos; and the hot dog stand provides regionally specific choices such as a Chicago or Coney Island dog.
Witte excitedly mentions the arrival of the Joey Burger at the venue’s hamburger outlet, a six-months-in-the-making creation.
“We probably had 100 tastings to get the meat just right. We wanted to have a killer burger in the arena and our goal was to have the best burger in Gwinnett, period,” he said.
Starting with this fall’s Gwinnett Gladiators season, attendees with smartphones can take advantage of FanGo, an app that allows fans to order food from their seats for pickup or delivery.
“If we can get 500 more orders [this way] per game, that’s 500 fewer people in a line somewhere,” Witte said.
Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Though the allure for many attending shows at Chastain is to avoid the concession stand and instead tote coolers and small trunks of self-provided food, Proof of the Pudding can alleviate some lugging.
The company provides catered spreads for all size parties (visit www.proofchastain.com for a lineup of offerings and prices) and will also set up your table with wine glasses, mini fans and a Chastain-worthy centerpiece ready upon arrival.
(See Sunday’s Living & Arts section in the AJC for more about Chastain and concert culture.)
Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
A venue that hosts Def Leppard, Kings of Leon, Rascal Flatts and Kid Rock outside with a portion of its seats on a lawn isn’t aiming for fancy.
So it’s no revelation that the concert building offers mainly what marketing and general manager Akeasha Branch calls “normal amphitheater fare” – hot dogs, hamburgers, a chicken tender fry basket, pizza and pretzels.
Patrons seated in the VIP boxes have some additional selections, such as whole pizzas and chicken Caesar wraps.
And Branch notes that some of Live Nation’s sister sheds might have regional offerings – such as a Philly cheesesteak at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, N.J.
But for now, concertgoers have a few new accessories to check out: churro sales are expected to begin at Saturday’s Def Leppard/Heart concert; the hot dogs have been changed to Hebrew National; and nachos, formerly dressed only with cheese, now have jalapenos and salsa added.
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
A fan with access to the VIP area can dig into a crab cake or chicken marsala meal for $12.
The venue’s picnic program provides a choice of four picnic baskets priced from $60-$100 with food opportunities including ripe Cambazola cheese, lemon cheesecake, smoked salmon and grilled chicken breasts (see www.vzwamp.com for full menus).
Or, there is the $1,000 basket featuring Maine lobsters and New York Sirloin Kobe-Style Wagyu chilled steaks, but, laughed Ryan Prep, general manager of Ovations Food Services, which provides concessions for the venue, “I have yet to sell one of those, but hope one day I will.”
Considering that the three-year-old venue will host an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (a main tenant) event July 4 and a concert by Animal Collective on July 8, tastes of attendees are diverse.
“People are more health conscious now and aware of what they put in their bodies. We do offer standard fare, too, but it’s important that the healthy stuff is noticed,” Prep said.
Value is important to Prep, which is why the VIP meals are reasonably priced and a half-pound burger with fries only requires eight one-dollar bills.
“We want to stand out,” he said. “When you go to a concert, you’re there to watch a show, but food and beverage is a big part of your experience.”
