Check out these 13 new concessions coming to State Farm Arena
As the Atlanta Hawks’ season kicks off this week, State Farm Arena has debuted a lineup of new concession items for basketball fans and concertgoers to enjoy throughout the season.
The new menu items come from chef Gerry “G.” Garvin, chief culinary officer for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, and the stadium’s hospitality partner Levy Restaurants.
“One of the things we often hear from Steve Koonin (Atlanta Hawks CEO) is we’re the biggest restaurant in the state,” Garvin said. “So the idea is to consistently elevate without alienating people.”
That means offering quality stadium food “at a higher level,” according to Garvin.
Richard Skinner, executive chef for Levy Restaurants, has been developing State Farm Arena’s menu for the past seven years. Skinner, Garvin and a team of six other chefs collaborate on the menus for each new season.
“We all play a big piece and role,” Skinner said. “Sometimes the conversation gets a little wild because everyone has crazy ideas, but (it’s) just trying to take those crazy ideas, keep it elevated, still think of the fans.”
It’s a big job, especially when the NBA season overlaps with the many concerts cycling through the arena. They often spend days prepping for and serving the guests at the arena for back-to-back games and concerts, Skinner said.
Last week alone they had about 100,000 people coming through the arena, a representative for State Farm Arena said, so Skinner guessed they received about 14 pallets of fresh ingredients plus about 8,000 pounds of chicken.
“The numbers are off the scale,” he said.
Garvin joined the stadium’s culinary operations in 2023. Before that, the native Atlantan co-founded and was the executive chef at LowCountry Steak in Midtown and LowCountry in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He still owns both restaurants and spends time cooking at the steakhouse when there aren’t games.
Moving from restaurant service to feeding tens of thousands of fans was vastly different from what he was used to, Garvin said, but he spent those first few games watching and learning from the staff.
The process starts with the traditional menu creation process, but when it comes time to decide how much food to order, that’s when the real mathematics start to determine how much of each item fans will be eating.
At the stadium, Garvin does “less cooking and more sort of navigating,” he said. He works with the culinary staff, but he also spends time roaming the arena during events and interacting with the guests.
The job keeps him so busy that most of the time “I don’t even know if we’ve won or lost the game, or who we may be playing.”
Here are the new menu items coming to State Farm Arena.
BBQ Smashburger: A smashburger patty topped with onion rings, pepper jack cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and barbecue sauce on a Vidalia onion bun. Located at section 107.
Black Bean Burger: A spicy vegetarian black bean, pepper and onion patty topped with lettuce, tomato and cilantro aioli on a challah bun. Located at sections 118, 211, and 221.
Blue Cheese Smashburger: A smashburger patty served with a blue cheese shmear, smoked bacon and caramelized onions on a Vidalia onion bun. Located at section 107.
Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwich: Thinly shaved chicken breast topped with sautéed yellow onions and white American cheese on a crusty hoagie roll. Located at section 120.
Cookies and Cream Milkshake: Handspun milkshake with cookie crumbles served with whipped cream and cookie topping. Located at sections 108 and 214.
Gourmet Jumbo Pretzel: Giant Bavarian pretzel, served with a choice of three house-made dipping sauces: pub-style beer cheese, sweet and spicy whole-grain mustard or cream cheese frosting. Located at section 119.
Jerk Chicken Sandwich: 24-hour spicy and savory jerk marinated Springer Mountain Farms’ chicken thigh served with mango slaw, fried plantains and cilantro aioli on a challah bun. Located at sections 118 and 211.
Several new items will be available in Zac Brown’s Social Club, a separate restaurant space located between sections 112 and 115 and open to the public.
Blue Cheese Chips: House-fried russet potato kettle chips covered in blue cheese sauce, finished with blue cheese crumbles and green onions.
Chimichurri Steak Sandwich: Grilled rib-eye, sautéed peppers and onions, melted provolone cheese, crispy shoestring potatoes and chimichurri sauce served on a crusty hoagie roll.
Mac n Cheeseburger: Hickory grilled all-beef patty topped with three-cheese macaroni, pickled onion, smoked bacon and tangy BBQ sauce served on a pretzel bun.
Open Pit BBQ Ribs: Six-hour smoked baby back ribs covered in barbecue sauce served with pickled onions.
Peach Hand Pie: Pie dough filled with peach pie filling, topped with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with caramel sauce.
Soy Ginger Glazed Salmon: Wood grilled soy-ginger glazed salmon filet and house-pickled cucumbers served with spicy chili crisps.
About the Author
Olivia Wakim is a digital content producer on the food and dining team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.
