The Falcons started a shift in pro sports' concessions business model when they opened Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017 with sharply reduced prices on some popular food-and-beverage items, offering $2 hot dogs (since dropped to $1.50), $2 refillable soft drinks and the like.
Now, the San Francisco 49ers are rewriting the model further.
The 49ers announced this week that they will become the first sports team to include unlimited basic concessions items — hot dogs, nachos, chicken tenders, fries, nonalcoholic beverages, etc. — with all season tickets. In turn, season ticket prices reportedly will go up an average of about $20 (or 13%) per game, said to be the 49ers' first increase since they opened Levi's Stadium in 2014.
The 49ers’ unlimited food offer, which will start with the 2020 season, applies only to season-ticket holders. Single-game ticket buyers and secondary-market ticket buyers will continue to purchase food and beverages on an a la carte basis, the team said.
The 49ers and Falcons have the same concessionaire, Levy Restaurants.
"Our fan surveys, and those reflecting the entirety of the NFL, show that the food service experience is a key driver of fan satisfaction," 49ers president Al Guido said in a news release. "That insight helped lead us to this new model as a way to increase value for our (season ticket) members while providing them with the most seamless concessions experience in all of sports."
The 49ers, like the Falcons, require the purchase of personal seat licenses for the right to buy season tickets.
