PSE: Fan Experience 2018-2019

[bob_sauve28]

I just caught a few minutes of GR today and the big topic that they made out to be was an arena wide problem with the food and drink sales. They said all the calls to their show were horror stories about this giant mess where no one knew what to sell, or how to operate machines, a health code violation shut down something, long lines etc. Thought there would be a thread about it already. Anyone go to the game and know what this was about?? 

Edited October 8, 2018 by bob_sauve28

[SDS]

 

[PASabreFan]

My thread really isn't about concession stands. It's about arena atmosphere and how it could be affecting the team.

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

I just caught a few minutes of GR today and the big topic that they made out to be was an arena wide problem with the food and drink sales. They said all the calls to their show were horror stories about this giant mess where no one knew what to sell, or how to operate machines, a health code violation shut down something, long lines etc. Thought there would be a thread about it already. Anyone go to the game and know what this was about?? 

I wasn't there, but I've commented upon this for quite a while now.  It's usually a train wreck and the food is poor-to-horrible.

SportService, owned by Delaware North, is the concessionaire.  Attn: Jeremy Jacobs, 250 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202.  Good luck.

Edited October 6, 2018 by Eleven

[SDS]

10 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I wasn't there, but I've commented upon this for quite a while now.  It's usually a train wreck and the food is poor-to-horrible.

SportService, owned by Delaware North, is the concessionaire.  Attn: Jeremy Jacobs, 250 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202.  Good luck.

Since 1970. 

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, SDS said:

Since 1970. 

Well, that's only been the address since about 2016, but yeah.

[Weave]

The buzz on Twitter is that the Amerks concessions were shytshow last night too.

And so was the team.  This organization is a mess.

[Eleven]

6 minutes ago, Weave said:

The buzz on Twitter is that the Amerks concessions were shytshow last night too.

And so was the team.  This organization is a mess.

It's not the organization's fault that people from coast to coast are willing to pay for Jacobs's bad food, though.  His concessions are hardly limited to WNY.

[Weave]

33 minutes ago, Eleven said:

It's not the organization's fault that people from coast to coast are willing to pay for Jacobs's bad food, though.  His concessions are hardly limited to WNY.

The word was that things were running out well before the end of the game too. That isn't typical Jacob's.  They have concession game, even if the food is mediocre.  Something ain't right.

[SDS]

5 minutes ago, Weave said:

The word was that things were running out well before the end of the game too. That isn't typical Jacob's.  They have concession game, even if the food is mediocre.  Something ain't right.

That’s fine, but is the suggestion that Pegula’s stepped in and told DN to sell less concessions? Serve fewer condiments?

[Weave]

11 minutes ago, SDS said:

That’s fine, but is the suggestion that Pegula’s stepped in and told DN to sell less concessions? Serve fewer condiments?

I don't have a suggestion for what is happening, just a comment on the overall mess that is game day for these teams.  The problems appeared to be common among the two organizations.  Are there complaints at other Delaware North controlled arenas, or just the Pegula run ones?

 

Rhetorical question.  I don't expect that the folks here would know.

Edited October 6, 2018 by Weave

[PASabreFan]

How does it work? DN pays for the right to be in the arena, then they get all the profit? Or do the Sabres pay DN to run the concessions and they split up the profits? Who hires and trains the employees and purchases the food, determines the menu, etc.?

I would hate to miss an opportunity to criticize the Pegulas, but I suspect DN is baked into the cake and the Sabres don't really control anything.

[Weave]

I imagine there are likely tiers of service that Delaware North supplies.  Did the organization drop a tier in service?

[Eleven]

8 minutes ago, Weave said:

I don't have a suggestion for what is happening, just a comment on the overall mess that is game day for these teams.  The problems appeared to be common among the two organizations.  Are their complaints at other Delaware North controlled arenas, or just the Pegula run ones?

Chances are that many of the US stadiums or arenas you have been to in your life had Delaware North concessions.  It's just as bad at Pilot Field and Rich Stadium or whatever they're called as it is at the Arena, and it was bad at the Arena (and Rich) before Pegula owned the teams.  If you traveled as a kid and remember airport snack bars or bus station snack bars or whatever before the chain restaurants came in, you were eating Delaware North food then, too, and there's a reason why it was so bad.

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

How does it work? DN pays for the right to be in the arena, then they get all the profit? Or do the Sabres pay DN to run the concessions and they split up the profits? Who hires and trains the employees and purchases the food, determines the menu, etc.?

I would hate to miss an opportunity to criticize the Pegulas, but I suspect DN is baked into the cake and the Sabres don't really control anything.

Correct.  In most concession arrangements, the venue gets a cut, a "concession" of the profits.  Even if it's the team and not the venue getting the cut, that contract likely was in place well before 2011.

3 minutes ago, Weave said:

I imagine there are likely tiers of service that Delaware North supplies.  Did the organization drop a tier in service?

Their stadium food really is the same from venue to venue.  DN also has a standalone restaurant on Delaware Ave. called "Jake's."  I dare you to eat there...

Edited October 6, 2018 by Eleven

[Weave]

Just now, Eleven said:

Chances are that many of the US stadiums or arenas you have been to in your life had Delaware North concessions.  It's just as bad at Pilot Field and Rich Stadium or whatever they're called as it is at the Arena, and it was bad at the Arena (and Rich) before Pegula owned the teams.  If you traveled as a kid and remember airport snack bars or bus station snack bars or whatever before the chain restaurants came in, you were eating Delaware North food then, too, and there's a reason why it was so bad.

I am very aware of Delaware North's spread.  I also know that some arena have a very good food rep.  Are those arenas not Delaware North run? or is there a different tier of service?  Or just a choice by Delaware North to do something different there because of the market?

And there isn't a gun put to Pegula Sports to contract with Delaware North.  They could go a different route if they wanted to.

[LTS]

2 minutes ago, Weave said:

I am very aware of Delaware North's spread.  I also know that some arena have a very good food rep.  Are those arenas not Delaware North run? or is there a different tier of service?  Or just a choice by Delaware North to do something different there because of the market?

And there isn't a gun put to Pegula Sports to contract with Delaware North.  They could go a different route if they wanted to.

Could they go a different route?  Does Jacobs have them locked in somehow?  I wonder how many NHL rinks are Delaware North concessions actually.  Owner of the Bruins getting his cut and all.

[Doohickie]

According to their website, DN has concessions at 35 sports venues, some of which are major league, some are minor league.  (Coca-Cola Field is not on the DN list.)  So they are far from a monopoly.  I've been to Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX, and while my expectations might be formed by other DN concessions since I grew up in Buffalo, I have no complaints.  The basic stuff is basic and predictable.  They have some interesting local concessionaires.  Lines haven't seemed to be too much of a problem.

[LTS]

Just now, Doohickie said:

According to their website, DN has concessions at 35 sports venues, some of which are major league, some are minor league.  (Coca-Cola Field is not on the DN list.)  So they are far from a monopoly.  I've been to Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX, and while my expectations might be formed by other DN concessions since I grew up in Buffalo, I have no complaints.  The basic stuff is basic and predictable.  They have some interesting local concessionaires.  Lines haven't seemed to be too much of a problem.

That's cool.  As I mentioned in the other thread, I am close with the GM of concessions at our AAA baseball stadium in Rochester.  I've had plenty of talks with him on how he manages everything. It's a year round job that he loves (although he is going to retire soon).  It's hard work.  But I feel those concessions are some of the best I've had in any sporting venue.  He has a long history in restaurant operations and supply chain which I think helps tremendously.

[SDS]

19 minutes ago, Weave said:

I am very aware of Delaware North's spread.  I also know that some arena have a very good food rep.  Are those arenas not Delaware North run? or is there a different tier of service?  Or just a choice by Delaware North to do something different there because of the market?

And there isn't a gun put to Pegula Sports to contract with Delaware North.  They could go a different route if they wanted to.

It’s been the same company since 1970.  Since they are headquartered in Buffalo I presume there are some politics involved here. 

[Doohickie]

As a point of reference, I found an article (albeit a bit old) that said Aramark is the biggest sports concessionaire, with about 80 venues. 

We had Aramark food service at my workplace for a while.  It was similarly meh.  They unseated a local incumbent that most people were pretty content with (and had been doing our food for over 50 years), so the reaction to a bigger, corporate food service company was what one might expect.

[Andrew Amerk]

59 minutes ago, LTS said:

That's cool.  As I mentioned in the other thread, I am close with the GM of concessions at our AAA baseball stadium in Rochester.  I've had plenty of talks with him on how he manages everything. It's a year round job that he loves (although he is going to retire soon).  It's hard work.  But I feel those concessions are some of the best I've had in any sporting venue.  He has a long history in restaurant operations and supply chain which I think helps tremendously.

The Wings games have a far better selection and quality of food than what I saw at the Sabres opener.

Edited October 6, 2018 by Andrew Amerk

[Two or less]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

Could they go a different route?  Does Jacobs have them locked in somehow?  I wonder how many NHL rinks are Delaware North concessions actually.  Owner of the Bruins getting his cut and all.

I think they're locked in. Jacobs lend the Sabres a ton of money to get the arena build in the first place in return of a deal to have concessions. Not sure when that expires though.

[LTS]

21 minutes ago, Briere48 said:

I think they're locked in. Jacobs lend the Sabres a ton of money to get the arena build in the first place in return of a deal to have concessions. Not sure when that expires though.

And there it is... makes sense too.  Of course, if people don't show up he's not going to make much money on concessions there. 

[Eleven]

24 minutes ago, LTS said:

And there it is... makes sense too.  Of course, if people don't show up he's not going to make much money on concessions there. 

Or if people show up and have eaten beforehand.

The food actually has improved over the last few years, but has a long, long way to go.

As far as other venues, the only one I know FOR SURE is a DN venue is Camden Yards, and the food there is pretty gross.  Even Boog's BBQ leaves a lot to be desired.

[Iron Crotch]

From my perspective, concessions are pretty lousy at many US arenas. I think it's a function of the employees as much as anything. I have no idea how much they're paid, but I'm guessing it isn't very much.