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Stadium Concession Prices (1 Viewer)

pollardsvision

pollardsvision

Footballguy
Just curious what sort of prices are out there at MLB/MilB parks.

I'm starting to grow concerned that the local team might be at risk of having this city turn on them. They were sold a few years ago. Price increases followed, which is fine. It's business. As people complain to me, I'd always say, "look the old owners weren't making enough money, and at the end of the day, it's just great to have baseball".  

But they've kicked off another season with terrible attendance addressed with more price increases. I love baseball. It's an important part of my life during the summer. I'm not wealthy and I budget, but I don't mind spending money when it comes to baseball. But I'm likely going to have to just cut back on local baseball, and it seems a lot of the community will be too. I've had my concerns listening to people in the community complain, and I am loathe to complain. I'm in the food business myself, so I get it. You charge what you need to charge, and it's up to customers to decide if that's worth it to them.

This is really that I'm just concerned about my local team.

So prices at the moment (High A baseball, not a wealthy city).

16 oz domestic: $6.75

Craft beer and larger domestic: $9.50

Hot dog: $4.50 (even worse, it's a hot dog people absolutely hate). And the $4.50 won't get you terrible "chili" on the hot dog, that's another buck or buck fitty (used to be a buck, but I'm sure that just went up). 

Anyway, I don't get to MLB games much lately, but my sense is that those sorts of prices are seriously encroaching on average MLB price territory. Is that off base?

This ownership group owns a half dozen minor league teams or so, so I'm sure their fancy algorithim knows a lot more than I do. Just curious how those prices compare.

 
The Atlanta stadium that hosted the super bowl has the right idea. Their prices are about half of most stadiums. Even during the super bowl itself dogs were only 2 bucks.

 
Honestly, there is no reason to pay those prices unless you are just dumb and desperate.  1 beer isn't worth $10-.

 
Chemical X said:
Honestly, there is no reason to pay those prices unless you are just dumb and desperate.  1 beer isn't worth $10-.
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Sometimes I go to Bucs games and since it’s tampa you often get seated next to white trash. I’ve seen guys with 8 cups of beer stuck together — easily over a 100 bucks in beer and you’re missing most of the game running up to buy one or pee. Insane to me. I love a good beer but don’t need one at the game. 

 
Chemical X said:
Honestly, there is no reason to pay those prices unless you are just dumb and desperate.  1 beer isn't worth $10-.
Click to expand...
If you go to a bunch of games per year, sure - it adds up.  If you go once or twice?  I don't agree.  In my mind, it's part of the price of admission.  

But I found this from a couple years ago

From MLB's perspective?  I suspect these prices are at least having some impact on declining attendance numbers.  I don't think about going more than once or twice per year in part because it's an expensive day.  I ain't the only one.  But is that impacting their bottom line?

 
MAC_32 said:
If you go to a bunch of games per year, sure - it adds up.  If you go once or twice?  I don't agree.  In my mind, it's part of the price of admission.  

But I found this from a couple years ago

From MLB's perspective?  I suspect these prices are at least having some impact on declining attendance numbers.  I don't think about going more than once or twice per year in part because it's an expensive day.  I ain't the only one.  But is that impacting their bottom line?
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maybe it was a ny thing, but after paying for a basic ticket to get in and $20 to park, I was more inclined to bring my 5- subway footlong and not spend $50 in concessions.

 
Chemical X said:
maybe it was a ny thing, but after paying for a basic ticket to get in and $20 to park, I was more inclined to bring my 5- subway footlong and not spend $50 in concessions.
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It's certainly going to depend market-to-market.  I get a lot of our tickets for free, but when we do buy I just get standing room.  We know a couple of the ushers, so if they are working that day we'll get into the home plate club.  If not then we'll hang out at the bar in RF.  If I can avoid driving I do, but it's only that cost (or more) on special event days.  Even with the up turn downtown you can still find a garage for $10.  Or if you're a cheap ### like me park a little further away on the street for free.  But we'd rather just take the train a few mins from our house for $5 and not worry about a car.

But we still try to go some place pre-game.  Concession prices aren't crazy here, but they're still upcharged.  If we're hungry at the game we'll buy something, but we don't have to.  If prices here were like they are elsewhere then that'd impact our planning though.  And if we got hungry in-game we'd be more likely to hold out until after.

 
Eephus said:
Glad to know I'm not the only cheapskate
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Purplehaze67 posted prices for chicken sandwich and fries that is twice what my local Chic-Fil-A charges.  I'm pretty sure it's not even close to being as good.  Until all stadiums follow the ones that have reduced prices, i will continue to eat and drink before and after games elsewhere.

 
Leroy Hoard said:
Purplehaze67 posted prices for chicken sandwich and fries that is twice what my local Chic-Fil-A charges.  I'm pretty sure it's not even close to being as good.  Until all stadiums follow the ones that have reduced prices, i will continue to eat and drink before and after games elsewhere.
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We take the subway, bring in our own peanuts and soft drinks and buy tickets on Stubhub an hour or two before gametime.  The one concession (no pun intended) is to buy a bratwurst at the stadium.  The price has gone up from $10 to $11 this season.  I'm not crazy about it but it's cheaper than it would be if we pre-gamed at a restaurant.  And you can't beat the view.

 
Gopher State said:
Drink heavily before you enter the game, it saves you money during the game and you should be good to start drinking again after the game.
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Edibles are cheap and easy here and should last long enough for a full game.  You probably need to bring in your own snacks though.  It also helps to understand your tolerance beforehand :oldmellow:

 
There's a classic greasy spoon burger joint about 2 blocks from our ballpark (low-A Midwest League). I like to pop in there for a couple onion bombs first, then have a beer or 2 during the game.  

I think our large swill/16oz craft beers run about $7. 

Also of note - they've added a stir-fry food station called "Intentional Wok" :lmao:

 
Eephus said:
We take the subway, bring in our own peanuts and soft drinks and buy tickets on Stubhub an hour or two before gametime.  The one concession (no pun intended) is to buy a bratwurst at the stadium.  The price has gone up from $10 to $11 this season.  I'm not crazy about it but it's cheaper than it would be if we pre-gamed at a restaurant.  And you can't beat the view.
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That's what I buy too.  It seems like a pretty good deal to me.  The thing is huge and they throw a mound of sauerkraut on it.

 
Eephus said:
Glad to know I'm not the only cheapskate
Click to expand...
Haha. I really didn't think I was cheap. I prioritize, try not to waste on money on things I don't think are important so that I can splurge on the things I do. I don't mind spending on beer and baseball, it's worth it to me. Our team was sold to a new ownership group 3 years ago. Local owner sold to Elmore Sports Group (their other 7 teams are all out west). Price increases to be expected, and I defended them for the first few years as other fans got more annoyed and left. 

At this point, it's not a price point that bothers me, it's what appears to be their general attitude about doing business with people. As a business owner myself, I go to work everyday and fight like hell give people a reason to do business with me. Surely, I'm wrong on many things and many won't find what I do to be of value to them, but it's a matter I take very seriously. People are not obligated to spend their hard earned money with us, and it's our job to give them a reason to.

But the new owners here just don't seem to share that mentality. Raising prices every year even though attendance is horrible. When it comes to food, they've not bothered do a tiny bit of investigating what this market cares about. Like hot dogs. People here love hot dogs. There are many beloved restaurants that make a living here mostly selling hot dogs. There are a few things that are expected. Good chili, good slaw, and a "yellow relish" that's ubiquitous in this area (you literally cannot sell hot dogs here without offering it). It's pretty simple. Here, and all over the south, people don't care about the quality of the hot dog itself (in fact, many places sell the cheapest red hot dogs possible and people love them). But they take the toppings quite seriously. 

This is all very common knowledge around here. So, what's offered for toppings at the ballpark? Mustard, ketchup, and pickle relish. For a good chunk extra, chili beans (not chili, beans). In this area, that is frankly offensive. I should've known we were in trouble when the concessions manager would come into our restaurant and order his hot dogs with ketchup only.

Now, to be fair, they have dumped a good chunk of change into the park, structurally. Nothing mind blowing, but they upgraded the parking lot and built a couple party decks. The parking lot was needed and appreciated. But the party decks? Both are always empty because nobody can afford to come to the games. 

But the general attitude seems to be "we don't care that the food sucks, we have no interest in finding out what people in this area actually want, but we expect folks in this town to keep sending money to the Elmore Group". At every turn, it just feels like they are trying to squeeze everything out of you, without adding anything of real value to the experience.

The business-consumer relationship just seems completely out of whack. 

 
pollardsvision said:
This is all very common knowledge around here. So, what's offered for toppings at the ballpark? Mustard, ketchup, and pickle relish. For a good chunk extra, chili beans (not chili, beans). In this area, that is frankly offensive. I should've known we were in trouble when the concessions manager would come into our restaurant and order his hot dogs with ketchup only.
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I see what you did there. Wurst. Pun. Ever.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
pollardsvision said:
Just curious what sort of prices are out there at MLB/MilB parks.

I'm starting to grow concerned that the local team might be at risk of having this city turn on them. They were sold a few years ago. Price increases followed, which is fine. It's business. As people complain to me, I'd always say, "look the old owners weren't making enough money, and at the end of the day, it's just great to have baseball".  

But they've kicked off another season with terrible attendance addressed with more price increases. I love baseball. It's an important part of my life during the summer. I'm not wealthy and I budget, but I don't mind spending money when it comes to baseball. But I'm likely going to have to just cut back on local baseball, and it seems a lot of the community will be too. I've had my concerns listening to people in the community complain, and I am loathe to complain. I'm in the food business myself, so I get it. You charge what you need to charge, and it's up to customers to decide if that's worth it to them.

This is really that I'm just concerned about my local team.

So prices at the moment (High A baseball, not a wealthy city).

16 oz domestic: $6.75

Craft beer and larger domestic: $9.50

Hot dog: $4.50 (even worse, it's a hot dog people absolutely hate). And the $4.50 won't get you terrible "chili" on the hot dog, that's another buck or buck fitty (used to be a buck, but I'm sure that just went up). 

Anyway, I don't get to MLB games much lately, but my sense is that those sorts of prices are seriously encroaching on average MLB price territory. Is that off base?

This ownership group owns a half dozen minor league teams or so, so I'm sure their fancy algorithim knows a lot more than I do. Just curious how those prices compare.
Click to expand...
that looks pretty close to what the Phillies charge at Citizens Bank Park, I think.

 
The raucous crowd yesterday about 10 minutes before first pitch.

Personally, I kind of dig it. It's in my interest for anyone in this town to try to sell a terrible, overpriced hot dog. I can't go to as many games as previously planned, but when I do parking is a breeze, there's no line at all at concessions, go wherever you want in the park to watch the game. Going to fewer games really clears up my summer evenings to get stuff done.

They now sell my favorite beer in the world (Full Nelson PA), and the team is pretty good with some nice looking prospects (Nolan Jones here, and Oscar Gonzalez has poor contact skills but knocks the hell out of the ball when he does make contact). So, a few days a month of a completely hassle-free experience knocking back a couple Full Nelson's to see a pretty good team? Sure, sign me up.

I am concerned about the long-term future of the team though. But, I do think that even if this franchise left there's some form of baseball that would take it's place. 

They averaged 1781 a game last year, and all other Carolina League teams (outside of a new team that was basically playing in a corn field) were between 2700 and 4400. And that was before this new round of massive price increases (even freaking popcorn went from $3.00 to $5.75)

 Liberty U. baseball games across town averaged 1759 last year. I love baseball, but how you get a couple thousand every game to come watch without beer, I have no idea. When it comes to baseball, either my kid is playing or I've got a cold beer in my hand.

 
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