Levy Restaurants awarded contract for all concessions
By John Schmeltzer
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 1, 2005
For the years, baseball lovers have known one truism about Chicago's two stadiums.
You go to Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, for the atmosphere. But if you want great-tasting baseball food, you head south to U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox.
Now that is about to change.
The Cubs are expected to announce on Friday that Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, which handles premium-food operations at U.S. Cellular, is taking over concession operations at Wrigley. SportService Corp. handles general concessions at the Cell.
"The fact that they are local and understand Wrigley and Cub fans, we felt, gave us a real opportunity to improve the offerings," said Mark McGuire, Cubs executive vice president of business operations.
"Hopefully, fans will recognize the change," he said.
Levy, which also operates some of Chicago's tonier dining establishments, such as Spiaggia and Bistro 110, replaces Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp., which took over the concession operations at Wrigley in 2000 after it acquired Ogden Corp. Ogden won the 10-year Wrigley contract in 1994.
Levy has been supplying food to patrons in Wrigley skyboxes, the Stadium Club and bar for 19 years. The full food-service contract it secured at Wrigley is Levy's sixth baseball park contract. In addition to U.S. Cellular and Wrigley, Levy handles the concession operations at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Mark Richardson, a certified public accountant and season-ticket holder, thinks the change will be welcomed by most Cubs fans attending Opening Day on April 8.
"It really saddens me to admit that the food at Cell Field is way better. There is more variety, and it tastes better," he said.
Richardson and other fans can expect to see the standard steamed-hot-dog fare upgraded with menu items like grilled hot dogs, grilled bratwursts topped with sauerkraut and grilled polish sausage and onions, for $4.50 each, a foot-long hot dog for $5.50 and cheese-filled breadsticks for $3, said Alison Weber, chief innovations officer for Levy.
The new items will be sold through redesigned concession stands and new specialty-food carts. Rather than each of the 23 concession stands offering the same items, Weber said specialty stands, such as the Italian Hot Spot or the Let's Play Two Grill, have been created to offer different choices.
This year's concession changes are a prelude to 2006, when the Cubs, which are owned by Tribune Co. as is the Chicago Tribune, plan to open a new restaurant that Levy likely will operate as part of its addition of 1,790 bleacher seats and a 400-space parking garage.
Steve Cameron, senior editor for Amusement Business, said the Cubs' decision to bring in a new concession operator is consistent with the trend that has developed during the past decade, as teams seek to increase revenues.
"Concessions became a big deal, because when teams are charging people a lot more money to see a game, expectations are raised. Fans don't want the greasy hot dog and a flat beer. It just won't work anymore, especially because they are charging $7 to $8 for a beer in some cases," said Cameron.
A boost in concession sales could turn out to be a bonanza for the Cubs, which like most baseball teams are being stretched to cover payrolls.
Concession sales increasingly have become a major source of revenue for sporting teams. In most cases, sales of food and beverages are the fourth-largest stream of money generated, behind ticket sales, television and advertising revenue.
Lansing wouldn't talk about the terms of contract at Wrigley, but Christopher Bigelow, a consultant who represents teams and venues in negotiations with food purveyors, said deals require a combination of an investment to upgrade facilities and a percentage of the sales.
"Typically, ballpark percentages for concessions are between 40 percent and 50 percent, and that comes right off the top," said Bigelow, president of Kansas City, Mo.-based Bigelow Companies Inc.
The shift to Levy is part of an effort by Chicago teams to upgrade their concession operations. SportService won the contract for concessions at the redesigned Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, when it opened. Concessions at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks, are handled by Bismarck Enterprises.
Better food at Wrigley should translate into better concession revenue, Bigelow said.
Last year, Aramark reportedly grossed $40 million in sales.
"People are going to be pleasantly surprised. It will be a really nice amenity for the fans and be very different from what they have seen in the past," said Lansing.