Brewers to announce largest-ever capital project at Miller Park (Latest: multimillion dollar concessions project, post 74)

[MillerParkSouth]

More disturbing that they are trying to take fans focus away from the lesser product on the field. Sort of like their ad that they ran this year about the experience of a game that "won't make the lead on Sports Center". Imagine a franchise telling their fans that the outcome of games isn't important but why don't you come and spend your money anyway?

Uh-oh, you figured them out!

[CheezWizHed]

I'm glad to see frozen custard being added, though it's interesting that they didn't mention a brand like some of the other foods. At one of the games this year, we wanted ice cream (not the dippin dots crap). Couldn't find any (Even though it's listed on the web site), so we stopped at Oscars on the way home.

 

AJ Bombers has had custard since it was added to the ballpark.

 

I vote for a Culver's stand just for the custard.

 

Culvers is substandard frozen custard for the Milwaukee area... it must be Kopps! [sarcasm]And any further discussion on other inferior custard stands will be banned! [/sarcasm]

[paul253]

Awesome. More choices of food for me not to buy.

 

I don't understand why teams can't figure out that if they simply lower the price of food more people will buy it. I went to a Brewers-Twins game in MN a few years ago and just happened to go there on a dollar dog night. Between my bro in law and I we bought like 10 hot dogs. I'm sure they weren't the same quality hot dogs you get for $4.50 or whatever on a regular night but who cares. Had they not been a dollar I can guarantee our total bought would have been zero.

 

Back when MP first opened or sometime not long after they had one stand way up in the left field area by the kids zone or whatever that sold dollar hot dogs all be time. People would walk all the way up there from all over the stadium to get them, so much so that they ended up ending that deal. Again, not the same quality hot dog as the regular one but good enough for people to pay a dollar for. Adding more overly expensive food products and acting like they are doing the fans some huge favor shows me how tone deaf professional organizations are when it comes to concessions. Other than maybe beer, the average fan is just not willing to pay what they are demanding.

[MKE81]

More disturbing that they are trying to take fans focus away from the lesser product on the field. Sort of like their ad that they ran this year about the experience of a game that "won't make the lead on Sports Center". Imagine a franchise telling their fans that the outcome of games isn't important but why don't you come and spend your money anyway?

Hey guys, the team on the field looks horrend.....whoa bro, look at that Mac N Cheese stand, lets see what it's about. Good thing that food stand was there to distract us from watching this (supposedly terrible) team. Imagine a franchise creating a better "overall" experience for baseball and non-baseball fans who can come to the park to enjoy what it has to offer. They don't make decisions based on die hard baseball fans who never leave their seats.

[MKE81]

Awesome. More choices of food for me not to buy.

 

I don't understand why teams can't figure out that if they simply lower the price of food more people will buy it. I went to a Brewers-Twins game in MN a few years ago and just happened to go there on a dollar dog night. Between my bro in law and I we bought like 10 hot dogs. I'm sure they weren't the same quality hot dogs you get for $4.50 or whatever on a regular night but who cares. Had they not been a dollar I can guarantee our total bought would have been zero.

 

Back when MP first opened or sometime not long after they had one stand way up in the left field area by the kids zone or whatever that sold dollar hot dogs all be time. People would walk all the way up there from all over the stadium to get them, so much so that they ended up ending that deal. Again, not the same quality hot dog as the regular one but good enough for people to pay a dollar for. Adding more overly expensive food products and acting like they are doing the fans some huge favor shows me how tone deaf professional organizations are when it comes to concessions. Other than maybe beer, the average fan is just not willing to pay what they are demanding.

Out of the 28,575 fans that attend the game, on average, what percent of those people don't purchase food/beverage? Clearly their analytics don't support your opinion of the average fan not purchasing food.

 

"Adding more overly expensive food" - name the product and pricing for all the new foods/beverages coming to the park next year? You can't. Additionally, people go to restaurants and bars left and right every night in the greater Milwaukee area paying too much for products so what's the difference other than getting to watch baseball and partake in other activities in a different setting?

 

The Brewers have $1 hot dog/soda days as well.

[FVBrewerFan]

They shouldn't have teased it. Virtually everyone I talked to about this thought it was going to be a Lambeau Field, new Bucks Arena type of mini-entertainment area with restaurants, hotel, bars, etc.

 

Brewers made too big of a deal about it, and now everyone is disappointed. As for me personally, I buy very little at concession stands so I really don't care about any of this.

 

Money would be better spent investing in a AAA team or more/better pitching scouts and minor league pitching instructors.

[hawing]

How many families simply avoid the ultra high-priced concessions? Thousands.

Yeah, but even in lower-attendance years like 2016, that still leaves thousands of fans who do choose to buy ballpark fare. Considering how often some businesses renovate, making these changes to the concession stands after 16 years doesn't seem as crazy. Maybe they will sell the old signage (Thirst Base! Catch-a-Torres! MVPizza! etc) at a clubhouse sale.

 

What food and drink they sell, and for how much, won't change my household's pattern of attending games, but we go for the games first. If it sparks new or increased interest among more casual fans...their money counts toward the bottom line too.

[JimH5]

I buy food almost every time I go there, and I'll continue to do so.

 

Except for Bratchos. Whoever came up with that deserves the chef version of DFA.

[Roderick]

They shouldn't have teased it. Virtually everyone I talked to about this thought it was going to be a Lambeau Field, new Bucks Arena type of mini-entertainment area with restaurants, hotel, bars, etc.

 

Brewers made too big of a deal about it, and now everyone is disappointed. As for me personally, I buy very little at concession stands so I really don't care about any of this.

 

Money would be better spent investing in a AAA team or more/better pitching scouts and minor league pitching instructors.

 

I agree, don't make this out to be a big deal and then come at us with revamped signage for the food stand.

 

Sounds like there is some agreement to buy some ownership stake of the Carolina team, so that was good to hear.

[paul253]

Out of the 28,575 fans that attend the game, on average, what percent of those people don't purchase food/beverage? Clearly their analytics don't support your opinion of the average fan not purchasing food.

 

62.73%.

 

Seriously how the heck I am supposed to give you an exact number? I'd say the majority. I say because when I go to games I do not see half of the fans with something from the concession stand. And a good percentage of those that do have beer only. Whatever analytics you are talking about are skewed by the fact that Miller Park has a monopoly on food sales so they can charge whatever they want. That doesn't mean they should nor does it mean that charging $4.50 for a hot dog and selling less is a better idea than charging $2 for a hot dog and selling more. I get it. THe Brewers are a business and businesses are out to make money. But again, don't act like you're doing some great service to the fans by telling us you're going to to give us more overpriced food options.

 

name the product and pricing for all the new

 

Your point? Whatever the price is I think it's safe to say it'll be much more expensive at Miller Park than it would be at the regular restaurant that sells it. Just like every single specialty item is.

 

Additionally, people go to restaurants and bars left and right every night in the greater Milwaukee area paying too much for products so what's the difference other than getting to watch baseball and partake in other activities in a different setting?

 

Come on. Restaurants are much more reasonably priced than ballparks and you know it. Would you pay $4.25 for a soda at a restaurant with no free refills? I sure wouldn't. Would you pay $4 for a bag of peanuts at a restaurant? Or $4 for water? Or $4.50 for a hot dog? If you saw those prices at a restaurant you'd walk out. That's the difference.

 

The Brewers have $1 hot dog/soda days as well.

 

Yes they do. And I bet they sell a heck of a lot more hot dogs and soda those days. And I also bet that a much larger percentage of fans buy something from the concession stands those days. I have no idea why the profit margin is but maybe it's a sign that charging outrageous prices for food just because you can isn't always the best business practice.

[dlk9s]

More disturbing that they are trying to take fans focus away from the lesser product on the field. Sort of like their ad that they ran this year about the experience of a game that "won't make the lead on Sports Center". Imagine a franchise telling their fans that the outcome of games isn't important but why don't you come and spend your money anyway?

http://i.imgur.com/zi5Kw.gif

[homer]

 

 

The Brewers have $1 hot dog/soda days as well.

 

Yes they do. And I bet they sell a heck of a lot more hot dogs and soda those days. And I also bet that a much larger percentage of fans buy something from the concession stands those days. I have no idea why the profit margin is but maybe it's a sign that charging outrageous prices for food just because you can isn't always the best business practice.

 

They may sell more hot dogs but since they are only $1 that means they are more than likely making less money. If they made more money selling $1 hot dogs, don't you think they'd do it all the time?

[dlk9s]

They may sell more hot dogs but since they are only $1 that means they are more than likely making less money. If they made more money selling $1 hot dogs, don't you think they'd do it all the time?

It's likely a plumbing issue more than a profit issue.

[BradWI]

Do the Brewers even set prices for food/drinks or do they just get $ from Delaware North and they are the ones that determine everything?

[patrickgpe]

i figured that if the brewers were going to spend ~20 million dollars it was with the goal of making more money, which this should do.

 

Will be interesting to see what this does to concession prices

 

Overall I feel ditching palermo's pizza for Zaffiros, more AJ bombers stands and more craft beers enhances the in game experience for me

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The Brewers, and every professional sports team, have economics MBAs doing the analytics on concession pricing. They don't sit in a room and throw darts at ideas.

 

If they made more money on dollar dog night, all the hot dogs be a buck. People much smarter than us are researching this stuff every day.

 

The families you speak of most likely would not buy food, period, at the park. I'm one of those. We have the money, but we are food snobs and frugal for the most part and would not purchase ballpark food because it's substandard and not a good use of money.

 

We're not who they're after. They want the people who do buy food now to have a better experience and be willing to spend even more on improved offerings. The timing of it is pretty perfect, as they probably need another year of gimmicky type stuff before the on-field performance gets people to the park.

[bjkrautk]

As long as this doesn't affect the carry-in policy or adversely affect the pricing, I really don't care.

 

I buy food at the ballpark maybe half of the times I go. It's cheaper to hit up Jimmy Johns on the way to the ballpark (or an even cheaper fast food place, if you prefer) than it is to buy burgers or brats at the game, especially if you bring in your own bottle of soda (or water) as well.

...because the team lets you do that.

 

When I do eat food purchased at the ballpark, I'd rather grab one of the baked potatoes than one of the more conventional options....because the things are large enough that I'm not going back for anything else. Ballpark food is already expensive enough, that an ice cream / donut sandwich or a cupcake - at ballpark prices - just feels like a terrible value proposition.

 

There are a few things at the ballpark that I haven't tried due to the stand being too far from my seats (the poutine / garlic fries stand comes to mind ...if that stand was still a thing). If this makes some of the options more accessible to the 2nd and 3rd decks, it's probably a move in the right direction.

 

 

Honestly, the most disappointing news from the announcement is that the Brewers haven't ditched Delaware North...since most of their food offerings just don't seem that good to begin with.

[paul253]

They may sell more hot dogs but since they are only $1 that means they are more than likely making less money. If they made more money selling $1 hot dogs, don't you think they'd do it all the time?

 

You never know. Making a small profit off of something is better than making a large profit off of nothing. There was a franchise that just recently announced a huge cut in concession prices. I can't remember who exactly, or even what league, but it will be interesting to follow them to see how they are doing profit wise.

[tmwiese55]

Also, I'm sure on $1 hot dog day all other food sales take a huge hit as everyone just buys hot dogs. I generally think a reduction of $1-2 on most products would help them increase sales enough to cover the loss in margin but as someone else said they have nerds running all these numbers and they disagree.

 

They actually sent out a survey about exactly this a couple weeks ago, having you compare prices and how long of a walk for certain products and picking between 3 options. I almost always picked the cheapest one as long as it was something I liked.

[paul253]

It's the Atlanta Falcons by the way:

 

$2 for a hot dog, unlimited soda or a pretzel

$3 for pizza, fries, nachos, or peanuts

$5 for beer or cheeseburger

 

I can honestly say I'd buy something every single time I go a game, unless Itaklgate ahead of time and just can't eat or drink anymore.

[TheCrew07]

I think baseball is definitely moving in the same direction as the NFL with concessions.

 

Concession prices out are out of hand. I was at Comerica Park last week and 1 round of 4 beers (3 Miller Lite and 1 Coors Light) was $38.00, obviously not beer which would typically be high priced. We were on vacation and had all significantly over budgeted for the trip so we were happy to take turns buying rounds waiting out the rain, but that was far outside of our normal stadium experience. There's simply no way we would have bought 6 rounds of beer over 3 hours at a Brewer game. Granted the rain delay situation doesn't exist at Miller Park but there's no novelty to the Miller Park experience anymore either which would compel me to purchase anything inside the park (other than Brewer gear).

 

If I'm going to drink we get there early and tailgate and then bring water into the game so we're good for the drive home. Once prices started going up we just adjusted our behavior and reduced our in stadium spending down to tickets.

 

I would think there would definitely be a point of diminishing returns, it's not like WI is booming and salaries are keeping up with the massive inflation of ballpark concessions. Who are these people willing to double the cost of a game buying stadium concessions on a regular basis? I highly doubt the majority of season holders would, in fact I bet on the whole they are most miserly inside the stadium, at least the small # of season ticket holders I know are.

[FVBrewerFan]

They may sell more hot dogs but since they are only $1 that means they are more than likely making less money. If they made more money selling $1 hot dogs, don't you think they'd do it all the time?

 

You never know. Making a small profit off of something is better than making a large profit off of nothing. There was a franchise that just recently announced a huge cut in concession prices. I can't remember who exactly, or even what league, but it will be interesting to follow them to see how they are doing profit wise.

 

The concept of $1 hot dog day is to sell tickets, it has nothing to do with making a profit on hot dogs. It's called a loss leader. No different than bobble head days.

[yfinn6]

I love beer, so im all for this

 

I love beer, too, but at 200% markup it's not as great.

[rickh150]

Awesome. More choices of food for me not to buy.

 

I don't understand why teams can't figure out that if they simply lower the price of food more people will buy it. I went to a Brewers-Twins game in MN a few years ago and just happened to go there on a dollar dog night. Between my bro in law and I we bought like 10 hot dogs. I'm sure they weren't the same quality hot dogs you get for $4.50 or whatever on a regular night but who cares. Had they not been a dollar I can guarantee our total bought would have been zero.

 

Back when MP first opened or sometime not long after they had one stand way up in the left field area by the kids zone or whatever that sold dollar hot dogs all be time. People would walk all the way up there from all over the stadium to get them, so much so that they ended up ending that deal. Again, not the same quality hot dog as the regular one but good enough for people to pay a dollar for. Adding more overly expensive food products and acting like they are doing the fans some huge favor shows me how tone deaf professional organizations are when it comes to concessions. Other than maybe beer, the average fan is just not willing to pay what they are demanding.

 

 

The Brewers have $1 hot dog/soda days as well.

 

$1 hot dog days? This year?

[FVBrewerFan]

Who are these people willing to double the cost of a game buying stadium concessions on a regular basis?

 

Based on what I've observed, the people who can least afford it are the ones buying 10 beers at a game. You see the same thing at Lambeau. And, it's the same people buying lottery tickets and cigarettes. Could go on and on. Just poor decision making when it comes to money.

 

Many people than CAN afford it realize how crazy the prices are and won't pay it. I will buy A beer, may or may not buy a snack or a hot dog. That's it.