Ask George: Has there been any more news on the food offerings at the new soccer stadium?

Yes, and even fans just hanging out have options.

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Has there been any more news on the food offerings at the new soccer stadium? —Tony F., St. Louis

Although the new home of St. Louis CITY SC has seen its share of twists and turns recently, with an unexpected electrical issue (resolved) and a name change (Centene Stadium is now CITYPARK), the food service at the new venue is firing on all burners.

At a press conference last week, the first four of the 25 local CITY Flavor restaurant partners were announced, including BEAST Craft BBQ, Steve's Hot Dogs, Balkan Treat Box, and Niche Food Group. Yesterday, Gerard Craft, chief flavor ambassador for the project, confirmed that all 25 have been confirmed, and he is "looking to add even more [vendors] to the mix. I don’t want to throw out a total number just yet, because it's still in flux.

“There’s always next year, too,” he added. “We gotta keep the motor going.”

This week, the club announced that the first exhibition match, against German-side Bayer 04 Leverkusen, would be played on November 16 at 7 p.m. (Tickets go on sale to the public today at 2 p.m. on St. Louis CITY SC’s app.)

Yesterday, CITY president and CEO Carolyn Kindle said that for that match, the food and beverage offerings will include the aforementioned restaurants, “as well as a few more of our soon-to-be-announced partners.”

Craft confirmed that the subsequent partners would be announced via press release, rather than a press conference similar to the one held at the stadium last week, which included sample food items.

SLM has discovered other information about CITYPARK’s foodservice operation, which follows:

  • There will be two food stands (and only two) facing the main plaza—for Steve’s Hot Dogs and Balkan Treat Box—that can service the plaza and fans in the stadium. “We’re excited that even fans without tickets can come down, grab something great to eat and drink, and absorb the energy of match day," says Craft. "The stadium was designed with gaps and open corners to make that happen. It’s going to be a super positive experience, even for the fans who aren’t inside.”
  • In addition, "electrical hookups have been installed on the plaza to accommodate food trucks,” Craft says. “Since it was designed to be a great place to come and just hang out, CITY SC will activate the plaza to host different events."
  • Because soccer fans tend to stay in their seats for the two 45-minute periods, the peak food-service window is essentially during pre-game and the 15-minute halftime break. This can present a challenge to vendors, because it’s almost impossible for fans to queue up and be served so quickly. To decrease transaction times, “the next generation of in-stadium convenience” has been introduced, according to Kindle, including mobile order-ahead, self-service kiosks, mobile wallet pay, and easy item pickup.
  • Since many of the vendors are unfamiliar with serving food in a stadium setting—and doing so quickly— lead concessions supervisor Levy (which oversees several soccer-specific stadiums across the United States) will lend its expertise to prevent service and production snafus. In addition, vendors have the option of using Levy’s employees or their own staff.
  • CITY Flavor is a four-part content series describing a foodservice program that includes 25-plus local vendors and 52 individual areas for fans to access items—the most in Major League Soccer. Episode Three (on Steve’s Hot Dogs) dropped this week. Craft says, “I’ve collaborated a lot over the years, and I’ve never been more impressed with a group of people—from Carolyn and Matt [Sebek, chief experience officer] to the entire ownership team, Levy, the architects, the videographers, the media team... It’s just been incredible.”

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