tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post5428110372230215827..comments2023-10-20T04:28:04.547-04:00Comments on Nats320 -- A Washington Nationals Blog: Centerplate Concessions @ Nationals ParkScreech's Best Friendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094199653375184305noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-13148831803997899622009-07-19T17:52:18.516-04:002009-07-19T17:52:18.516-04:00Amen! I just attended a game yesterday and was ve...Amen! I just attended a game yesterday and was very disappointed in the lack of vegetarian options. I stood in line for 25 minutes at one vendor that had a "veggie burger" prominently displayed on the menu only to be told that they "don't have that" when I finally got to the front of the line. Would it really have been so difficult to put a line through that item on the menu so others wouldn't make the same mistake?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-72062494993246986572008-11-24T16:50:00.000-05:002008-11-24T16:50:00.000-05:00Tj,Consider yourself lucky to be a vegetarian. Wa...Tj,<BR/><BR/>Consider yourself lucky to be a vegetarian. Waiting in line for an inning or two (2 or 3 people in a CenterPlate Line takes that long) and finding they do not have what is on the menu is a every game occurrence. Not sure why they are even asking us what the issues are because they must know how poor a job they did already, right, I mean Stan must have let them know that this is NOT what he had in mind when he spent 12 months evaluating vendors.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-83859461044569453682008-11-24T10:52:00.000-05:002008-11-24T10:52:00.000-05:00I've had just one issue with the concessions throu...I've had just one issue with the concessions through the 2008 season at National's ballpark. I'm a vegetarian, and was pretty happy to see that there were several options on the menu, including the veggie chili from Ben's, as well as veggie dogs and burgers from some of the grill stations. However, every game I went to in 2008, I tried to order a veggie dog or three, and found that even though they were listed on the menu, they were never available. It was extremely annoying.<BR/><BR/>I tended to attend games on Sunday afternoon, and tried to order my veggie dogs before the 1st pitch, so I don't know if timing had anything to do with it. Often I would try multiple stands that had veggie dogs on the menu, coming up empty. I could understand once not having something on the menu, but every game was a bit much. I still haven't had a veggie dog at the new stadium.<BR/><BR/>Also, I'm not sure if this was a concessions issue, but the lack of vegetarian options at the season ticket holder picnic at the end of the season was disappointing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-31932319618093038702008-11-23T13:21:00.000-05:002008-11-23T13:21:00.000-05:00NO NO NO NO NO PEPSI. COKE YES! PEPSI NO! ABSOL...NO NO NO NO NO PEPSI. COKE YES! PEPSI NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!<BR/><BR/>Where are the Crab Pretzels and why can't I find it? I've heard about them but every vendor I asked didn't know what I was talking about!<BR/><BR/>Not sure if CenterPlate is responsible or not, but could there be more Picnic tables, maybe behind the last row of seats at the different levels. Its easier to eat at a table than at one's seat.<BR/><BR/>Agree with most of the other comments here (except the Pepsi one). Salads would be great. Maybe a fruit cup option. I know Sushi is at other ballparks but Sushi MUST be fresh and being that its an OUTSIDE arena and HOT summers, I would be difficult to keep it consistently cold and fresh.CALSGR8https://www.blogger.com/profile/05984212316810086223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-77191935103815565542008-11-23T00:08:00.000-05:002008-11-23T00:08:00.000-05:00Customer service was AWFUL. I had high hopes for C...Customer service was AWFUL. I had high hopes for Centerplate, but as far as customer service is concerned, there was little or no improvement over Aramark.<BR/><BR/>I'd love to see more food choices. I love hot dogs, burgers and pizza as much as anyone, but it would be nice to have some other options, particularly healthier options (e.g., salads and deli wraps, available in more locations). Someone mentioned ethnic foods...I would love to see that. Several years ago, I attended a few games at Progressive Field (when it was still Jacobs Field) while visiting a friend in Cleveland, and I had Chinese food one night and Mexican food another night. My friend had sushi one night. I would love to see choices like that at Nationals Park.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of Progressive Field, they have (or had) pocket schedule-like guides to all of the food locations throughout the ballpark. This is convenient when you're looking for the one location of a particular food stand (e.g. Five Guys, Red, Hot & Blue, etc.)<BR/><BR/>More picnic tables are A MUST for Nationals Park, particularly when you consider how often the the main picnic area was closed to the public for private parties. To their credit, Centerplate did add some picnic tables to the area in front of the playground, but tables are needed in more locations around the ballpark. The Scoreboard Pavilion is a good choice, as is the area near Hard Times Cafe/Red Hot & Blue/Noah's Pretzels/etc. Tables in shaded areas would be nice too.<BR/><BR/>As a chocoholic, I was disappointed that no candy bars were sold at Nats Park. (At least, I never found any.) A few basics would be nice -- Snickers, Milky Way, M&M's. Bags of potato chips should be available as snacks. They were only available if you purchased a hot dog and a soda; you couldn't get just a bag of chips.<BR/><BR/>I wish the food wasn't so expensive at Nats Park, but food prices are always expensive at ballparks and arenas.Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08975986727849899390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-39481960634460322812008-11-22T17:56:00.000-05:002008-11-22T17:56:00.000-05:00Not sure how many more comments Center plate needs...Not sure how many more comments Center plate needs to get the message........Service is the thing that must change.........you can have all the Veggie Chile and Micro Beer in the world but if it takes 3 innings to get and served by people who clearly do not want to be there and do not care at all about the team and your level of satisfaction then what is the point.<BR/><BR/>SBF, can you comment on if you think Center plate and Stan have gotten this message? Also the comments about how bad the upper deck problems are real.....Stan never gets up their like he did in the old RFK days.JayBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11448827055342357809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-83455684048630909082008-11-22T12:18:00.000-05:002008-11-22T12:18:00.000-05:001. More real vegetarian options. About the only th...1. <B>More real vegetarian options.</B> About the only thing I could eat (apart from French Fries and ice cream) was either Ben's veggie chili or Hard Times veggie chili. <BR/><BR/>2. <B>Better pizza.</B> I echo what several others have said. Papa John's really is quite crappy.<BR/><BR/>3. <B>Lids for drinks after early August.</B> It blew my mind the number of times there were just no lids available for soft drinks in late August and September. If you have cups, you should have lids. How would you serve the drinks without cups? Why would you serve them without lids?<BR/><BR/>4. <B>Better beer selections.</B> The selections were more satisfying at RFK with--dare I say it--Aramark in charge. Where is ANY kind of India Pale Ale in Nationals Park?<BR/><BR/>5. <B>More respect for the Gallery Level.</B> The upper deck was usually full when the lower bowl was sparsely populated. Treat us as if we have money and want something to eat.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07243007019646325480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-16353532422121806722008-11-21T22:31:00.000-05:002008-11-21T22:31:00.000-05:00I am a skinflint, attending most games these past ...I am a skinflint, attending most games these past four years but didn't make my first food purchase till this past August. If I couldn't bring in snacks and water, I would not go to most of the games I do go to. Perhaps I'm the person Centerplate would like to win over--or perhaps they would just as soon forget about me.<BR/><BR/>My one food purchase was a large burrito for, I think, $8. It was really good--messy, but really good and filling. However, the line was really inefficient, and the nearby cashier was crowing the whole time I was in line about how the game was going in the Mets' favor. (Jason Bergmann walked approximately nineteen Mets while I was in line.)<BR/><BR/>Occasionally I let friends buy me stuff, and I really enjoyed the Dinger after Flop's grand slam last spring. The ice cream line was manageable, although I have routinely seen it be 25 people long.<BR/><BR/>If the prices were slashed, and it didn't take so long to buy food, I would definitely reconsider my habits.paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15683734720896529408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-15863162110362628242008-11-21T21:06:00.000-05:002008-11-21T21:06:00.000-05:00I went to about 10 games last year, and tried to e...I went to about 10 games last year, and tried to eat before coming, because to get an edible vegetarian meal (nachos don't count) was too expensive. <BR/><BR/>However, I love ice cream. Almost every time, I tried to get the soft serve in the helmets. Multiple times, they ran out of ice cream (by the 5th inning!), which I found out after I had waited in line for 15 minutes; I only got one Nat's helmet; and they NEVER had all of the components at the same time (i.e., ice cream, W helmet, hot fudge, and sprinkles). <BR/><BR/>Also, if you wait in the Ben's line for 2 innings only to be told rudely that they don't have any veggie chili, you don't try again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-30813616872380212462008-11-20T14:13:00.000-05:002008-11-20T14:13:00.000-05:00Thanks much for the opportunity to weigh in. I've ...Thanks much for the opportunity to weigh in. I've not run into problems with lines but I usually get my food well before the first pitch. I've also never run into rude employees, but perhaps that's the luck of the draw. I second (third?) the pleas for more tables, whether of the sit down or stand up variety.<BR/><BR/>I'd like to see more value meals - there were a couple of stands where one could get a grilled chicken sandwich and fries for (I think) $7. I'd also like to see salads or other healthy options. Generally speaking re. food, I love the gelato and the helmet sundaes (and I was lucky in that mine did come in a curly W helmet). Not that fond of the Dinger. Love the Ben's dogs. Liked the aforementioned grilled chicken sandwich.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-77858387327442557452008-11-20T14:04:00.000-05:002008-11-20T14:04:00.000-05:00I don't expect much at a ballpark. I am not a fan...I don't expect much at a ballpark. I am not a fancy food person while at the game. I just want my ice cream and hotdog. That being said I have three issues...<BR/><BR/>1) The soft served ice cream that comes in the mini helmets was often inconsistent in quality. Whether from stand to stand or just hour by hour, I am not sure. Sometimes the ice cream would be smooth and delicious. Other times, very mealy as if it had not mixed. Especially the chocolate. And trust me, I ate a lot of this ice cream - it's not as if this happened to me once. I buy most of my food about an hour before the game, maybe that is the problem. But it still should not happen.<BR/><BR/>2) Speaking of soft served...I liked when there were both Curly W helmets AND other teams' helmets. I found it fun to collect the different teams. I think that they should serve ice cream in the helmets of both the Nationals and visiting team. <BR/><BR/>3) Kettle corn! Where is my kettle corn? Season 1 at RFK had good stuff. Lots of pepper mixed in with the salt and butter and sugary goodness. The rest of the seasons at RFK the kettle korn was OK at best, but at least it was there. If it exists at Nationals Park, I have no idea where. And I never saw a vendor bring any to the 400s if they serve it anywhere. Bring back Season 1 kettle corn!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your time.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03257647178736337699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-64754149395705769872008-11-20T13:59:00.000-05:002008-11-20T13:59:00.000-05:00The prices at ballparks are always high, but there...<I>The prices at ballparks are always high, but there was no need for the team to raise them above the RFK prices. Roll them back to 2007 levels.</I><BR/><BR/>Did the prices at RFK include the tax on tickets, concessions and other sales that's part of the funding scheme for Nationals Park? If not, that could be the reason for the 2008 concession stand price increases.An Briosca Morhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06855174362787324401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-10852878937525317552008-11-20T13:17:00.000-05:002008-11-20T13:17:00.000-05:00I agree with the previous comments about helmet su...I agree with the previous comments about helmet sundaes- there should always be helmets available, and preferably of the curly W persuasion. I wasn't able to actually get a sundae in a Nationals helmet for some time after the stadium opened. (On Opening Day, my husband and I got Arizona and Philly sundaes- not exactly what we wanted.) That being said, I'm thrilled that we finally HAVE helmet sundaes!DCSportsChickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13314398982432159993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-32665053063320019882008-11-20T11:32:00.000-05:002008-11-20T11:32:00.000-05:00Oh and a vote for going back to Pepsi products too...Oh and a vote for going back to Pepsi products too.WFYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12164235001809050973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-79819256050243240902008-11-20T11:23:00.000-05:002008-11-20T11:23:00.000-05:00I saw a lot of efforts to improve over the course ...I saw a lot of efforts to improve over the course of the season. For example, at the first few games, I was told that "small" sodas did not have lids and straws. Only the "large" sodas had those. That changed within a month. Ben's Chili Bowl was expanded to take care of the demand.<BR/><BR/>Friendly and knowledgeable customer service was rare at the concession stands. I can't say that was any different than RFK, though. I thought the Italian Sausage at RFK (by Dominics?) was great! The one at Nats Park? Not as good.<BR/><BR/>The prices at ballparks are always high, but there was no need for the team to raise them above the RFK prices. Roll them back to 2007 levels.<BR/><BR/>Finally, I agree with Don that we need to have one place where you can get almost anything, instead of having to go from stand to stand to get the right drink, sandwich, and pretzel/chips.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-44282811385186523862008-11-20T10:41:00.000-05:002008-11-20T10:41:00.000-05:00I like that so many local/regional vendors are the...I like that so many local/regional vendors are there, especially Ben's Chili Bowl. Centerplate gets high marks for bring them in.<BR/><BR/>Customer service is the biggest problem with Nationals Park concessions. The lines move too slowly. This is not a problem that is unique to Centerplate's tenure or Nationals Park -- Verizon Center is slow too. I suppose they are only as good as the labor pool. I think each stand tends to have one person too many though.<BR/><BR/>Interestingly, when I am up at Penn State for football games, the student volunteers in the concession stands are very efficient. <BR/><BR/>Oh and another thing, if I get a helmet sundae, I want to be assured that I'll get one with a curly W hat, not a curly P or interlocking LA, etc. Stock the place with Nationals helmets!WFYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12164235001809050973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-68346528883652493822008-11-19T23:22:00.000-05:002008-11-19T23:22:00.000-05:00Thanks Jeff. My list:1. PROMINENT SIGNS AT BENS C...Thanks Jeff. My list:<BR/><BR/>1. PROMINENT SIGNS AT BENS CHILI BOWL are needed saying that Ben's half smokes are available at every dog stand in the park. This would clear up the perpetual traffic jam around on the 3rd base line and probably shorten lines at a lot of other concessions around the park.<BR/><BR/>2. SOLD OUT SIGNS are needed so that workers can update the menu board when an item is sold out. I waited in line several times in 2008 only to find out when I got to the front that the particular item I wanted was sold out.<BR/><BR/>2. STOCK ENOUGH FOOD! Even better than the sold out signs would be some requirement for vendors to actually deliver what's on the menu. I remember one weeknight game against the Mets, maybe 28,000 fans in the stands, in the 5th inning I go to wait in line for food for my family. It was a joke. Dupont Deli had no turkey or pastrami or salads, Noah's Pretzels had no cinnamon pretzels, Taste of the Majors had no burgers or fries! I had missed 2 innings by the time I gave up and bought some hot dogs.<BR/><BR/>3. FRESH OPTIONS PLEASE. Dupont Deli is the only place with fresh sandwiches and salads, and the people running it deserve a sentence to foodservice jail. It takes them 10 minutes to sell you a sandwich and yet they somehow run out of food within a couple of innings every night. <BR/><BR/>4. REAL PIZZA seems unlikely but I have to agree with everybody else. Anything but those crappy little mini papa johns. Even my grade-schooler looks at the Papa Johns option and the price they charge and says it's not worth it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-3184353652199493512008-11-19T21:38:00.000-05:002008-11-19T21:38:00.000-05:00Another point I forgot to mention in my earlier po...Another point I forgot to mention in my earlier posting - At one game I did get the carving option at the Stars N Strips Club. After waiting for about fiften minutes for service, I tried to pay using my credit card, but the machine was down. I didn't have enough cash on hand. The server got a manager who sould fix the machine. His answer was to go and get cash from an ATM - I refused to pay the ATM feees. Five feet away another terminal was working, but the manager refused to process my transaction on that terminal. Finally, I walked away after more than 20 minutes invested. That was my 3rd of ten games. After that experience, I didn't make another purchase in the ballpark! Now, the manager should have let everyone else in line get served for free, then close the station. That's customer service. Or take me up on my offer: allow me to walk away with the food and enjoy the game, take my ticket stub and come to my seat once the terminal was working and process my card. Of course the manager made the wrong call and lost a customer for the entire season!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-11104692889229547662008-11-19T21:20:00.000-05:002008-11-19T21:20:00.000-05:00What concessions do they manage? I would love to ...What concessions do they manage? I would love to provide some feedback. In all, I was not impressed with the concessions at the ballpark. There were so many speciality vendors at the ballpark, it was very confusing. With the exception of a few employees, the staff didn't even seem like they wanted to be at the ballpark. I was not impressed with them. Also, the food selection was not very interesting. And the prices, don't get me started about the prices. One item we missed from RFK was the lemonade.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-55374349723170149802008-11-19T21:08:00.001-05:002008-11-19T21:08:00.001-05:00I might have an interesting perspective on this. I...I might have an interesting perspective on this. I must have gone to 20 or 25 games last year, and I think I was in almost every section, including the Presidents Box seats about three times through my friend's company.<BR/><BR/>What was strange about the President's seats was how lousy the food and service were. I also went to a couple of games at RFK on this deal--it was called Diamond Club at RFK--and the food was way better at RFK. Plus, my hosts confirmed, the people working in the seats would take orders and never come back, or other waiters would come around asking us if we ordered stuff--they had no idea who ordered it! I'm sure this will sound elittest, but I'm a working class guy who got lucky to go to a couple of games in these VIP sections. Basically the price went UP at Nats Park and the quality & service went way DOWN.<BR/><BR/>I saw a lot of cases when people working concessions at National Park would take the money directly from the customer and put it in their pocket. Then the cashier would just let them go through. This happned at RFK alot too. Check the stands up near 312 section and you can see this theivery.<BR/><BR/>People working in food stands far away from Ben's main store by the 3B line (I mean places like Nats Dogs) had no idea how to make a Ben's Chili Dog properly. I had a cat almost want to fight me cause he said it had cheese on top. Train the people how to do things right.<BR/><BR/>Little things made me so mad. I buy the souvenir Coke for $5.50 for half the year, and it has the Nats info and schedule on it. And a lid. Suddenly all these cups go away. I get a smaller, uglier cup, no lid, no schedule, no logo, but still $5.50. This is stealing.<BR/><BR/>There is one and only ONE original pizza in the whole DC area, and that is Ledos. It is OUR own home grown pizza, like nobody else's in America. Why don't we have Ledos at Nats Park?<BR/><BR/>I promise I have no connection with Aramark at RFK. But the Centerplate thing has been lousy.YoungSenatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11482578203585904609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-75446521949604067862008-11-19T21:08:00.000-05:002008-11-19T21:08:00.000-05:00Here are some things I'd like them to consider:How...Here are some things I'd like them to consider:<BR/><BR/>How about adding vending machines around the stadium so that fans can buy sodas and bottled water without having to wait in the food lines.<BR/><BR/>How about making sure the credit card terminals work? There were many times that a stand was cash only because the terminal didn't work.<BR/><BR/>How about installing cameras at each of the food stations so that Centerplate can monitor the employees and coach them on how to work more efficiently. There were too many instances of long lines with workers just standing around behind the stands. They didn't seem to care that long lines were forming. I wondered who's managing this operation. I had higher expectations of Centerplate. To address this, how about a feedback loop from the fans? Display a phone number at each stand like they do at Burger King and McDonalds in the drive thru. Fans can call and leave a message if they get shoddy service. Each stand should have an ID so that when the fan calls they can identify the specific stand with the problem.<BR/><BR/>Please mention that the prices are too high! They are losing sales because of this. Towards the end of the season, we were buying food at Subway and bringing it to the stadium since it let us save $10. If they priced the food more reasonably they'd more than make up the difference.<BR/><BR/>How about turning the center field restaurant into a real restaurant? The service there was terrible the dozen or so times we visited. It was usually chaotic trying to get a seat. We sat down a few times and didn't get served for 10 minutes. This restaurant should be made into a real sit down restaurant with real waiters and with a menu that's more than a laminated piece of paper offering the same food that can be bought by walking up to one of the stands. It's so disappointing since it has so much potential!<BR/><BR/>Please ask them to offer some additional ethnic food choices like maybe Chinese, Thai, Salvadoran, or Cuban. Maybe they can invite some local food vendors for different homestands and see which ones are most popular. <BR/><BR/>Lastly, please have them install some picnic benches or seats in the area near the Hard Times Care and Noah's pretzel stand. It would be nice to have places to sit around there before the game after getting some food at those stands. <BR/><BR/>SBF, thanks for gathering our input!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-54634239269207267292008-11-19T18:54:00.000-05:002008-11-19T18:54:00.000-05:00Being of Italian descent, I must point out that Ni...Being of Italian descent, I must point out that Nick's Sausage (served at Nationals Park) is much better than Dominic's, and Nick's is a local product as well (Hyattsville/Clinton).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-67007825616879057272008-11-19T16:22:00.000-05:002008-11-19T16:22:00.000-05:00My biggest comment, and it is an important one, is...My biggest comment, and it is an important one, is that there is no incentive for Centerplate workers to speed up when the lines are long, no reason for them to be friendly. Centerplate needs to have some kind of reward program for improveds sales, speedier service, friendlier sales people. Whether it be pay, pats on the back, something, waiting for the great bowl of nachos for three innings with only 7 people in front of you is unacceptable. Training and rewards.... Please!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-28630837559050397812008-11-19T16:11:00.000-05:002008-11-19T16:11:00.000-05:00I also think the Pat's Pizza in the Stars and Stri...I also think the Pat's Pizza in the Stars and Stripes Club is pretty good. I don't usually order chain pizzas at home so I did not realize from the taste that it was just Papa John's. I took my pizza-expert nephew to a ballgame and he said, "You know, Uncle Joe, this is just Papa John's. Look, it's even on the sign. And they have the Papa John's dipping sauce." And I thought I was eating something unique and special. Oh well. It's still pretty good. But $6.75 is a pretty expensive slice! <BR/><BR/>My suggestion: As others have said, I wish the concession stands remain open until the end of the game.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-37114977168709026192008-11-19T15:36:00.000-05:002008-11-19T15:36:00.000-05:00SBF,Thanks for forwarding comments for us. My com...SBF,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for forwarding comments for us. My comments relate to the Club level, I agree that we need ice cream, popcorn, and coffee/hot chocolate added within the Stars& Stripes Club. They should look at traffic management at the two Grills because they clog up fast and that is frustrating not being able to make it through the line in an inning. I would like to see a Deli option you know where you tell them what how to build your sandwich with lots of various meats, cheeses, and fixins available. Lastly you should be able to get a souvenier Beer at the Bars not just the small cups. <BR/><BR/>Take Me Out To The Ball Game!<BR/><BR/>SamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com