Why stadium eats have gone from hot dogs to haute cuisine | Canada Voices

From age five, Chris Zielinski attended Detroit Tigers games with his dad. What stood out for him, besides the major league baseball itself, was the stadium food.

“I can still smell all the hot dogs and sausages cooking, as well as the freshly popped popcorn,” says Zielinski.

He went on to become a chef and is now the senior culinary director for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). That’s the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS), Toronto Argonauts (CFL) and Toronto Marlies (AHL), so Zielinski is in position to influence the culinary experiences of hundreds of thousands of fans a year.

Fans now come to sports venues expecting more than just a game – they want an entire experience, he says, and food plays a crucial role in that.

“It’s up to us to make sure that everybody’s excited to be here, and excited to try the food.”

Sports venues are upping their game when it comes to their food offerings. Beyond the staples of nachos and peanuts, fans have come to expect the unexpected. According to a 2023 report by food and beverage platform Datassential, 62 per cent of consumers say food options are very important when going to a sports and/or concert stadium, but only 44 per cent report being happy with their purchases.

With fans willing to invest more in the experience, stadiums are scrambling to meet the demand for gourmet eats. It’s no longer just about feeding the masses – it’s about enhancing the entire event.

As the overseer of MLSE’s cuisine, Zielinski has been part of the shift from the classic game-day foods of his childhood to the sophisticated locally sourced eats available at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and BMO Field. Offerings now include prime-rib sandwiches from Hot Stove Carve, beef rotis and jerk chicken sandwiches from Wicked Carib, and Korean rice hot dogs from Chungchun.

“The demand for unique and different items has really expanded,” says Zielinski.

That’s true across Canada, from the perogy cup and pulled pork nachos at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, to the Golden Palace egg rolls at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

There are now fans who blog about stadium eats, like Anna Osgoodby, a marketing specialist in Seattle. She spent 10 years living in New York City and says one highlight was the distinct food options at Yankee Stadium. “I just love when they do funky things because it made it so much more of an experience.”

Even something as basic as French fries can have flair. “At Yankee Stadium it was the garlic fries, and at T-Mobile Park [in Seattle] they have crab fries that I just love,” says Osgoodby. “I like the things I’m only going to get at the stadium.”

The diversity of the food also comes down to the diversity of the fans, says Jenna Visram, assistant general manager at Vancouver’s BC Place, home to soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps and the BC Lions of the CFL. “We want to create unique and interesting dishes that are going to appeal to people from all backgrounds.”

Today’s stadium menus reflect the rich cultural mosaic of the cities they serve. From Korean rice dogs to butter chicken curry, these aren’t just meals – they’re culinary statements.

In going quirky, Visram notes that stadium food still needs to be something that fans can easily eat from your seat, often without a knife and fork. “They have to be able to enjoy it that way.”

Some fan data has ranked Scotiabank Arena as having the most popular eats in the NHL and second most popular in the NBA, says Zielinski. He says he and his team – 22 chefs and 300 cooks on staff – will continue to push the gastronomic envelope.

With sports venues surrounded by scores of chains, independent eateries and fast-food places, fans have no shortage of eating options. So stadiums and arenas know they have to stand out to compete for fans’ food dollars.

“We want them to choose to eat here,” says Zielinski. “Our goal is to not be a regular food court.”