Kingdome adds new concepts to roster

Nation's Restaurant News, April 3, 1989 by Alan Liddle

KINGDOME ADDS NEW CONCEPTS TO ROSTER

SEATTLE -- As head of concessions at the Seattle Kingdome, Roger Hoen probably embraces competition as much as anybody else. However, he admits, he's glad one stadium-related contest is winding down.

"Thankfully," the Ogden Allied Services manager says with a sigh, the "competition for the most items [on a menu] in any stadium seems to be dying."

Hoen is referring to the trend toward stadium menu proliferation that took hold across the country beginning in the mid-'80s. That movement has resulted in greater ballpark availability of non-traditional fare, such as cinnamon rolls, crab cakes, and tacos.

And while Hoen acknowledges the need to offer some non-traditional foods to meet the growing desire for "variety" among consumers, he believes operators should not get carried away.

"Concentrating on the basics . . . while using some of the new things [foods] as peripheral items, that's what needs to be done to do the [best] job for the public and the client," he says.

In 1987 Ogden was awarded a five-year renewal of a contract it acquired with regional concessionaire Alpine-Burtco seven years earlier.

Ogden, which agreed to complete a $2.7 million remodel of Kingdome facilities as part of its successful bid, has renewal options that could extend the agreement 10 years beyond the initial 1992 expiration date.

Included among the Kingdome's facilities are 36 concession stands, 50 private suites, a 250-seat cafeteria-buffet and lounge, and a 75-seat deli and lounge.

Ogden has 16 full-time Kingdome employees and during the baseball season employs about 200 part-time food-service workers per game, Hoen says.

Among the newer or more successful components of Kingdome food service:

. An outdoor "barbecue area" that serves third-pound burgers and Polish sausages grilled over open, gas-fueled flames. Located inside the stadium fence, but outside the domed structure itself, the barbecue stand has become "an area where people congregate before games," Hoen says.

. Three pizza stands with exhibition preparation areas. Pizza is sold by the slice, starting at $1.60 for cheese.

. An "ice cream parlor" counter that sells hand-dipped premium ice creams, waffle cones, shakes, soft-serve forzen dairy products, and frozen yogurt. Hand-dipped ice creams are also sold out of carts.

. A "Chicken Express" window that opens off the Kingdome's 75-seat deli and lounge. Fried chicken, fried boneless chicken chunks, and other rotating chicken items are sold from the window.

. Nine street vendor-style carts that serve foot-long, fifth-pound, all-beef "New York" hot dogs that can be ordered topped with chili, cheese, or sauerkraut.

The New York hot dogs are priced at $3.75 compared with $3 for a "spicy" quarter-pound hot dog; $2.75 for either a bratwurst, Polish, or "hot link" sausage; and $1.50 for the standard eighth-of-a-pound hot dog.

"It's been a nice surprise," Hoen says of the New York hot dog. "We've noticed the lines backing up around the carts."

Several of the Kingdome's most successful concession stands were added in 1987 as part of the $2.7 million remodel.

Gooseneck lamps similar to those found outside the stalls at Seattle's world-famous Pike Place Market were mounted over the windows of all concession stands, Hoen says, "and we put our staff in `market aprons and uniforms." Combined, he says, the changes "give you the feeling of being in a market."

Endowing Kingdome concessions with a regional identity tied to food was a welcome change, Hoen says. At the time the stands were originally built, he explains, "sterility" seemed to be the buzzword among designers, who let little of the warmth or excitement associated with food or its preparation shine through.

"You showed them [the public] stainless steel and some open space, and food seemed to somehow come up out of a trap door," he recalls of situation that used to prevail in the concession areas. "Now people can see pizzas being made from scratch. There is a market feel. and there is a nice pub feeling in the deli."

The Kingdome is one of the last of a dying breed when it comes to beer sales, Hoen says, explaining that King County still permits him to field beer vendors in the seating area.

However, he says, Ogden, which has voluntarily reduced its emphasis on beer sales in seating areas in recent years, is considering doing away with roving beer vendors all together in a move to foster a better public image.

Addressing beer sales at the Kingdome, Hoen says he has been pleased by the number of fans ordering super-premium beers over premium pours selling for about 10 percent less.

Ogden sold 16-ounce, 20-ounce, and 28-ounce beers in 1988 but might offer just the two larger sizes in 1989, Hoen says. Less decision making by consumers, he says, translates into quicker transaction times.

In a best-case scenario, he says, a regionally produced beer flying a Kingdome proprietary label will go on sale sometime during the coming baseball season.