LOS ANGELES -- Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack ... and throw in a
dozen Dodger Dogs, too.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will give fans
something to chew on next season: all-you-can eat seats.
The right-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium will be converted into the
special section, giving around 3,000 fans as many hot dogs, peanuts,
popcorn, nachos and sodas as they want.
Tickets will sell for $35 in advance and $40 on gameday, and some items
at the concession stand aren't in play -- beer, ice cream and candy will
be sold separately at regular prices.
"Instead of paying cash, fans ask for whatever they want, and they get
it. There are going to be some self-service parts, buffet-style, as
well," Dodgers executive vice president and chief operating officer
Marty Greenspun said.
There will be some other limitations. Food booths open 90 minutes before
games and close two hours after the first pitch.
And anybody who walks up and wants 100 hot dogs -- they're sold as
Dodger Dogs, from $4.50 to the all-beef variety for $5.25 -- will have
to curb their appetite.
"If a person goes up there and asks for four for his family, he won't be
told no," Dodgers senior vice president of communications Camille
Johnston said.
Greenspun said the team tested the all-you-can-eat concept three times
late last season. "The response was overwhelmingly positive" and gave
the Dodgers food for thought, he said.
A few other teams have had all-you-can-eat sections. "The St. Louis
Cardinals have done it," Greenspun said. "It hasn't been anything of
this size." In addition, he said, "the other ballparks charge a higher
rate than this."
All-you-can-eat isn't exactly the most health-conscious concept these
days, but as Greenspun put it: "We're offering a fan amenity. Fans can
elect to choose it or not choose it. We are offering basic ballpark fare
that most fans enjoy."
Tickets in left field, meanwhile, will be $10.
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