Food for thought
After testing their all-you-can-sorta-eat gimmick for those who pay up to sit in the right field pavilion, the Dodgers apparently have sent ripples of excitement around the gluttonous greater L.A. area by formally announcing they're going to do the one-stop eating binge on a regular basis during the 2007 season.
Remember, when we took you through the artery-stopping event last August, we were hardly impressed. The non-grilled hot dogs were also kinda cold, there was a small selection, the lines became too long during the game, and they shut it all down before the seventh inning.
The Dodgers haven't said they've fixed it, but they feel confident to make it a regular feeding zone with a few tweeks to last year's trial runs.
“Instead of paying cash, fans ask for whatever they want, and they get it," said Marty Greenspun, the team's exec and COO. "There are going to be some self-service parts, buffet-style, as well."
Those 3,000 seats in right field will go for $35 in advance, or $40 on gameday. Left field will remain $10 a pop.
“The response was overwhelmingly positive,� Greenspun said of the three test runs in right field last year. "The St. Louis Cardinals have done it. IIt hasn’t been anything of this size. The other ballparks charge a higher rate than this.�
The concept goes as such: Food booth open 90 minutes before the game and close two hours after the first pitch. The all-you-can-eat concept means you can only have two Dodger Dogs at a time.
Then you have to get back in line. Again and again.
“We’re offering a fan amenity," said Greenspun. "Fans can elect to choose it or not choose it. We are offering basic ballpark fare that most fans enjoy.�
As in: Dodger Dogs, popcorn, peanuts and soda. The beer, ice cream and candy are sold at regular prices at another kiosk.
Again, if it's run anything like last year, you may want to wait awhile to see how others fare with their $35 ticket and go with the public opinion about whether it's worth the hassle. The view from the pavilion is marginally good, at best. The seats are benches, which welcome the overweight to spill into your designated space. You can't see the scoreboard behind you that has the lineup. And the run to the bathroom means going behind the visitor's bullpen and into this dank section of the park that has all the extra seeding for the grass and other barn-like stuff in the vicinity.
You should get what you pay for. But if you have to shove all the food down your pie hole just to make up for the cost of everything, please weigh your options before having to weigh yourself once you get to the gym the next day.