The Dodgers sell hot dogs for $7.99. The Diamondbacks sell them for $2.99. Why?
The Dodgers sell hot dogs for $7.99. The Diamondbacks sell them for $2.99. Why?
Fans wait in line to purchase food and beverages before a game at Dodger Stadium earlier this month.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In the seventh inning, fans rise and sing about buying peanuts and Cracker Jack at the ballgame.
But what if the concession prices have risen so much that fans have to think twice about buying? At Dodger Stadium, a Dodger Dog costs $7.99.
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As ticket prices have soared, a small but growing number of teams in all sports are offering a limited menu of basic concession items at fan-friendly prices. At Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, a hot dog costs $2.99.
Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said team executives discussed whether discounting a handful of concession items would cost the team some revenue. It turns out, he said, they make more money that way.
'People feel like they're getting a bargain,' Hall said, 'and they buy more.'
Read more: Bobby Miller struggles, but Dodgers complete sweep of Rockies
The Chase Field $2.99 menu includes hot dogs, sodas, peanuts and popcorn. The Baltimore Orioles offer seven food items at $4 or less, including hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, pretzel bites and desserts. Nine other teams have value menus or $1 hot dogs for selected games, based on the fan value page on the league website.
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At the Delta Center, home of the NBA's Utah Jazz and the Utah Hockey Club, the $3 menu includes hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and ice cream.
The Atlanta Falcons, the NFL team credited with starting the trend, offer hot dogs, sodas, popcorn and pretzels at $2 each, with $3 items including sweet tea, peach shakes, nachos and vegan dogs.
The Dodgers have studied whether to introduce a value menu at Dodger Stadium, team president Stan Kasten said.
'We will increase the number of transactions if we have lower prices,' he said. 'They say they make more money that way.'
That would be great, Kasten said, except for what he said was an insurmountable obstacle.
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'I hate to say this,' he said. 'It's a terrible thing to say. I wish it wasn't true.
'We can't physically handle more transactions.'
The fan experience would be worsened that way, Kasten said. The notoriously long Dodger Stadium concessions lines would get even longer, and the notoriously crowded concourses would get even more crowded.
Dodger Stadium is built into the side of a hill, which cramps space for existing concession stands and kitchens and complicates any plans to widen the concourses. In 2013, the Dodgers needed to remove seats in order to expand concourses.
The Dodgers allow fans to bring in their own food and drink, provided the food is in a small clear bag and the drink is in a factory-sealed bottle, no larger than one liter, and non-alcoholic.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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