13-05-2025
Inside the PGA Championship's all-inclusive food production
130,000 8-ounce burgers and 90,000 hot dogs — that's how many burgers and dogs Eric Babcook and his team with Delaware North's Patina Restaurant Group expect people to eat during the PGA Championship in Charlotte.
Why it matters: Unlike when the tournament took place in Charlotte in 2017, the PGA Championship's equivalent of a general admission ticket (Championship+) now includes unlimited food and nonalcoholic beverages.
Context: Babcook, who is Delaware North's general manager of the PGA of America Championship, has spent the last two years planning for this.
The 2022 PGA Championship was the first year they introduced all-inclusive food and beverage from Thursday to Sunday.
The 2023 PGA Championship switched to the current model, making food and beverage inclusive for the entire week.
The goal is to get people back to watching golf faster, tournament director Jason Soucy says.
Between the lines: The PGA Championship is expected to draw roughly 200,000 people. That's a lot of people to feed.
How it works: Your Championship+ ticket gets you access to five markets. You'll select one drink, one entrée and one snack. You can go back as many times as you want.
There will also be bars stationed around the course where you can purchase alcohol, which is not included in your ticket.
What to expect: Everything is prepared onsite. Breakfast options for Championship+ ticket holders include sausage, egg and cheese on a biscuit, crispy chicken biscuits and Krispy Kreme donuts. Drinks include water, Gatorade and other PepsiCo. products.
Lunch options include salads and sandwiches, plus:
Butchers grind cheeseburger
All-beef hot dog
Grilled chicken sandwich
Country sausage with cheddar
Plant-based burger
What they're saying: Patina Group executive chef Ed Milan says each tournament's menu varies based on the season and location. Charlotte's, for instance, will have spring flavors with a nod to barbecue.
Milan and his team spent two and a half weeks testing the menu in Los Angeles in February.
Premium areas will have four types of barbecue sauce: a Cheerwine sauce, bourbon, Eastern Carolina and a standard barbecue sauce. There will be 75 gallons of Eastern Carolina barbecue sauce, Milan says. They've also made over 1,000 gallons of bourbon brine.
By the numbers: The tournament's 700,000-square-foot production kitchen opened earlier this week. It's a 24-hour operation with 11 kitchens across the course, 200 cooks and 58 chefs working the tournament. Ultimately, more than 1,000 people will contribute to the food and beverage experience.
They're expecting to go through 15,000 cases of beer, 5,600 bottles of vodka and 3,200 bottles of bourbon, Babcook says. Cocktails start at $16.50. Beer starts at $14.50. Wine is $13.50. Seltzers are $15.50.
There will be over 135 tractor-trailers for storage and refrigeration over the week of the tournament.
