Written by Ell | 11 June 2008

Since this continues to be a hot topic, I thought I'd look into who exactly Centerplate, Inc. is, and what they do. Straight from their website:

"Centerplate has been enormously successful at instituting concessions offerings that faithfully reflect the culinary character and color of each local market. In some cases, we develop our own authentic recipes, based on the culture of the town or region. But we've also created a lot of excitement by partnering with popular local restaurants to bring the true tastes of each area right into the venue

Some things that they have done at San Francisco Giants' SBC Park: --- They formed agreements with local institutions like Ghirardelli Chocolate and The Stinking Rose, a San Francisco mainstay known for its famous Forty Clove Garlic Chicken Sandwich. --- They collaborated with the former Giants All-Star first baseman, Orlando Cepeda, to establish a barbeque stand using his family recipe. Imagine if they do the same, Bryant-Denny could end up with: Dreamland Barbeque, Catfish from the Cypress Inn, tacos from Taco Casa, burgers from Rammer Jammers. Or better yet, in the vein of the Orlando Cepeda barbeque stand, wings from Bob Baumhower's. I don't know what they will do here in Tuscaloosa, but the possibilities are nice to think about. They also claim to do market analysis of the local area to determine preferences. Do you think the fans' love of "Denny Dogs" might possibly come up? I'm not sure how Ian and Lance at Round Table Radio decided that sushi was going to replace hot dogs on the menu. I guess trying to create controversy is the way to get people involved. I don't see how this can be seen as anything but a positive for anyone who attends University of Alabama athletic events.

< Prev		Next >