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Shea Stadium - Worst Food in a Baseball Stadium

batmagadanleadoff Apr 30 2008 05:40 PM

Sports Illustrated fan survey of MLB stadiums- Shea Stadium overall 28th out of 30 ... worst food... 28th out of 30 in affordability. [url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/specials/fansurvey/2008/index.html?eref=T1]SI link[/url]

batmagadanleadoff Apr 30 2008 05:44 PM

From the survey: SI: What is the must-have food item offered at the ballpark and what makes it so good? One Response: "Something brought from home."

KC Apr 30 2008 06:09 PM

Someone's buying and eating the crap otherwise they would have changed it a long time ago and improve concession earnings. Judging by the long lines at the booths, non-beer concessions sell rather well at Shea. Who's buying the stuff? Would they be happier with better fare or do they just not care or worse yet not know the difference? This is going to be a long season unless the Mets are in first place soon and by a ton of games ... isn't it?

SteveJRogers Apr 30 2008 06:19 PM

KC wrote: Who's buying the stuff? Would they be happier with better fare or do they just not care or worse yet not know the difference? I'm going to go with the latter. My feeling is that most of the comments come from the fact that the Mets don't offer much of a variety or as many "name brand" items for fans liking. Yes Nathans, Hebrew National, Subway (only on the field level, as well as the Mamas of Corona kiosk), Sbarros (I believe new this year), Bubba Burger (also new this year), Primo Italian Sausage and Dunkin Donuts, as well as your regular line up of Pepsi Products are quite well known and are pretty much your basic stadium fare, but I think it's more envy of what is in the new stadiums. Then again, it could just be more Shea/Flushing bashing as well.

SteveJRogers Apr 30 2008 06:25 PM

I'd like to know how the Yankees and Red Sox ranked ahead of Met fans in terms of "Fan IQ?" I'd wager a good percentage of those who attend games at Fenway and Yankee Stadium in recent years are causal or non-fans that go either; A) to be seen at an "event" or just there because it's one of those "things you need to do before you die" sort of things B) there on some sort of customer schmooze or C) the boorish young lout that keeps screaming "MY TEAM RULZ, YOUR TEAM SUCKS!" the whole game. I'm not saying there aren't those types of fans at Shea, but how as a whole the Fenway and YS crowds got ranked #s2 and 3 respectively is a bit odd.

G-Fafif Apr 30 2008 06:28 PM

A captive audience will often buy whatever is available, no matter what is charged. I would expect an upgrade in Citi Field. It would be tough to imagine building a palace and then feeding the guests from the same old dungeon. Someone from SI sent us a note when they began putting this together. I recommended Daruma of Great Neck despite the sushi being confined to field level. Sorry it didn't get mentioned. And today's sausage and onion (I'm not a pepper person) was the best thing about this afternoon's affair. The roll could have been heated, but Castillo also could have turned a double play.

SteveJRogers Apr 30 2008 06:33 PM

Heh, I like to know who the 3.1 percent were that thought the amenities walking distance from Shea were excellent? The owners of that deli alongside 126? The owners of the marina establishment? Or did they go on a nice 5-10 minute walk to College Point Blvd? Or the other way into the Corona area? Oh sure it kind of is walking distance, but it's not Wrigleyville or anything. Better off taking your chances driving.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 30 2008 06:38 PM

G-Fafif wrote: A captive audience will often buy whatever is available, no matter what is charged. I agree. I suspect that the "taste" threshold at which fans will refuse to buy stadium food is not so demanding, certainly above rancid or putrid, but maybe not that much higher. And then maybe, the Mets recognize this and are ruthless businesspeople who exploit this to the fullest, deliberately charging the most for the least. I can't say for sure where the Mets food ranks league-wide because I haven't been to most MLB stadiums. I do know that Shea hot-dogs suck and have always sucked -- a somewhat soggy water logged stick of pork with a gelatinous texture on the inside, as if you were biting into ham flavored Jello. Only more Jello-y than porky. And you don't need a modern stadium to serve up a decent hot dog.

KC Apr 30 2008 06:48 PM

bml: >>>I can't say for sure where the Mets food ranks league-wide because I haven't been to most MLB stadiums<<< We, and other forums I frequent, have been over this a thousand times. Shea ranks last or near last. No scoop on SI's part.

themetfairy Apr 30 2008 06:52 PM

How is San Francisco only #7 in food? Their food choices are amazing!

KC Apr 30 2008 06:55 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 30 2008 06:56 PM

I loved the steroid sushi I had there. It pumped ... me up!

batmagadanleadoff Apr 30 2008 06:55 PM

="KC"]bml: >>>I can't say for sure where the Mets food ranks league-wide because I haven't been to most MLB stadiums<<< We, and other forums I frequent, have been over this a thousand times. Shea ranks last or near last. No scoop on SI's part. Yeah. I suppose that participating fans weren't technically asked to compare one stadium's food offerings to another. Fans merely assessed the stadium foods that they were familiar with. And then SI assigned rankings accordingly. And even by that system, one stadium necessarily had to come out on top, one in 2nd place, etc.

G-Fafif Apr 30 2008 06:59 PM

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ="G-Fafif"]A captive audience will often buy whatever is available, no matter what is charged. I agree. I suspect that the "taste" threshold at which fans will refuse to buy stadium food is not so demanding, certainly above rancid or putrid, but maybe not that much higher. And then maybe, the Mets recognize this and are ruthless businesspeople who exploit this to the fullest, deliberately charging the most for the least. I can't say for sure where the Mets food ranks league-wide because I haven't been to most MLB stadiums. I do know that Shea hot-dogs suck and have always sucked -- a somewhat soggy water logged stick of pork with a gelatinous texture on the inside, as if you were biting into ham flavored Jello. Only more Jello-y than porky. And you don't need a modern stadium to serve up a decent hot dog. To be charitable toward Shea (and even YS), it is not of the generation of parks that are designed to offer an all-around entertainment and amenity showcase. It's baseball and basics, which isn't so bad if you're kind of used to it. It wasn't until the OP@CYs and the like showed you could sell stuff that wasn't the same ol' same ol' that everybody in baseball got a clue. Shea has tried to do some interesting and local things, like the aforementioned Daruma, like Mama's of Corona, like the late, lamented Rusty's stand, but they haven't been priority. They don't quite know where to put them, at least not so everybody can drop coin at them. I think the Met fan base, the part that hasn't been to too many other ballparks, is in for a shock next year, assuming the Mets step up to the plate and stock the concessions in a fashion comparable to the new wave of parks. It may not take the place of a winning ballclub (if our team sucks; not saying it will), but it does make for a more pleasant all-around experience. And as long as arms and legs will be charged, might as well get some bang for the cuisine buck.

DocTee Apr 30 2008 07:03 PM

SF has the best food at any sports or entertainment venue, hands-down. The Gordon Biersch garlic fries are enough to put them ahead-- add Sushi, Caribbean BBQ and top-notch Mexican fare and it is a landslide.

Benjamin Grimm Apr 30 2008 07:03 PM

There were better choices at Tradition Field when I was there in March than there were at Shea when I was there two weeks ago. Shea has variety at the Field Level, but if you're in Loge or above, it's not much more than pizza or hot dogs. (You can also get nachos and sausage heroes. But I think that's about it.)

batmagadanleadoff Apr 30 2008 07:09 PM

G-Fafif wrote: Shea has tried to do some interesting ... things ... like the late, lamented Rusty's stand, but they haven't been priority. Rusty's stand was very decent, especially by Shea's standards. If I remember correctly, Rusty's stand didn't even survive it's lone season. One game, it was there. Another game, it was gone for good.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 30 2008 07:13 PM

G-Fafif wrote: Shea has tried to do some interesting and local things, like the aforementioned Daruma.... Next time I'm at Shea, I'm gonna give this one a shot. I've never tried the Shea sushi before because of some preconceived notions I harbor about eating sushi from a baseball stadium ... Shea Stadium, particularly.

G-Fafif Apr 30 2008 07:18 PM

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ="G-Fafif"] Shea has tried to do some interesting and local things, like the aforementioned Daruma.... Next time I'm at Shea, I'm gonna give this one a shot. I've never tried the Shea sushi before because of some preconceived notions I harbor about eating sushi from a baseball stadium ... Shea Stadium, particularly. Yeah, there's definitely an East Coast bias working against it as overly chi-chi, but it's pretty close to the perfect ballpark food, fingerwise. Daruma does it, so you're not at the mercy of Aramark. Within the realm of overpriced, it's a pretty decent value compared to the $4 pretzel and such. But if you're not seated in the orange circle, better show up 45 minutes or more before game time when you can roam field level unimpeded, otherwise you'll find yourself trying to convince overofficious ushers that you, an adult, aren't trying to pull a fast one, just trying to buy something you like. It's often a losing argument.

G-Fafif Apr 30 2008 07:21 PM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: There were better choices at Tradition Field when I was there in March than there were at Shea when I was there two weeks ago. Shea has variety at the Field Level, but if you're in Loge or above, it's not much more than pizza or hot dogs. (You can also get nachos and sausage heroes. But I think that's about it.) Knishes seem to come and go. Grilled chicken sandwiches aren't too bad and accessible. I miss the all-level Havana Cubanos. But yes, there is a bizarre caste system to the concessions, a vestige, perhaps, of the early 20th century when "box seats" must have carried far more cachet than they do now.

themetfairy Apr 30 2008 08:13 PM

DocTee wrote: SF has the best food at any sports or entertainment venue, hands-down. The Gordon Biersch garlic fries are enough to put them ahead-- add Sushi, Caribbean BBQ and top-notch Mexican fare and it is a landslide. The clam chowder in the sourdough bread basket there was wonderful.

KC Apr 30 2008 08:22 PM

G-F: >>>otherwise you'll find yourself trying to convince overofficious ushers that you, an adult, aren't trying to pull a fast one, just trying to buy something you like. It's often a losing argument<<< Crusty-ol'-pain-in-the-ass ushers could be a whole thread by itself. I have a couple of war stories.

metsguyinmichigan Apr 30 2008 08:27 PM

What a pile 'o pooh. Comerica Park No. 4? The place is a disaster. It's not easy to follow Tiger Stadium. But been to a fair number of the new yards, and Comerica is the worst of the bunch. Milwaukee, Cincy, Pittsburgh, Coors ... they all blow it away.

SteveJRogers Apr 30 2008 08:29 PM

G-Fafif wrote: Knishes seem to come and go. Grilled chicken sandwiches aren't too bad and accessible. I miss the all-level Havana Cubanos. But yes, there is a bizarre caste system to the concessions, a vestige, perhaps, of the early 20th century when "box seats" must have carried far more cachet than they do now. I was told the Knish stand (located next to Dunkin Donunts in the, and I use the term loosely, Food Court in the Right Field corner) is only open during the week. Interestingly enough so are certain beverages a victim of the cast system. Example, there is a Sam Adams tap stand that is in only one location on the mezz, one beverage stand will only have the mass produced domestic products (Miller, Coors, Budweiser, Bud Light and Bud Select) but walk a few sections over and you can find Brooklyn Lager, Heineken, Becks and Amstel, and there is a Corona stand on the Field level (sadly no limes). One would think ALL beverage carts should be stocked no? Or at least instead of random stands, have one well placed stand only for the assorted non-mass produced stuff on each level. The demise of Casey's 37, and that lounge on the field level (now a Nike kiosk) for no real apparent reason (it was on the mezz right on top of what is now the Team Store behind home) has also created a situation where there is not much of an accessible gathering area where you can have a beer before the game. Oh there is the "super secret" Diamond Club grill room bar, but like the HOF lobby that you go through to get there, you kind of have to know where you are going to get there, and even so it is a bit of an "out of the way" meetup spot.

SteveJRogers Apr 30 2008 08:32 PM

="KC"]G-F: >>>otherwise you'll find yourself trying to convince overofficious ushers that you, an adult, aren't trying to pull a fast one, just trying to buy something you like. It's often a losing argument<<< Crusty-ol'-pain-in-the-ass ushers could be a whole thread by itself. I have a couple of war stories. I've tried "I'd like to talk to people in the Aramak office" (which, actually WAS the reason for me to gain access to the field level, I've met a few of them and like to say hello whenever I get a chance) quite a number of times to no avail.

metirish Apr 30 2008 08:34 PM

Friday night I went looking for nachos with cheese for the missus , found some being sold at a beer stand far awy from where we were sitting , it was horrible obviously. What do people want at a ballpark though , what kind of food would you like to see at the new place?

themetfairy Apr 30 2008 08:36 PM

metirish wrote: What do people want at a ballpark though , what kind of food would you like to see at the new place? Chili cheese fries are my favorite ballpark meal. I've had that in Houston (back when it was called Enron) and DC (last week).

SteveJRogers Apr 30 2008 08:49 PM

Well, according to the Shea/Citi Side-By-Side comparison, the new place should have more restaurant space Restaurants (capacity) Citi Field Ebbets Club Lounge (734) Sterling Club Lounge (1,600) Left Field Club Restaurant (500) Promenade Grill (300) Shea Diamond Club (309) The Grill Room (219)

Batty31 Apr 30 2008 08:53 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 30 2008 08:54 PM

It sounds like the food choices haven't changed much since I was last at Shea, which was like 4, 5 years ago. I usually bring my own food since the only thing I find edible are the pretzels. Do they at least still have Carvel's? I'm wondering what the choices will be like at Citi.

SteveJRogers Apr 30 2008 08:54 PM

="Batty31"]It sounds like the food choices haven't changed much since I was last at Shea, which was like 4, 5 years ago. I usually bring my own food since the only thing I find edible are the pretzels. Do they at least still have Carvel's? Yup, they sure do.

Triple Dee May 01 2008 01:35 AM

I went Citizens Bank Park last year, and found the food to be quite awesome.

Benjamin Grimm May 01 2008 04:38 AM

Greg Luzinski's place has a nice selection of barbecue. Next time I go to Shea I think we'll pack our lunches. (The kids will be disappointed, but it's not their 40 bucks.) The Mets will still get my money for soda and ice cream, I'm sure.

Willets Point May 01 2008 09:57 AM

I never really get the whole hullabaloo over ballpark concessions. A baseball game is 3 hours, 4 hours top. Can't people eat a nutritious meal before the game or hold out until after the game? I rarely get anything from the concession stands since I don't want to miss the game and since I ate before the game so I'm not hungry. I shouldn't throw stones since I'm rather chubby but since so many people can't make it 3 hours without stuffing their faces may help explain why we're a nation of fat asses.

themetfairy May 01 2008 10:46 AM

Willets Point wrote: I never really get the whole hullabaloo over ballpark concessions. A baseball game is 3 hours, 4 hours top. Can't people eat a nutritious meal before the game or hold out until after the game? I rarely get anything from the concession stands since I don't want to miss the game and since I ate before the game so I'm not hungry. I shouldn't throw stones since I'm rather chubby but since so many people can't make it 3 hours without stuffing their faces may help explain why we're a nation of fat asses. I travel roughly two hours each way to get to and from Shea. Throw three or four hours in the middle of that, and it's a pretty long time to go without a meal.

Benjamin Grimm May 01 2008 10:51 AM

Especially for a day game, when you get there it's lunch time. If you live nearby, it's easy enough to get to a night game after an early dinner, but otherwise, you do get hungry while at the park.

metirish May 01 2008 10:56 AM

Not to sound silly here but when I go to a game getting ballpark food is part of the experience , but missing an inning or more waiting inline blows.

Benjamin Grimm May 01 2008 10:57 AM

We typically get to the park, get something to eat, and then settle into our seats. Last time, we sat down just before the National Anthem was about to start. Perfect timing, except that I had to balance a half-eaten slice of pizza while I held my cap over my heart.

metirish May 01 2008 10:59 AM

If you were at yankee stadium security would have taken the food from you and locked you into your area with chains.

Benjamin Grimm May 01 2008 11:02 AM

That's also part of the experience, I guess.