Here's Why This MLB Stadium is charging 18$ for Ballpark Food

Gourmet Concessions At Nationals Park

In recent years, many sports venues have been scaling back their concession prices to offset high ticket costs and encourage fan loyalty. This is referred to as "fan-first" pricing, which covers a variety of lower-priced concessions, such as $2 soda, $4 beer, $3 fries, $2 jumbo pretzels, etc. Despite these efforts, the average price of a hot dog at MLB games in 2018 came out to be 5.01 dollars. Safe to say that's no bargain. 

Premium Concessions

Meanwhile, some stadiums are introducing premium concessions to their food selections, including Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Jonathan Stahl, the Nationals' team vice president of ballpark operations and guest experience, told The Washington Post, “I think when you see a lot of these lower-priced items, you’re seeing a lot of smaller items. Some of the items that we’ve introduced this year, while they may be a little higher-priced, they’re a lot bigger, they’re really signature items, and they’re a whole meal in that single item." 

Among these fancy new concessions you'll find Chinese bao (9$ a piece), steak sandwiches with fries and a "secret sauce" ($18), smoked turkey legs ($15), lobster rolls ($17), bulgoagie hoagies ($15) and fried oysters ($17). While all of that sounds undeniably tasty, it does kind of beg a few questions: are premium concessions really necessary? And are they worth their exorbitant price tags? 

Millennial Foodies

Well, it depends on what kind of experience baseball fans are going for. We know that millennials are "the foodie generation," constantly Instagramming their food, rating restaurants on Yelp and TripAdvisor, checking in on Foursquare, tweeting selfies at their favorite restaurants, and so on. They're also fond of gourmet upgrades to otherwise banal foods (think lobster mac and cheese, truffle-drizzled popcorn) fusion foods (sushi burritos, ramen burgers) and even more open to international cuisines than their ancestors. 

But do millennials represent a significant chunk of the MLB fan base in attendance at games? It doesn't appear that way. According to statista.com, the percentage of millennials aged 18-36 who follow Major League Baseball was 35% in 2014 versus 40% for baby boomers aged 49-67. In 2017, Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal published statistics stating the average age of MLB TV viewers was 57 for the year 2016, up from 53 in 2006. 

Gourmet Concessions: To Be Or Not To Be?

That being said, the decision to introduce premium concession offerings might just be motivated by the desire to attract younger audiences to games. After all, millennials seem to possess increased spending power, which may not deter them from gourmet food offerings at sporting events. Plus, it adds an extra layer of interest to the overall baseball experience. The classic concession stand hot dog with ketchup and mustard isn't likely to be considered a worthy topic of conversation; Korean bulgogi-loaded tater tots, on the other hand, are screaming to be discussed (or at the very least Instagrammed and commented with heart-eyes emojis).

So will the foray into gourmet, pricey stadium fare be a success? It remains to be seen. For the hardcore baseball fans who are happy with peanuts, don't fret. You can still get simpler concession items for $5 to $10. Nationals Park also allows game goers to bring their own food. Get the full list of new concessions at Nationals Park here. Opening day for the 2019 season is Thursday, March 28th. 

Hungry for more? Here are 25 game-changing recipes for baseball season.