MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – (April 9, 2015) – This week, Target Field kicks off a sixth year of baseball. As the Twins get ready for their home opener, fans can start getting ready for some new food choices. “2015 lineup is bigger and better than I think it’s ever been in the six years,” said Peter Spike, general manager of Delaware North Sportservice at Target Field.
There’s a lot of new foods at Target Field this year including a take on a tater tot hot dish. “Darby’s Pub just a couple blocks away incorporating tater tots into our menu which we haven’t had before and doing their bacon tot dish which is a nacho version, a deconstructed version of what they do with their bacon wrapped tater tots at their establishment,” said Spike.
New foods throughout the ballpark will cover a wide variety of cuisines. “Our biggest piece is this left field showcase of the Barrio. We got not only great beverage options from Barrio but we also have food as well, so we got pork carnitas tacos served fresh and prepared in house to their recipe along with fresh guacamole and chips. Great for watching the game right here over at one of the drink rail seats that overlooks left field,” said Spike.
Some of the new stands feature local restaurants. “The Red Cow has opened up their third establishment here in the Twin Cities just down the street in the warehouse district. We’ve got three great burgers with them. Their blues burger, their traditional burger, and then we got a 60/40 burger which is 60% angus and 40% ground bacon and we don’t stop there. We put cheddar cheese on top with a candied bacon on top of that and served with a Summit beer mustard,” said Spike.
Some food will come from around the world. “We have Hot Indian foods which has hit the global market. They’ve got a very well recognized food truck, but we’ve taken one of their rice bowls and their tomato based curries and we have a vegan option as well as the chicken tikka,” said Spike. Then there’s the food and beverage hybrid they call the College Daze Bloody which even includes a slive of cold pizza.
Spike says that they continue to work hard every year as they revamp their food menus. “We came into this project and we started to back in 2009. Even earlier…visiting great establishments like Kramarczuk’s and Murray’s and trying to understand what we wanted to do from a menu strategy standpoint. What was the story we wanted to tell when we came into our new building. It was definitely going to be a new experience than the Metrodome and I think we’ve proven every year we try to get better just as the team on the field tries to get better. We try to hit a home run every year,” said Spike.
Food at Target Field is popular, as evidenced by the perennial lines at Tony O’s Cuban Sandwich stand, Kramarczuk’s, and the Butcher and the Board, but even with all these options, many fans prefer the classic fare. “Hot dogs are still our most popular. Hot dogs, nachos, burgers, chicken fingers. So even though we have a very wide array of items the staples still carry the torch when it comes to volume through our ballpark,” said Spike.
Since Murray’s new cheese steak, or their classic steak sandwich, or even the new bloody mary might not fit everyone’s budget, classic ballpark foods aren’t going anywhere, but the team and Target Field says they hope to keep presenting new ideas and new options. “It’s hard to imagine that we would have gotten to this spot six years later. I can’t imagine where we’ll be ten years from now from a culinary standpoint. How we’re really helping pave the way in recreating concessions fare. We still have hot dogs and nachos and popcorn and peanuts. Those are the staples but really try to make everyone excited to come to the ballpark not just for the game but for the fan experience out of the seats,” said Spike.
The Twins play their first home game April 13.
