Fans at the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® will have more than the Boston Bruins® and Philadelphia Flyers® to throw their support behind when the puck drops at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, for hockey's annual New Year's Day outdoor showcase.
ARAMARK, the Red Sox food and beverage, retail and facility services partner and the concessionaire for this year's hockey classic, today announced the menu for this year's game will feature a faceoff between regional tastes as familiar to their cities as their storied hockey franchises: New England Clam Chowder and Philadelphia Cheesesteaks.
In anticipation of greater demand and to celebrate the rivalry, ARAMARK will offer the items at additional locations on the main concourse and at other dining locations throughout the ballpark.
Classic summer favorites, like the iconic Fenway Frank and New England Lobster Roll, will remind hockey fans they are at one of baseball's landmark venues. And with temperatures expected to chill the Bruins and Flyers faithful, ARAMARK has stocked expanded locations with cold weather fare, including plenty of soup, coffee and hot chocolate – served in a 16 oz. souvenir cup – to provide warm relief.
"In addition to dressing warm, fans should remember to bring their appetites to the NHL Winter Classic," said Kevin Haggerty, ARAMARK Resident District Manager, Fenway Park. "The uniqueness of this event gives us the opportunity to create a menu that is representative of hockey, the great tastes from Boston and Philadelphia, and the very best of Fenway Park to provide fans with a memorable and fulfilling experience."
For guests dining in Fenway Park's EMC Club and State Street Pavilion, ARAMARK Executive Chef Ron Abell has created a buffet brunch menu that incorporates the use of fresh, seasonal produce, vegetables and seafood from Boston and throughout New England.
The club menus feature omelets made to order; a breakfast station with rustic French toast, biscuits with homestyle sausage gravy, breakfast potatoes and corned beef hash, breakfast breads and pastries, and Iggi's bagels; a buffet station with Statler chicken breast and sweet potato puree, seared tuna Asian style, and Pats clams and Island Creek oysters; a brunch carving station with tenderloin and ham; a salad station with winter beet, Caesar and simple green salads; assorted fresh fruit; and homemade desserts, chocolate chip cookies and brownies.
Fans arriving early for pre-game festivities along Yawkey Way will find a menu that includes favorites from the grill and barbecue, including El Tiante's grilled Cuban sandwich, named in honor of former Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant. ARAMARK is also providing the food for the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Spectator Plaza, which is located at the Brookline Avenue Parking Lot at Yawkey Way.
Winterizing Fenway Park's Food & Beverage Operation
With temperatures regularly dipping below freezing, ARAMARK developed a plan that included installing six extra hot water heaters, setting up five temporary prep areas and pantries, and adding six extra portable stands to account for the cold weather and to keep the venue's concessions stands, prep areas, kitchens and other food and beverage areas operating properly and uninterrupted during the game.
"In preparing for this game, we worked closely with the NHL and the Red Sox to design a wide array of services that allow fans to comfortably watch hockey played outdoors at Fenway Park," said Marc Bruno, President, ARAMARK Sports, Entertainment and Conventions. "The NHL Winter Classic has become one of the most anticipated dates on the sports calendar. Having been involved with so many of the sports world's most prestigious events, we plan to use our insights and resources to ensure fans enjoy this momentous occasion."
To prevent the exposed pipes that provide water to the concession stands from freezing and to allow workers to comfortably prepare for the event, ARAMARK and the Red Sox devised a system for heating the main concourse with large, industrial size furnaces by "sealing" entry ways to allow warm air to circulate from the left field foul pole around home plate to the right field foul pole.
Retail Merchandise
Fans looking for the hottest 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic merchandise, including jerseys, sweatshirts, blankets, fleeces, jackets, knit caps, hats, T-shirts and other novelties, can do so at 15 locations throughout Fenway Park. ARAMARK, which manages the retail operation in partnership with Twins Enterprise, has erected a large tent on the "Big Concourse" near Gate B and added four temporary stands inside the ballpark to accommodate the increased demand for officially licensed souvenirs.
Snow Removal
ARAMARK also handles facility services for Fenway Park. In the event of snow and ice, ARAMARK has coordinated snow removal with the Red Sox and has nearly 225 employees on standby to shovel and remove it from the stands, concourses and walkways.
ARAMARK provides food and beverage and retail merchandise services at the Wachovia Center, home of the Philadelphia Flyers. ARAMARK's other NHL partners include the Colorado Avalanche (Pepsi Center), Ottawa Senators (Scotiabank Place), Phoenix Coyotes (Jobing.com Arena), Pittsburgh Penguins (Mellon Arena), San Jose Sharks (HP Pavilion), Vancouver Canucks (GM Place), and Washington Capitals (Verizon Center).
About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. Through its Sports and Entertainment Group, ARAMARK provides a wide range of food and beverage, facilities, retail merchandise and other support services to more than 150 premier sports stadiums, arenas, convention centers and concert venues across the country. In FORTUNE magazine's 2009 list of "World's Most Admired Companies," ARAMARK was ranked number one in its industry, consistently ranking since 1998 as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and analysts. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 255,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at the company's Web site, www.aramark.com, or www.twitter.com/aramarknews.
Contacts:
ARAMARK
David Freireich, 215-238-4078
freireich-david@aramark.com
or
Dan
Smith, 215-409-7403
smith-dan@aramark.com