ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are ready for opening day on Thursday afternoon, while the concession staff is ready to satisfy hungry baseball fans with several new additions and returning favorites.
“Our award-winning concessions are getting even better,” Bill Walsh, Rays' chief business officer, said.
New to the starting line-up this season: Mediterranean dishes from Little Greek, everything from burgers to brats will be provided by Omaha Steaks, and Daddies Donuts will be churning out freshly made delights.
“They’re just really, really good,” John Miller of Daddies Donuts said. “We make them fresh all the time. We never sell a stale donut. We make donuts all day long, both at our shop and now here at the stadium.”
Last year’s widely popular item was the footlong tater tot. This season the star item is the footlong Nathan’s hot dog wrapped in a pretzel.
“It’s a house-made pretzel dough, Bavarian-style. No preservatives,” executive chef Kevin Riley said. “We make it in-house. It’s wrapped around a Nathan’s half-pound hot dog.”
Much like Major League Baseball’s pitch clock, the pretzel dogs will also be on a clock. Only 98 dogs will be made for each game.
“We’ll have a ticker that lets you know how many of these half-pound pretzel dogs are left for that particular game,” Walsh said.
Back for a third season, but adding a second location, is Beans & Barlour, St. Pete’s creative milkshake connoisseurs.
“We try to think of something for everyone,” Story Stewart of Beans & Barlour said. “Our milkshakes are available both non-alcoholic and alcoholic. I think we’re the only stadium in the MLB that offers alcoholic milkshakes.”
“You can come here and experience the comfort of a great hot dog but also have something unique like our croquettes and empanadas,” Riley added. “We’re constantly pushing the envelope throughout the season.”
The Rays’ season opener is Thursday at 3:10 p.m. against the Detroit Tigers.
