ARAMARK, the exclusive food and beverage partner of the Kansas City Royals and ten other Major League Baseball teams, is firing up Kauffman Stadium’s barbecue grills in anticipation of serving hungry fans attending the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Kansas City, Missouri.
Led by ARAMARK’s executive chef at Kauffman Stadium, Erin Wishon, the team of chefs has worked tirelessly since January to create an All-Star menu that features the distinct flavors of Kansas City, but stays true to the ballpark classics.
In the city known for barbecue, Wishon’s team will smoke all barbecued meats at the ballpark—some for as long as eight hours. The chef estimates they will smoke more than 5,000 pounds of meat, including 2,400 pounds of brisket, 1,800 pounds of pulled pork, and more than 600 racks of ribs, and use 650 gallons of barbecue sauce over the course of the weekend!
The Royals All-Star Barbecue stand, located in right-center field, will serve up a portion of that barbecue, and also features fan favorites like barbecue sandwiches, burnt ends (flavorful pieces of meat cut from smoked brisket), and a variety of side dishes.
Other barbecue highlights from Kauffman Stadium’s All-Star concessions menu include:
- KC Rib Eye Stack Sandwich: Seasoned rib eye steak with cheddar cheese, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, onion rings, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, and pickle on a bun.
- All-Star BBQ Dog: A classic, all-beef hot dog topped with pulled pork, coleslaw, pickle slices, and barbecue sauce.
- Royal Bacon Blue Dog: An all-beef hot dog topped with blue cheese sauce, chopped bacon, and red onion.
- Cheesy Corn Brisket-acho: Crisp tortilla chips topped with smoked brisket, baked beans, cheesy corn, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce.
“Few regions of the United States are as defined by their local cuisine as much as Kansas City is defined by its amazing barbecue,” Chef Wishon says. “We’ll have fans visiting from across the country and we want to show them what Kansas City is all about—delicious barbecue!”
Concessions
For a twist on traditional ballpark fare, fans can check out the new food additions to the Kauffman Stadium lineup this season:
- KC Cantina Taco Truck: Located behind right-center field in the Outfield Experience, the new KC Cantina Taco Truck features a variety of tacos, a seafood quesadilla, and cinnamon-coated churros.
- Urban Wok: Egg rolls, crab rangoon, and other Asian food offerings are available at the Urban Wok, located at section 239 along the first base line on the Field/Plaza Level.
- Blue Moose Bar & Grill: Fans can get a taste of Blue Moose Bar & Grill’s sausage emporium at the Blue Moose stand, located inside Rivals Express on the east side of Rivals Sports Bar in right field.
- Budweiser Patio: Anheuser-Busch and the Royals unveiled the new Budweiser Patio atop Rivals Sports Bar on Opening Day. The patio features a variety of food and beverage choices, and is equipped with an awning to protect fans from the sun and elements.
In addition to new concessions items, the Dugout Doghouse stand, featuring seven distinctively topped hot dogs, is expected to be a fan favorite. Of the 40,000 hot dogs expected to be sold during the weekend, many will be specialty dogs like the Royal Bacon Blue Dog and Kansas City Dog (an all-beef hot dog topped with Swiss cheese, grilled sauerkraut, and Boulevard Pale Ale Mustard).
All-Star visitors will also enjoy local favorites, such as craft beers from Boulevard Brewing Company and frozen custard and other sweet treats from Sheridan’s Lattes and Frozen Custard, in the ballpark.
Suites
Chef Wishon has created a suites menu utilizing local, sustainable, and fresh ingredients to entice fans during All-Star Weekend. Some highlights from Kauffman Stadium’s suites menu include:
All-Star Champions menu features flash crisp Yukon gold chips with spicy barbecue or white cheddar seasonings and house-made caramelized onion dip, local artisan cheese display, farm fresh fruit platter, farmers market seasonal crudités, and more.
MVP menu features a charcuterie platter with an assortment of cured meats, smoked chicken cobb salad, shrimp cocktail shots with heirloom tomato gazpacho, specialty barbecue chicken flatbread, local grilled peach salad, mini mason jars filled with peach cobbler, warm apple pie, and chocolate pot de crème, and more.
KC Barbecue menu offers local smoked bourbon chicken with succotash and black peppercorn roasted potato, hickory smoked barbecue ribs smoked for three hours, beef burnt ends, specialty white flatbread with roasted garlic, Boursin, mozzarella and provolone cheeses, classic barbecue sides like cheesy corn, molasses baked beans and corn muffins, and more.
Diamond Club
In addition to providing in-seat service on select menu items, the Diamond Club, located behind home plate, features fan favorites like KC nachos with chipotle pulled chicken, José Peppers espinaca queso, crispy beer battered dill pickles with honey mustard aioli, specialty burgers, beef burnt end sandwich, and foot long Sheboygan brat sandwich.
Restaurants
The .390 Bar & Grill, named for George Brett’s .390 batting average during the 1980 season, will feature an all-inclusive buffet All-Star Weekend that offers a different menu of starters, soups, salads, entrees, and desserts each night. Some menu highlights include crab salad stuffed Compari tomatoes, local Riesling poached pear salad, seared and smoked king salmon, wood grilled duck, Velveeta, and bacon stuffed cheese burgers with special sauce, lemon curd, white chocolate mousse parfaits, and more. The .390 Bar & Grill is located on the 300 level of the ballpark.
The menu at Rivals Sports Bar, located along the first base line in right field, features flat iron chicken quesadilla, Jose Peppers espinaca dip and chips, mini dog slammers, bacon double cheeseburger, Sheboygan brat, and desserts such as the chocolate chip cookie tower, root beer floats, and more.
“Kansas City is rich with food tradition and we’re excited to add an extra layer of excitement to the fans’ All-Star experience,” says Marc Bruno, president of ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment. “Our team has spent many months preparing for this fun-filled weekend, and we’re excited to finally showcase all of our hard work and planning on this great, national stage.”
Merchandise
Kauffman Stadium’s retail outlets, also managed by ARAMARK, feature the largest selection of All-Star merchandise in the Kansas City area, including numerous stadium-exclusive items designed specifically for the 83rd All-Star Game. Apparel and other souvenir items from Nike, Victoria’s Secret Pink, Majestic, and New Era are available.
For the first time during MLB All-Star Weekend, fans can have an All-Star patch heat sealed on their favorite team’s 59FIFTY authentic New Era cap. All-Star bats can also be custom laser engraved inside the ballpark, and All-Star jerseys can also be customized. Lastly, for fans wanting to trade licensed team sports pins, there will be a “Pin Trading Center” outside the Majestic Team Store.
