Ballparks are locked in a concessions arms race

The stadium industrial complex at work: MLB teams are increasingly adding novelty food and drink items to concession menus in a bid to drive popularity, attendance, and revenue, Front Office Sports reports.

• The Mariners this season introduced Ichi Wings and the IchiRoll, named after longtime player and HOF’er Ichiro Suzuki.
• The Braves have the $100 Home Run Stack, a tower of beef patties, smoked brisket, bacon, and curly fries bookended by brioche toast and topped with a turret of onion rings.
• One season after launching the viral s’mores-inspired Campfire Shake, the White Sox launched the $15 Celebration Cake Shake, a birthday-cake-flavored ballpark dessert.
• The Rangers this season introduced the colossal Boomstick Burrito ($36), the team’s latest edition to a Texas-sized menu that also includes a two-foot, $32 chili-and-cheese-covered hot dog known as the Boomstick.

It’s a relatively new thing: Prior to the 1990s, ballpark menus were as bland as a white BBQ, mostly consisting of items like Cracker Jacks and peanuts. Teams then began experimenting with new concessions offerings—a trend that was kicked into high gear in the 2000s with the introduction of social media and sayings like “phone eats first.”

The weirder, the better: In 2017, the Mariners intro’d what Lunchables-raised kids would consider an unusual snack: a cup of toasted grasshoppers seasoned with chili, lime, and salt. They were so popular that the park sold its entire season’s supply—20 lbs of the insects—on Opening Day.