Free Concessions

[JeffCuse]

I dont think we will need to worry about attendance for the next few years with Fran.

Concessions on the other hand...

Ive also floated the idea of having an UberEats type setup embedded within the Dome. You order from your seat, pay with a card, then go up to a dedicated area that has cubbies in it where the food is placed and waiting.

You have to swipe the same credit card to get TO the cubbies so randoms cant steal food.

Again, does this work for the Dome? Maybe not. But it's an idea.

Also, more needs to be done with that Lally area on regular game days. I was under the impression that it would be an extended concourse with food and drink vendors and places to gather throughout the games.

 

[upperdeck]

The main problem with the new Lalley area is you can't get to it during in game if you anywhere but that end of the field.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I dont think we will need to worry about attendance for the next few years with Fran.

Concessions on the other hand...

Maybe, but we have 4 times as many home games per season for basketball. From an attendance / revenue perspective, that's where they make their money.

 

[kingtidge]

Maybe, but we have 4 times as many home games per season for basketball. From an attendance / revenue perspective, that's where they make their money.

They know going in that if Red faceplants in the first month next season, that the school will have a real attendance and revenue problem on their hands. I am sure it was discussed at the BOT at the end of this year.

 

[JRHEETER]

Maybe, but we have 4 times as many home games per season for basketball. From an attendance / revenue perspective, that's where they make their money.

Sure, but concessions will be the least of the ADs worries if that is the case.

 

[bnoro]

I'm not sure if you are trying to be snarky, but yeah. That's exactly right. You are selling a package deal. Selling 4 tickets in bulk. Yankee Stadium does this all the time. They will take 4 seats that regularly go for something like $69 each, sell them for like $199 and throw in a free hot dog and a drink.

Have you really never seen this before? I didn't invent it. It's a way to motivate families who are less concerned about the sightlines and more about the experience and the value. This isn't "costing" the university, it's making them ~80% profit vs 0%.

I work in ticketing lol.

Packages like this hurt value in season tickets. They also take money away from the school and give it to concessions (where the school doesn't make as much). And then for the bigger games, you filled the seats for people who can scalp them and make 10x the value (because their ticket cost went to concessions).

 

[BomberOrange]

Imagine if they had edible food, as if someone cared about preparing it. It's not even as good as bad dining hall food. You literally can't eat at a game without getting sick.

Ok now you’re going overboard. The food isn’t great but sick? I had a burger and fries at the lax game Saturday and I felt fabulous.

 

[bnoro]

"Losing money" only if that ticket would otherwise have been sold.
Last time I checked, we haven't had a sell out in years.

So, compared to no sale, an empty seat, no parking, and no concessions purchased, the university is making something compared to nothing. That's the point. If they sold 25,000 tickets, you don't need to do this.

But it seems you are connected on this issue, and your thinking and responses in this thread about why the University can't do better is kind of like the essence of the problem.

Filling the seats for the lower tier games matters, but not at a loss on the higher tier games.

And ESPECIALLY not at a price point that can downgrade STH or convince them that their package no longer has value, so they won't care to renew next season.

It's a delicate ecosystem and I have been on both sides of it. It's not as easy as you make it seem.

 

[JeffCuse]

The main problem with the new Lalley area is you can't get to it during in game if you anywhere but that end of the field.

Fair, but if I knew that it was a spacious concourse with concessions, possibly high tops, bathrooms, and big TVs all over the place, I may be willing to venture there even from the other end. I just thought so much more would be done with that to enhance the in game experience for regular folks

 

[IthacaMatt]

Ok now you’re going overboard. The food isn’t great but sick? I had a burger and fries at the lax game Saturday and I felt fabulous.

There's hardly anybody at a lax game.
At a football or basketball game, the hot dogs aren't even warm. The only thing you can eat is the nachos, and they are pretty bad. Doritos are honestly better.
I don't even know where you can buy a burger at the Dome, and I had very good seasons for football in '22 and '23, lower level at the 40 yard line.

 

[JeffCuse]

I work in ticketing lol.

Packages like this hurt value in season tickets. They also take money away from the school and give it to concessions (where the school doesn't make as much). And then for the bigger games, you filled the seats for people who can scalp them and make 10x the value (because their ticket cost went to concessions).

I had no idea that the University didn't get the proceeds from the concessions sold in its building on its campus. Of course, if thats the case, it changes the equation. But I still think there is a way...maybe no free concessions but each person gets a free T shirt week at their first game. I dont know.

 

[Bayside44]

There's hardly anybody at a lax game.
At a football or basketball game, the hot dogs aren't even warm. The only thing you can eat is the nachos, and they are pretty bad. Doritos are honestly better.
I don't even know where you can buy a burger at the Dome, and I had very good seasons for football in '22 and '23, lower level at the 40 yard line.

About as many as a hoops game

Honestly had a sausage sandwich in the 4th quarter of a football game, and it was actually good.

The food is about as generic as many other dated college venues.

 

[BomberOrange]

There's hardly anybody at a lax game.
At a football or basketball game, the hot dogs aren't even warm. The only thing you can eat is the nachos, and they are pretty bad. Doritos are honestly better.
I don't even know where you can buy a burger at the Dome, and I had very good seasons for football in '22 and '23, lower level at the 40 yard line.

There were more people at the nd game than most hoop games this year

Burgers were in the first level by one if the end zones. Grab and go.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

There's hardly anybody at a lax game.
At a football or basketball game, the hot dogs aren't even warm. The only thing you can eat is the nachos, and they are pretty bad. Doritos are honestly better.
I don't even know where you can buy a burger at the Dome, and I had very good seasons for football in '22 and '23, lower level at the 40 yard line.

The Loudhouse Grille (Sec 110, Northwest Corner) sells burgers.

And I had a hot dog before the ND LAX game that was fresh off the grill. I had to wait while they were still grilling it.

 

[Cusefan95]

Now, this may be ancient history, but I remember when the school would give away early season tickets to radio call-in shows, Boy Scout troops, Pop Warner football teams, just to try to drum up early season excitement, and hook a customer for life at a young age.

When you are 1/3 empty or more, what are you losing by doing that?

Minor league baseball teams still do this all the time.

So two examples from my own life - years ago I lived in the Albany area when they had an AHL team. I would buy a partial plan every year for games. Then one day I went into my bank in East Greenbush and they had free tickets to the game that night, and was told they got about 400 tickets for every game to just let customers take. I never bought tickets again, I just went into the bank for any game I wanted to go to and got free tickets (until the team left because they were -shocker - losing money).

I’ve also had New Jersey Devils season tickets for around 25 years. With the previous owners - who felt their attendance was too low - they started putting 6 game mini-plans together where the average ticket cost was less than my season ticket cost. I called my ticket rep and told him that was crap, I wasn’t going to buy season tickets anymore and would just staple together a bunch of six game plans the following season instead if that was the better deal. Shocker - they knocked that crap off after one season. I was told they were overwhelmed with complaints from long time season ticket holders like me.

So the answer to “what are teams losing when they give away unsold tickets or sell cheap packages”, there is one very probable answer - revenue. And while as a fan, you are very, very interested in a full stadium - teams care immensely more about total revenue and total profit.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Care to divulge?

Someone posted on Facebook a couple weeks ago about going to Heid's for a 2-for-1 special and a Coke, and it still cost him $11. So, if a hot dog combo (dog, small fries, fountain coke) costs $11 at the usual prices, I can get better fast food for around the same price. I can get a great gyro or sub for around the same price. They charge $8.50 for onion rings!

As for Wegmans, their prepared meals have gone from $6-8 to practically restaurant prices - $14+ for a lemon chicken or chicken parm dinner with 2 sides.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[orange79]

Welcome to the 20th Century, Notre Dame!

 

[Cusefan69]

The Loudhouse Grille (Sec 110, Northwest Corner) sells burgers.

And I had a hot dog before the ND LAX game that was fresh off the grill. I had to wait while they were still grilling it.