Last Saturday, there were multiple issues with extremely long lines at concession stands in Cardinal Stadium. The wait times were ridiculous, with fans claiming they waited in line for food and/or beverages for an entire quarter or quarter and a half of the game. AD Vince Tyra obviously saw and heard the completely understandable complaints and began working on solutions immediately. This morning, he released a plan of action that looks to remedy Saturday’s issues for Friday’s game against UCF.
Some key takeaways:
- 50% off all beer, fountain drinks, and water until half time. Obviously, this was done as a mea culpa for the myriad of problems Saturday.
- The beer guy that walks the stairs is back and accepting cash. There will be 25 of these in-seat vendors roaming the stadium.
- Cash will be accepted at certain concession stands in the concourse. Cash does not rely on technology and is certain to make it easier on fans.
- 40% increase in places to buy items over last Saturday. More places should equal shorter lines and less wait times.
- 4 concession stands will be beverage only. That should also reduce lines and wait times. You won’t have people looking to order a couple of beers or waters waiting with people looking to order food which can take a little longer to make and get.
- Water fountains will be open and there will be free cups. So, if you just want water, it seems you can go grab a cup from a concession stand and fill it up at the fountain.
- Additional staff and supervisors will be at entrances scanning tickets, but they do ask you download your tickets to your phone BEFORE approaching the gate.
- The issue with the card readers is being reviewed by Centerplate. It doesn’t say it’s fixed yet, but hopefully it will be by game time Friday.
While the issues shouldn’t have happened in the first place, the fact that there is a concrete plan being put forth is nice. There are some tangible actions being taken to rectify the major issues from Saturday. Unfortunately, the best laid plans can still have kinks. So, the key will be the implementation by Centerplate and the athletic department. Hopefully, things will be much better on Friday. Now, let’s go beat UCF.
