The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Aramark, the team's food and beverage and retail services partner, announced on Monday plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the 14 main concourse concessions locations and the construction of four additional beverage stands at Raymond James Stadium. The $7 million project, funded by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is already underway and expected to be completed by mid-July in time for the start of the 2014 NFL preseason.
"We are excited to announce this major project that will improve the quality and efficiency of our food preparation for our fans," said Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford. "We pride ourselves on providing our guests with a first-in-class experience at Buccaneers games. These concessions and new beverage locations will allow us to offer fresh, new food offerings as well as improve the overall fan experience."
As part of the project, the team is replacing the existing 14 main concourse concessions stands with new, state-of-the-art locations that will feature all-new food preparation equipment as well as a fresh, new look. The food and beverage locations will be larger and better equipped than the original stands and will be re-branded in a Tampa-area theme. The new menus will also be designed to reflect Tampa Bay's diverse culinary scene.
"These concessions improvements are part of our commitment to delivering world-class customer service and unique dining experiences that further enrich the gameday experience for fans at Raymond James Stadium," said Carl Mittleman, President, Aramark Sports and Entertainment. "The new upgrades and menu enhancements will allow us to better meet the needs of customers as well as ensuring Buccaneer fans continue to enjoy some of the best food offerings in the country."
Both the east and west main concourses will feature the following food locations: Red Sail –Tampa's Hot N' Spicy Kitchen, Pizza Plank, The Taste of Tampa, The Galley, Desoto Deli, Bay Burger, and The Chicken Coup. In addition, there will be four newly-constructed beverage stations, tabbed as the Swashbuckler Bar, in each corner of the stadium, where fans will be able to choose from a wide variety of craft beer and wine offerings, as well as frozen drink options.
Along with the all-new look, each concessions location will feature new menu items as well as some traditional local favorites with refreshed recipes. Below are renderings of the various locations.
The project is being overseen by Dave Wagner of Wagner Murray Architects, based out of Charlotte, N.C. Wagner handled the interior design for Raymond James Stadium as well as the team's critically acclaimed, state-of-the-art training facility, One Buccaneer Place, which opened in 2008.
Additional high-resolution illustrative images of the various concessions concepts under construction can be viewed here.
