“Say Cheese!”: Aramark Dishes Up Re-Invented Classics at NBA and NHL Arenas for Cheezin for the Season Campaign

Arenas to Serve Comfort-Food Cuisine, Aramark Branded Concepts, and Expanded Contactless Ordering Experiences for Guests

As hockey and basketball fans fill arenas across North America this season, they will be treated to a menu of new dishes, branded concepts, and service innovations from Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), the food and beverage provider at seven National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) arenas.

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PPG Paints Arena's Pork Belly Mac and Cheese (Photo: Business Wire)

“Aramark could not be more excited to showcase the work that both our design & innovation and culinary teams have done to deploy game-day service and menu enhancements at NHL and NBA arenas this season,” said Alison Birdwell, President and CEO of Aramark Sports and Entertainment. “Whether guests are savoring a cheesy new food item from our Cheezin for the Season menu or enjoying the ease of contactless service innovations like mobile ordering, self-checkouts, and autonomous markets, they are in for an outstanding experience.”

CHEEZIN FOR THE SEASON

Aramark’s arena chefs and culinary teams set out to develop a variety of menu items under one, tried-and-true food category this year – cheese! – and the line-up of mac and cheese, perogies, and pretzel fries is sure to leave guests “cheezin” this season.

• AT&T Center (San Antonio Spurs)
  
  Loaded Mac and Cheese – creamy mac and cheese in cheddar sauce with option to add shredded smoked brisket or barbeque pulled pork. (Section 105)
• Canadian Tire Centre (Ottawa Senators)
  
  Nacho Perogies – potato and cheddar perogies topped with cheese sauce, bacon, green onion, sour cream, pico de gallo, and shredded cheese. (Section 208)
• Capital One Arena (Washington Capitals/Washington Wizards)
  
  Farmers & Distillers Loaded Mac and Cheese – mac and cheese topped with apple-smoked bacon, pimento cheese, green onion, and sour cream. (Section 413)
• PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh Penguins)
  
  Pork Belly Mac and Cheese – mac and cheese topped with smoked pork belly, green onions, sour cream, and fried onions. (Sections 120 and 205)
• Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland Cavaliers)
  
  Cheesy Pretzel Fries – pretzel fries topped with nacho cheese, white cheddar and green onions. (Sections 102, 107, 121, 211, and 203)
• SAP Center (San Jose Sharks)
  
  Short Rib Grilled Cheese – braised short rib and pimento cheese on Texas toast. (Select club level locations)
• Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia Flyers/Philadelphia 76ers)
  
  Cheesy Cheese Grilled Mac and Cheese – smoked gouda, macaroni, pimento spread, and West Coast sourdough bread (Section 117)

NEW CONCEPTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

AT&T Center, SAP Center, and Wells Fargo Center have expanded their concession offering to include some of Aramark’s favorite proprietary concepts and local partners including:

• Burger Kitchen (AT&T Center; Section 112) – offering a double cheeseburger, double bacon cheeseburger, BBQ smokehouse bacon burger, and chicken tenders.
• Cuz’s Pizza (Wells Fargo Center; Sections 104, 114, 205 and 217) – in-house pizza offering with a new recipe and local ingredients made from scratch daily. Cheese, pepperoni, and buffalo chicken pizza offered with additional specialty options to be introduced during the season.
• John Dough Pizza Co. (SAP Center; Section 107) – signature cheese, pepperoni or white base pie, a perfect balance of saucy, cheesy, and crispy with customizable self-top after bakes.
• Sin Bin (SAP Center; Club Level Section 113) – Fully customizable premium burgers featuring plant-based and vegan options.
• Spurs Community Kitchen (AT&T Center; H-E-B Fan Zone) – Aramark and the San Antonio Spurs are investing in local culinary talent and creativity by partnering with local chefs and restaurants to provide brand recognition and support the aspirations and development of others. Various brands will rotate throughout the season.
• Street Taco (Wells Fargo Center; Section 112) – expanded lineup of offerings to appease any taco enthusiast with options including adobo pork, buffalo cauliflower, chicken mole, Elote “street corn” dip & nachos, and MacArthur Park taco.
• Top Taco (SAP Center; Section 127) – Expertly curated chicken and beef tacos served with chips and salsa and over the top nachos with choice of meat.

SERVICE INNOVATIONS

Aramark’s NHL and NBA accounts are expanding the presence of contactless ordering and checkout with the following technology solutions:

• Checkout-Free Drink Mkts – AT&T Center’s Checkout Free Drink Mkt powered by Zippin (Section 122) features a wide variety of beverage and snacks where fans simply tap or insert payment upon entry, grab the items they wish to purchase, and exit the store, no checkout required.
• Self-Checkout Markets – Aramark’s AI-powered self-checkout devices visually identify food and beverage items and ring them up in a single transaction, no barcodes or scanning needed.
  • Available via Mashgin technology at numerous locations within AT&T Center, PPG Paints Arena, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, and Wells Fargo Center as well as SAP Center’s all-new Drink Mkt (Section 104).
    • Fan Favorites Express locations will make their full-capacity debut at PPG Paints Arena (Section 118) and AT&T Center (Section 209) this season and include a variety of beverage and arena food staples.
  • For the first time, a selection of Pittsburgh Penguins merchandise will be available at Drink Mkt locations within PPG Paints Arena, providing the ultimate convenience of food, beverage, and retail, all in one seamless checkout experience.
• Mobile Ordering + Pick-Up – Mobile ordering gives fans the option to order and pay on their mobile device and skip the lines to pick up their favorite items. AT&T Center, Canadian Tire Centre, PPG Paints Arena, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, SAP Center, and Wells Fargo Center all offer mobile ordering, with designated food and beverage or retail locker pick up at PPG Paints Arena, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, and Wells Fargo Center.
• Self-Order Kiosks – AT&T Center, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, and SAP Center will offer self-order kiosks to increase speed-of-service and limit transaction time. At PPG Paints Arena, Aramark’s award-winning Hall of Favs concept features the most popular concession items all in one location (Section 204) with self-order kiosks and mobile ordering.

Aramark partners with nine NHL and NBA teams to provide food and beverage, retail and/or facilities services including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Antonio Spurs, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, and Washington Wizards.

PHOTOS: A selection of menu items can be downloaded here.

About Aramark

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 19 countries around the world with food, facilities, and uniform services. Because our culture is rooted in service, our employees strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet. Aramark has been named to DiversityInc’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” list, the Forbes list of “America’s Best Employers for Diversity,” the HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” and scored 100% on the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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