“Say Cheese!”: Aramark serves reinvented classics in NBA and NHL arenas for Cheezin for the Season Marketing campaign

PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE) – 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 company at seven National Hockey League ( NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA).

“Aramark couldn’t be more excited to showcase the work both our design and innovation team and our culinary team have done to improve matchday service and menus in NHL and NBA arenas this season,” said Alison Birdwell, President and CEO of Aramark Sports and Entertainment. “Whether the guests enjoy a cheesy new food from our Cheezin for the Season menu or enjoy the ease of contactless service innovations such as mobile orders, self-checkouts and autonomous markets, they will experience an outstanding experience.”

CHEEZIN FOR THE SEASON

Aramark’s arena chefs and kitchen teams have set themselves the goal this year of developing a variety of menu items under a tried and tested food category – cheese! – and the range of mac and cheese, perogies and pretzel fries will certainly leave guests “cheezin” this season.

• AT&T Center (San Antonio Spurs)
  
  Loaded Mac and Cheese – Creamy mac and cheese in cheddar sauce with the option to add shredded smoked brisket or grilled pulled pork. (Section 105)

• Canadian Tire Center (Ottawa Senators)
  
  Nacho Perogies – Potato and Cheddar Perogies with cheese sauce, bacon, spring onions, sour cream, pico de gallo, and grated cheese. (Section 208)

• Capital One Arena (Washington Capitals / Washington Wizards)
  
  Farmers & Distillers Loaded Mac and Cheese – Mac and cheese with smoked apple bacon, allspice cheese, spring onions, and sour cream. (Section 413)

• PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh Penguins)
  
  Pork Belly Mac and Cheese – Mac and cheese with smoked pork belly, spring onions, sour cream, and fried onions. (§§ 120 and 205)

• Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland Cavaliers)
  
  Cheesy Pretzel Fries – pretzel fries with nacho cheese, white cheddar cheese and spring onions. (Sections 102, 107, 121, 211, and 203)

• SAP Center (San Jose Sharks)
  
  Short Rib Grilled Cheese – Braised short rib and allspice cheese on Texas toast. (Selection of club level locations)

• Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia Flyers / Philadelphia 76ers)
  
  Cheesy Cheese Grilled Mac and Cheese – Smoked Gouda, Macaroni, Allspice Spread, and Sourdough Bread from the West Coast (Section 117)

NEW CONCEPTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

AT&T Center, SAP Center and Wells Fargo Center have added some of Aramark’s most popular proprietary concepts and local partners to their concession offerings, including:

• Burger Kitchen (AT&T Center; Section 112) – Offers a double cheeseburger, double bacon cheeseburger, BBQ smoked bacon burger, and chicken tender.

• Cuz’s Pizza (Wells Fargo Center; Sections 104, 114, 205 and 217) – In-house pizza offering with a new recipe and freshly prepared local ingredients every day. Cheese, pepperoni and buffalo chicken pizzas with additional specialty options introduced during the season.

• John Dough Pizza Co. (SAP Center; Section 107) – characteristic cheese, pepperoni or white base cake, a perfect balance of cheeky, cheesy and crispy with an adjustable self-top after baking.

• Sin Bin (SAP Center; Club Level Section 113) – Fully customizable premium burgers with plant-based and vegan options.

• Spurs Community Kitchen (AT&T Center; HEB Fan Zone) – Aramark and the San Antonio Spurs invest in local culinary talent and creativity by working with local chefs and restaurants to create brand awareness and support the endeavors and development of others. Different brands change during the season.

• Street Taco (Wells Fargo Center; Section 112) – expanded lineup to appease any taco enthusiast with options such as 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 topped with nachos with a choice of meats.

SERVICE INNOVATIONS

Aramark’s NHL and NBA accounts expand the presence of contactless ordering and paying with the following technology solutions:

• Checkout-Free Drink Mkts – Checkout Free Drink Mkt of the AT&T Center powered by Zippin (Section 122) offers a large selection of drinks and snacks that fans simply type or pay for when entering, pick up the desired item and leave the store. no cash register required.

• Self-Checkout Markets – Aramark’s AI-powered self-checkout devices visually identify food and beverages and access them in a single transaction without the need for barcodes or scanning.

  • Available via mashgin technology at numerous locations in the AT&T Center, PPG Paints Arena, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and Wells Fargo Center, as well as in the brand new Drink Mkt at the SAP Center (Section 104).

    • Fan Favorites Express locations will make their full capacity debut this season in the PPG Paints Arena (Section 118) and AT&T Center (Section 209) and will include a variety of beverages and staples for the arena.

  • For the first time ever, a selection of Pittsburgh Penguins items will be available at Drink Mkt locations in the PPG Paints Arena, offering the ultimate in convenience of food, drink and retail in one seamless checkout experience.

• Mobile Order + Pickup – Mobile Ordering gives fans the ability to order and pay on their mobile device and skip the lines to pick up their favorite items. The AT&T Center, Canadian Tire Center, PPG Paints Arena, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, SAP Center, and Wells Fargo Center all offer mobile ordering with designated food and drink pick-up or lockers at the 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 service speed and limit transaction times. In the PPG Paints Arena, Aramark’s award-winning Hall of Favs concept offers the most popular concession items in one place (Section 204) with self-order kiosks and mobile ordering.

Aramark works with nine NHL and NBA teams to provide food and beverage, retail and / or facilities 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) prides itself on providing the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, famous travel destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous communities in 19 countries around the world with food, facilities and uniform services to supply . Because our culture is rooted in service, our people strive to do great things for one another, our partners, our communities, and our planet. Aramark was included in the list of the “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” by DiversityInc, in the Forbes list of “America’s Best Employers for Diversity”, in the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” of the HRC and achieved 100% in disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.