How one stadium actually serves cheaper concessions

In my investigation, I found out how one stadium actually serves cheaper concessions. I was surprised to find at least one stadium making a change on its own, and it says it's working for the stadium and fans. When Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in Atlanta in 2017, it launched what it called fan-first pricing. It's a model that prices concessions at or near what you'd pay on the street, like $2 hot dogs and $5 beers. We took those core items and made sure that they were available at what we call street pricing. If you could go outside the venue and get a Coca-Cola for $3, then we expect it to be $3 inside the stadium. With cheaper concessions, you would think the stadium would make less money, right? Actually, the opposite happened. The stadium says fans spent 16% more on food and drink, and it saw a 30% increase in total transactions. Overall spending also increased by 20%. Speaking with Tim made me realize just how much concession prices influence the fan experience. They have the freedom to further invest, if you will, in the experience. That ultimately results in hats being purchased or a jersey being purchased or other items within the experience now going into the basket, if you will. The model we have in place leaves people feeling more valued and feeling more fulfilled. And then yet, when they leave the venue, oftentimes they have taken or purchased more things, but do so in a manner where they're like, wow, I got a lot more for my money. Tim says the fan-first pricing model has also caught the attention of other stadiums. It can be done in full scale like us, or it might be as simple as a fan-friendly meal pack.