Food & Drink

Minor league ballparks across the US now offering stadium food to-go

Take me out to the ballgame — and buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack from the safety of our car.

A growing number of Minor League Baseball organizations across the country are now making their signature concessions available for curbside pickup amid the coronavirus pandemic, offering everything from hot dogs and wings to more quirky, regional favorites such as “trash cans” and loose-meat sandwiches.

“In these trying times, such endeavors allow teams to perform a community service, stay in the public eye, establish a revenue stream and unload a surplus of perishable goods,” wrote MiLB.com in a recent roundup of the Minor League ballparks now selling their treats to-go.

The idea began gaining traction as early as April, according to MiLB.com, kicking off after the Blue Wahoos of Pensacola, Fla., began offerings its “Legalize Marinara” offerings (meatball subs, spaghetti, polenta) on 4/20.

In the following weeks, several other teams began advertising their own signature dishes for curbside pickup, including: the Rochester Redwings of New York, serving their version of a “garbage plate,” among other things; the Omaha Storm Chasers, who threw in mystery merchandise with every order; and the Charleston RiverDogs of South Carolina, which not only offered traditional stadium fare and a brisket ramen bowl but also sold mystery 6-packs of beer for $12.99.

Those aren’t nearly the only ballparks to adopt the idea, either. More recently, MiLB confirmed that the Burlington Bees out of Iowa have started offering their stadium snacks, including a loose-meat sandwich. Another Iowa team, the Clinton LumberKings, is also selling its fare, including its signature “Garbage Pail,” which MiLB.com described as an “iconic bouillabaisse of breaded items” containing fries, mini corn dogs, onion rings, chicken strips, fried pickles and several other deep-fried items, all mixed together in one dish.

We’re pretty sure most of these places are also selling hot dogs and peanuts, too, just in case your palate isn’t refined enough for the “garbage” plates described above.

More comprehensive lists of the Minor League organizations offering curbside concession carryout is available at MiLB.com.