March 26, 2008
Nationals Park Will Allow Outside Food
WTOP reports that fans will be able to bring their own food to Nationals Park.
"We're allowing folks to bring in food," Nats spokesperson Chartese Burnett told the news radio station. "I don't know who's going to want to bring in food with all the great offerings at Nationals Park."
The story also suggests bringing food to RFK required a certain amount of subterfuge, but that wasn't our experience -- I certainly walked in to the stadium last year with snacks, and another DCist contributor says he carried a plastic bag full of sandwiches right through the gate without a problem.
We're definitely excited about the food offerings that will be available at Nationals Park, but this is still reassuring news for anyone who'd like to take in a ballgame without spending an extra $20 on refreshments. All the ballpark food for sale at the new stadium will come with the typical sports arena markup: a chili half smoke from Ben's Chili Bowl, for example, normally costs $4.80 on U Street, but will reportedly run you $6.75 at Nationals Park.
Like at RFK, Nationals Park will also allow fans to bring in a sealed bottle of water up to one liter in size.
|
"I don't know who's going to want to bring in food with all the great offerings at Nationals Park."
My guess it's the same people who sneak food in movie theaters to avoid paying $22.95 for three stale Doritos, a thimble of melted Cheeze Wiz, and a small popcorn.
I thought RFK allowed outside food. But last year during, I think a baseball game (maybe it was soccer), PNC Bank was giving out soft pretzels right outside the metro stop. The pretzels were sealed in plastic. I stuck one in my bag and the security before the ticket takers made me throw the pretzel out.
They weren't tasty anyway, but I was surprised.
glad to hear that outside food will be allowed, but i'll guarantee you that overzealous "security" people will make more than a few people throw their food out.
and god forbid you tell them they're wrong, you'll probably end up tasered...
This just in....Dan Synder has died of a heart attack.
IMGoph has it right.. no matter what the official policy is, the real policy will be decided by the minimum wage 'security' workers.
If I'm going to a game then I just plan on buying food at the stadium. Plus the line up sounds really good.
Despite the "many" food options, few of them seemed healthy or appealing to me, so this is GREAT news!
I'm sure the vendors are happy to hear this.....
All that retail development on Half Street can't come fast enough. Screw overpriced stadium slop. I'll get my cheap franchise food slop before the game, then walk my drunk ass over.
The Great Eye has cast its gaze upon Southeast. The old Historic Gay Bathhouse District will burn in the fires of industry. Forests will fall. A new order will rise. We will drive the machine of development with the bulldozer and the crain and the iron fist of the orc.
Together, my lord Sauron, we shall rule this trendy upscale retail destination.
Thanks for posting this right before lunch. Now all I want is a hot dog...
Have vendors been allowed to set up shop outside the new stadium? Outside RFK, there were more than a dozen selling T-shirts, hats, baseball crap, and food. Last I'd heard, no similar deal had been reached with the Nats about the new stadium. Although I had heard the Nats were not overly excited about all the outside vendors potentially stealing profits from the vendors hawking stuff inside the stadium.
DTMB!!
I can't wait to go to actual Chili Bowl before the game to get a half smoke to take in.
Also, I can't wait to sneak in PBRs disguised as refreshing Skunkpiss!
Honestly...you want healthy options? It's a baseball game...it's not supposed to be healthy...the song doesn't say "give me tofu and organic broccoli"!
I'm super psyched about the food choices (especially knishes!) but really all I want is soft-serv in a plastic baseball cap, an option sadly lacking at RFK.
Oh, and Ethiopian food (my favorite thing to bring to RFK, which shows how lax the security guards I encountered must have been) would be pretty sweet.
Does anyone know what songs got chosen in that fan poll for what'll be played at the stadium? I had my fingers crossed for Washington DC by the Magnetic Fields, but realize it's a long shot.
"It's my baby's kiss that keeps me coming back!"
would love to hear that at the stadium. ack. now it's stuck in my head.
Peanuts are healthy..
Any tips on the best method for smuggling beer in?
fine...ruin my joke that was already pretty poor
aw c'mon, folks - part of the joy of watching baseball in a stadium is the stadium food, nasty and expensive as it sometimes is, eaten while having to cheer and yell and curse and gesticulate wildly so your beer flies into your neighbor's lap and your fries fly into the hair of the fan in front of you.
If you want to bring your sammiches from home (which will remain in your hand while you yell at the Jumbotron - where is the fun in that???), you might as well watch the game on the teevee and stay in your jammies and eat the same chicken salad on rye you make for your lunch Monday thru Friday. Zzzzz.
Bring on the Bens!!
Yeah, you never had to sneak food into RFK. The rules were the same - water the only beverage you can carry in, food was cool.
We used to get subs at Vace for ball games. OK, so we bought kettle corn, ice cream, etc at the park, but those subs were a LOT better than the nasty dogs at RFK.
Food? Who cares about taking in food?
Booooooze is where it's at.
suances:
The way I see it, you have two options. One, you could try the horrible link I suggested earlier. Two, you could stick to the tried and true college-aged method of "pre-gaming" (read: taking very large amounts of already consumed beer to the game in your stomach).
I'm just hoping for drinks as reasonably priced as the best bar in town: The Verizon center. $7 drinks are such a sick deal compared to $7 hotdogs.
I have a serious problem with that photo, and that problem is called ketchup.
This is what we know so far:
From the GW game:
"While the full menu was not available, the menus were posted for the season: $4.50 for a Nats Dog, $5.50 for a quarter-pound hot dog and $6.75 for a half-smoke from Ben's Chili Bowl.
Soft drinks are $4.50, bottled water is $4, and beer is $6.50 from a bottle and $7.50 on tap. Fans order cafeteria-style and then pay as they are leaving the food area."
mlb.com
seriously. photo above is prettiest hotdog ever. bestdressed on my list. and i don't eat crap like that.
As for the healthy thing...I am not saying they need wheatgrass juice, just that most of the offerings bring the Pepto jingle to mind: Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach diarrhea. I would prefer the "runs" at the ballpark stay on the field!
So get yourself a pulled chicken sandwich and a gluten-free pretzel.
word on the street is that the boys from On The Fly will have rocklands bbq and fresh tacos and empanadas out front somewhere...keep an eye out for the green machines..www.ontheflydc.com