Do you have what it takes to satiate the hungriest of the hungry? Baseball fans and players alike will be working up monstrous appetites this upcoming season, and you need to be ready. College baseball starts mid-February and major league starts March 31st—that’s just enough time to get your menu and marketing in order.
2013 is almost here and that means it’s time for you to seriously start thinking about marketing with baseball and maybe even freshening up your menu items for spring.
Like all sports events, a huge slice of Pizza and an ice cold beer complement a game perfectly. However, as major league baseball stadiums fancy up their menus, maybe it’s time you fancy up yours too.
When you think of baseball, what food pops into mind? Probably hot dogs, right? Many major league baseball stadiums serve the staple treats: hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, etc. However, a number of stadiums are becoming more and more popular for their gourmet cuisine.
Wrigley Field serves patrons Chicago-style hot dogs: featuring sautéed onions, crunchy peppers, juicy tomatoes, sweet relish, and delectable dill pickles. I don’t know about you—but that sounds like the makings for a fantastic pizza.
The Baltimore Orioles serve hot crab cake sandwiches at their games, and the Colorado Rockies serve—gulp—Rocky Mountain oysters. If you don’t know what Rocky Mountain oysters are…you can look that up on your own. The important matter here is that stadiums are serving up hot, fresh treats that are regionally known to create a sense of community and area-pride.
Why not offer toppings that correlate to the team in your area or at least to your region. Check out Pizza Hut’s latest creation, just in time for baseball season, hot dog stuffed crust pizza (that’s not a joke—sadly it is only available in Canada and Europe).
Here is a short list of regional pizza topping ideas to get you started:
- Lousiana- try gumbo pizza, with okra and andouille sausage, or any assortment of your favorite po’boy sandwich toppings: crab, crawfish, catfish, shrimp, etc.
- Arkansas- pulled pork pizza
- Mississippi- Mississippi mud pie, dessert pizza
- South Carolina- Seafood pizza, or vinegar based bbq
- Texas- BBQ chicken pizza will always please a crowd, or use the flavors of tex-mex to create a fajita pizza with peppers, onions, Mexican cheeses and sour cream
- Florida- gator bites pizza
- Virginia- turkey sausage pizza (for Hokie fans), or a delicious country apple crisp dessert pizza.
- Arizona- chili con pizza or any type of mesquite smoked meat.
Baseball season could be one of your busiest if you play your cards right and advertise accordingly. Check out our College Baseball Schedule Magnets and help support your area teams.
What are some regional or team-inspired items you’ve added to your menu, and how do your customers like it?
