Scoreboard Gourmet

Food Service at the US Open

From The New York Observer story Game. Sauté. Match.

And if you thought the action on the courts was intense, check out what goes on in the kitchens, where scores of cooks from around the country scramble to feed some 650,000 people in just two weeks.

The stats are simply mind-boggling: “Last year, we did 230,000 hamburgers and hot dogs, 30,000 pizzas, 5,000 pounds of pasta, 13 tons of steaks, 77,000 pounds of chicken breasts, 4.5 tons of crab and lobster,” said Bill Wilson, director of operations for Chicago-based concessions behemoth Levy Restaurants, which oversees all food service at the Open, as well as at a number of other high-profile national events, including the Kentucky Derby, the upcoming Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay, and all the Pepsi Center activities at this week’s Democratic Convention in Denver.

something else of interest: In 2010, the company [Levy] plans to make its second foray into the coveted New York market, after signing on to handle concessions at the forthcoming Barclay Center, future home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, at developer Bruce Ratner’s controversial Atlantic Yards complex in Prospect Heights.

Nets Offer Free Gas with Season Tickets

No, this isn't a joke about eating beans...the Nets say they will give away more than $250,000 worth of free gas to new season ticket holders.

“This is our way to give back to our fans and to make sure they have a great summer heading into next season,” says Nets CEO Brett Yormark.

Giving back, huh? I think that means they're building a biodiesel plant behind the stadium.

1-800-7NJ-NETS or www.njnets.com to buy tickets and Help Save the Earth.

Seriously, though, this is hilarious. You get 10% of your purchase back in gas cards. You know a team Is Awesome when IT'S ABOUT FREE GAS in all caps.

Fancy Nets Seats include AYCE (and drink)

I have no idea why the Nets call their premium courtside seats "Hollywood Seats" (because they only sell them to movie stars?) but I do know the tickets come with AllYouCanEat and Drink. Same goes for the Loge and Courtside Suites, and the lesser ADT courtside seats. Now I just need to figure out what they serve in there. Anyone know?

Call 816-716-1116 and a premium ticket account manager will get back to you.

The Nets play the Grizzlies at 7:30pm on November 27th.

BrooklyNets - Game 4 - fancy food, savvy chef

Tonight's game v. Cleveland starts at 7pm.
Here's a little something (cut down by me) from the Daily News, by Rachel Wharton...

The Meadowlands' latest draw: fancy food, savvy chef The Atlanta Hawks may have lost to the Nets at Continental Airlines Arena, but the Georgia-style pulled pork sandwiches in the clubhouse were still winners. Along with fried turkey and peach cobbler, they were the special Southern creations of Frank Travisano, the executive chef of the recently revamped Dewar's 12 Winners' Club - where season ticket holders with a membership can fill up before the game. Just in case they're not lured back by the $31.95 buffet (with its freshly carved sirloin and peel-and-eat shrimp), Travisano's kitchen always cooks up specialties in honor of the opposing team. NBA fans may remember when nachos and minipizzas were the big game snacks, but things have been changing - just check out the panini sandwiches, sushi and mini-Irish pub in the concourse, or the retro white leather booths in the Winners' Club's new bar. Travisano, who also helps with the eats at Giants Stadium, did not at first want to go to a sports venue. "I'm going to be serving 15,000 hot dogs," he thought. The job, however, is more than franks. He arrives at 7:30 a.m. to help his staff make food for the Winners' Club, for the press room and for fancy box seats. There's also a private party room set up at the behest of Nets co-owner Jay-Z, and two clubs that the Nets have recently carved out of unused space for courtside seat holders and others with season tickets. In fact, says Alex Diaz, the general manager of Nets arena operations, because the building is older, it's behind newer venues in terms of the food. With the team expected to finish new digs in Brooklyn by 2009, he says, the organization is excitedly dreaming of real kitchens and better dining areas for fans.