Red Wings introduce new foods for “Rochester’s Largest Restaurant”

Rochester Red Wings general manager Dan Mason is a big believer that the team is ultimately in the business of entertainment. The ballclub may win or lose, but ultimately it’s the experiences that fans get at Innovative Field that matters most.

A major part of that is the stadium’s food. So much so that Mason says that if he were to call a fan a day after the game, they might not remember the game’s score- but they’d more than remember what they got from the concession stand- they’d also remember what inning that ate it and what they had after.

“So the variety here, and the quality of the food is something we take a lot of pride in,” he says. “We realize that for a lot of people, that’s a reason why they come to Rochester’s largest restaurant, to get some great food and also check out a baseball game while they’re eating dinner.”

This season, several new options are entering the menu of the “restaurant.” They were displayed on Wednesday during the team’s annual Food Media Day.

Perhaps most notable among is the “The Bruuuuuce”, a hot dog named for the team’s beloved bat-dog, Bruce. Sitting at a foot long, the Zweigle’s dog comes topped with meat hot sauce and diced onions and will be available at Pop ‘N Hots.

Over at Spikes’ BBQ, meanwhile, the Braised Beef Sandwich will be on offer- with both Chipotle barbecue sauce and a standard Texas style sauce available to go on the beef, which is braised for seven to 10 hours before serving.

Finally, there’s a new mashed potato bar at the Red Wings Roast Beef Stand on the third base side of the stadium, allowing fans to dish up some mashed potatoes with nacho cheese or broccoli to go along with a Beef on Weck sandwich.

The creation of these and every item at Innovative Field is ultimately the work of a team that includes Executive Chef Keith Hillock and Food and Beverage General Manager Jeff Desantis. Much of each off-season is dedicated to testing (and taste-testing) new ideas. It’s a process that never really ends.

“I play with food all the time,” says Hillock. “So this job is the opportunity to explore food that works in a ballpark. Even at home, I’m playing with different ideas that we can serve here at the stadium, kind of help grow that people expect when they come to the stadium.”

There will be one more thing new at Innovative Field when it comes to food: the stadium is going cashless, joining 26 of the other AAA teams and 29 of the 30 MLB teams. All purchases, including of food, will need to be done with a card or through a service like Apple Pay or Google Pay. However, those who lack credit cards will still be able to come to games and buy food by exchanging their cash for digital diamond dollars at the ticket office.

It’s an important point that Mason wanted to emphasize:

“[Not having a credit card] doesn’t mean you can’t come to a game,” he says. “If you have cash and that’s all you have, that’s fine.”

Regardless of how fans pay, though, they’ll have their first opportunity to try the new foods at Innovative Field at the home opener on Tuesday, April 1, at 4:05 p.m.