Marlins adding All-You-Can-Eat seats
Following in the footsteps of other pro teams, the Marlins will offer an all-you-can-eat ticketing option at six Friday night home games this season.
The all-you-can-eat section will encompass about 400 seats on the club level down the leftfield line at Dolphin Stadium and tickets will include unlimited hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn and soft drinks. All tickets will be sold in advance and cost $45 for individuals; $40 each for groups of 20 to 99; and $35 for groups of 100 or more.
The games will be the last Friday home game of each month: April 18; May 23; June 27; July 18; Aug. 29; and Sept. 19.
“We’ve committed to six nights,” said Sean Flynn, Marlins vice president of marketing. “It’s a test that could be expanded if we have success. That could happen later this year or obviously next year, if these seats sell as well as we think they will. Some teams have gone out with a broader approach all season or more dates than six. We felt comfortable trying it at six.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers spurred the latest enthusiasm for tickets that include food when they opened 3,000 bleacher seats as the All-You-Can-Eat Right Field Pavilion last year. The seats included Dodger dogs, peanuts, popcorn and soft drinks and ran $20 for group tickets to $40. They sold 70 percent of capacity for the season. A number of other teams followed suit and according to USA Today, at least 13 teams will have an all-you-can-eat-option this season.
CRAIG DAVIS In more than 33 years at the Sun Sentinel, Craig Davis has written about a wide variety of sports topics from baseball to yachting, fishing to triathlons, and also worked as a copy editor and page designer. Recently he reported on local sports, including running, swimming, cycling, equestrian and beach volleyball. He enjoys sports as a participant as well as a spectator, is active in the South Florida running scene plays in the curling club at Saveology Iceplex. This blog offers a glimpse at the business side of sports in the interest of enhancing enjoyment of the games and sporting options as a spectator as well as a participant.
