- Salt Lake Bees introduced the 18-inch Dinger Dog, a new ballpark sensation.
- Other new items include the Pretzel Bat, Grand Slam Burger and Mac Pack.
- The Bees aim to create memorable experiences with unique, shareable food offerings.
SOUTH JORDAN — There's a unique battle brewing across ballparks across America, and it's not necessarily who has the best team or best views, but who has the best food — or even the whackiest.
This year's new major league fleet includes a wearable nacho sombrero in Texas and ice cream-shaped chicken wings in New York. And as the team behind the food at The Ballpark at America First Square prepared for their second season, they also wanted to go big after playing it safe in its first year in Daybreak.
"We started talking about 'show-stopping items.' A signature item for the ballpark," said Leonard Love, executive chef of the Salt Lake Bees, reflecting on the past few months.
It didn't take long for the kitchen to agree on a hot dog that could stop people in their tracks. They saw "The Slugger," a 16-inch loaded hot dog that the Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled last year, and decided to take it on.
Enter the "Dinger Dog," which debuted at Bees games this week. Standing at a whopping 18 inches, it's something that has to be seen to be believed. The team secured an agreement with the company Bovine & Swine to manufacture the giant.
Texas Rangers' "Boomstick" stands at 24 inches among major league teams, and Colorado debuted "The Glizzilla," a 23-inch dog this week, but the Bees' might be the biggest in at least minor league baseball.
The Bees version runs for $23 at Brats + Dog in the right field concourse. Two other ballparks have already asked about being able to sell the new item, but those requests have been turned down for now, adds Dominic Derboghossian, vice president of food and beverage operations for the Bees.
"I'd put us up there with the rest of them," he said, adding that 31 fans took on the challenge during Opening Day.
After creating the Dinger Dog, the team began exploring what else it could add to the menu.
"A memorable experience is the focus," said Dan Robinson, vice president of hospitality for Miller Sports + Entertainment, which owns the Bees. "Food taste is a memory. ... That's the goal here — to make memories in South Jordan."
Pretzel Bat
- Vendor: Burgers at Bat
- Price: $13.50
The team connected with Dangerous Pretzel over the offseason, following the Salt Lake City-based company's success selling large pretzels at Utah Mammoth games. It's about as large as the Dinger Dog, too.
"Kids were actually sword-fighting with it the other day," Derboghossian said, with a chuckle, noting it's the type of memorable experiences the team wants to see.
Another doughy companion bat-themed food item is being developed and could be arriving at the ballpark later this season.
Grand Slam Burger
- Vendor: Burgers at Bat
- Price: $25
Smash burgers are all the rage, and data from last year showed that spectators were wolfing them down at an outfield stand set up last year. The team rebranded Catcher's Catina in the concourse behind home plate to Burgers at Bat over the offseason to meet the demand.
Its featured item? A four-patty goliath with more than 20 ounces of meat stacked together, called the "Grand Slam."
Fans can order the burger with fewer patties, which is cheaper. Each burger is made to order, but Love's favorite option is pressed down on onions like the traditional method and glazed in a special sauce.
Mac Pack
- Vendor: Mac & Cheese
- Price: $44
Macaroni and cheese was another item that exceeded expectations last year, leading to the desire to build on it, Derboghossian said. There's perhaps nothing more adventurous than the "Mac Pack" on the menu this year.
It combines completely different options together in a box that barely fits in a family photo that the team took with an early customer. It's partly inspired by Love's hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, and others in the kitchen from the Southeast.
"We were looking for a feel-good meal that you could put in a stadium. Something that would warm the heart; warm the soul," he said.
The team experimented with nearly a dozen different options before settling on ones that tasted the best and offered the widest variety. While each can be sold separately, the pack mixes Philly cheesesteak stacked alongside caramelized pork belly, Cajun sausage and blue cheese crumbles. Chow-chow, a southern classic with bell peppers and onions also made its way onto the dish.
Fans can scoop it up in a cart located in the left field concourse.
Going Yard
- Vendor: Burgers at Bat
- Price: $50
If mac and cheese isn't your thing, there's the "Going Yard," a three-foot-long box filled with roughly 5 pounds of fries and 8 ounces of various types, similar to the "Mac Pack."
It features Buffalo chicken, loaded steak tips, Philly cheesesteak and a chili cheese, which is meant to be equally shareable, but each option is also sold separately for anyone looking for a smaller portion.
This, too, was inspired by exploring various combinations over the offseason.
More to come?
Food and beverage options have even spilled out onto the field this year. The Bees will play as the Dirty Sodas every home Wednesday game this season.
The team theatrically unveiled "Swiggy," a human-sized dirty soda cup of a mascot, during the first Utah Dirty Sodas night on Wednesday. A line formed along the left field concourse as fans asked to take pictures with the mascot afterward, some asking to have their plastic foam cups or foreheads signed, too.
Swig sales soared by 155% on the first Dirty Sodas night, which may have been the result of a $3 soda option sold on those nights. This year includes new value menus on Tuesdays and drink deals on Thursdays, too, which weren't offered last season, mostly as incentives to pack the park on less-busy weekdays.
But there's more. A hibachi station is debuting this weekend, while Bumble's BBQ was rebranded. Utah-based R&R Barbeque opened a new food truck in left field to fill in the stadium's barbecue void.
New ideas are also still in the works. The team plans monthly specials to shake things up and potentially spur new options that could be added to the full-time menu in the future.
It's all about providing the experience that's unique to Utah while also catering to the minor league baseball foodie experience.
"We're always testing and tinkering with new items to try to get a runway for next year," Derboghossian said.
