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Monday, March 06, 2023

Do Shorter Games Lead To Lower Concessions Sales?

So I asked MiLB front offices: with their average game time dropping by nearly half an hour in 2022, did they see a drop in concessions revenue?

The answer I got back universally from more than a dozen MiLB operators was no. MiLB teams did not see a loss in concessions sales because games were shorter.

“We didn’t see concession sales suffer due to shorter games as fans were staying the same amount of time as they normally would, but were now just staying until the end of the game instead of the end of the seventh inning,” said one MiLB GM.

“We did not see a negative effect on concession sales.  People still eat and drink as much as they used to.  The 7th-9th innings of a 3 hour 30 minute game are not high concession sales,” said another.

“From a concessions perspective, we have not seen a drop off in per caps whatsoever. A game lasting an hour longer than normal on a Thursday night doesn’t benefit us on the concessions side, because 90% of the fans have already gone home to get to bed,” said a third.

A fourth operator said their concession revenue actually went up. He also noted that their post-game promotions where kids run the bases were better attended because families were much more willing to stick around for the entire game, which he took as a positive sign for developing young fans.

Multiple operators also noted that the gameday employees have said how happy they are with the change since they are getting home half an hour earlier than they were before.

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2023 at 09:53 AM | 18 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: pace of play

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   1. salvomania Posted: March 06, 2023 at 12:29 PM (#6119645)
It may be tough during the first couple weeks of games, but fans will adapt.

They will begin to chew and swallow faster once they internalize that the concession stand's closing will be coming that much sooner.
   2. catomi01 Posted: March 06, 2023 at 01:54 PM (#6119665)
Realistically, the family going to a ball game is and was getting what they were getting anyway as their "meal." Most fans were getting that early on and often pre-game...so that's not going to change. If there's any decline it would be on supplemental side - a 2nd drink, snack, etc....and I'm guessing it will be about the same...alcohol sales are usually banned after the 7th inning anyway, and not too many people were buying those last pretzels that have been sitting under the heat lamp for 5 hours in the 8th inning.
   3. Walt Davis Posted: March 06, 2023 at 02:18 PM (#6119671)
those last pretzels that have been sitting under the heat lamp for 5 hours in the 8th inning.

Plus you don't want a player to get beaned with one of those things, rock-solid by that point.
   4. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: March 06, 2023 at 03:02 PM (#6119680)
“From a concessions perspective, we have not seen a drop off in per caps whatsoever. A game lasting an hour longer than normal on a Thursday night doesn’t benefit us on the concessions side, because 90% of the fans have already gone home to get to bed,” said a third.

I do wonder if this will be slightly different at MLB games, because the result actually matters (to whatever extent a mid-July regular season game does, at least) and therefore the fans have some reason to stay for the whole game. Minor league game outcomes are essentially irrelevant even to the participants.
   5. Nasty Nate Posted: March 06, 2023 at 03:05 PM (#6119681)
Not just beer, but most of the food options are closed the last 2 innings, or definitely by the 9th, in my experience. If they keep them open to compensate for quicker games, I'll buy a late-game dog or even one on the way out.
   6. A triple short of the cycle Posted: March 06, 2023 at 04:18 PM (#6119698)
Yeah any chance we can get beer for the entire game? As far as I know, the only reason beer sales are cut off after 7 is to avoid some drunken driving, which seems less than foolproof. And what about all the people who aren't driving home?
   7. Srul Itza Posted: March 07, 2023 at 12:04 PM (#6119803)
I thought they cut off beer sales after 7 was to reduce the amount of drunken hooliganism in the stands during games, as a part of a general "family friendly" push.
   8. The Duke Posted: March 07, 2023 at 12:35 PM (#6119806)
4. Ha . I never stayed for a whole MLB game. I'd hustle out to my car around the seventh inning and then listen to the game in the car on the way home. Only time I stayed was for no hitters or other potential special events. Watching a bunch of relief pitchers strike people out isn't very compelling baseball.
   9. Karl from NY Posted: March 07, 2023 at 02:51 PM (#6119824)
Well, the beer sales cutoff is really so the team can say they "did something" about drunk driving or hooliganism. It's not really going to prevent it and the team doesn't really care about that, just about the PR optics.
   10. Walt Davis Posted: March 07, 2023 at 03:04 PM (#6119826)
just about the PR optics

and the liability.

Believe it or not, when I was early 40s, I got carded at a Comiskey beer stand. In response to the look of incredulity on my face, the server said "we get a lot of trouble from you guys." As I handed over my license I said "I'm sure you do get a lot of trouble from middle-aged guys but I still want a beer."
   11. sunday silence (again) Posted: March 07, 2023 at 09:08 PM (#6119874)
A game lasting an hour longer than normal on a Thursday night doesn’t benefit us on the concessions side, because 90% of the fans have already gone home to get to bed,


does this even make sense? Before the fans go home they had LESS time to buy food, no?
   12. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: March 07, 2023 at 11:23 PM (#6119893)
I was a vendor in the 90s at Co Stadium. Fast game, slow game, had virtually no impact. Day of the week, time of game and weather had a much bigger impact in the sale of (peanuts, ice cream, Lemon chills, malt cups, pretzels, whatever)
   13. Howie Menckel Posted: March 07, 2023 at 11:30 PM (#6119894)
when I was early 40s, I got carded at a Comiskey beer stand.

Citi Field does this for EVERYBODY at Mets games.

it's kind of amusing, and some of the pourers have a sense of humor.
I like to ask what is the oldest person they have 'checked.'

my/their current record is 86.

we had a big family trip to Great Adventure on a decently-challenging rollercoaster when my Dad was age 80.

he seemed unfazed - and afterwards I wondered how many people even older had ridden that ride.

his 35 WW II B-17 bombardier missions over Germany, and his 40 years at FDNY right after might have toughened him up, to be fair....
   14. SoSH U at work Posted: March 07, 2023 at 11:46 PM (#6119895)
I was a vendor in the 90s at Co Stadium. Fast game, slow game, had virtually no impact.


I've always assumed that most families go to games with a budget in mind (say each kid gets one hot dog, one drink, one snack, one souvenir), so the length of the game wouldn't really matter to them.
   15. sunday silence (again) Posted: March 08, 2023 at 07:25 AM (#6119912)
Oh thats a good pt sosh. I think like that myself
   16. Traderdave Posted: March 08, 2023 at 10:09 AM (#6119924)
My local grocery store doesn't bother to ask for ID, since I'm obviously well over 21, they just asks my DOB and key it in.

A few weeks ago I gave correct month and day but said "1921" as year. Cashier didn't blink/bat or react in any way, just continued the process.

   17. McCoy Posted: March 08, 2023 at 12:06 PM (#6119936)
Should it have been 1901?
   18. SoSH U at work Posted: March 08, 2023 at 12:24 PM (#6119939)
Should it have been 1901?


That's Andy's license you're thinking of.

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