Let’s face it, a lot of the allure of going to the ball field is the great (or not so great) food that you can nosh on while watching your favorite player hit a home run or field a double play, sack the quarterback, score a goal, or make a free throw.  Whatever your favorite sport, I would still bet that hitting up the concession stand is a part of your agenda.  The arena owners and managers want it that way; food is a great source of revenue for them.  But as the price of tickets go up, and as the public becomes more culinary-savvy, the cardboard-like chips dripping with fake yellow cheese is not cutting the mustard for the typical fan.  Gone are the days of boiled hot dogs on a stale bun slathered with ketchup.  Food at sports venues is undergoing a reawakening as fans are demanding better food and better hospitality.  Now gourmet chefs are at the ready to rid the concession area of tired menu items, opting rather for upgraded versions of favorite refreshments: locally sourced vegetables atop your now deluxe nachos, grass-fed beef burgers, smoked brisket and pulled pork sandwiches with all your favorite fixings.  Vegetarian hot dogs and black bean burgers are available for the non-meat eaters.  You can even find fresh sushi or sashimi at some arenas.

But why stop there?  Meet Michael Mina, a self-proclaimed San Francisco 49ers fan, a lover of tailgating.  Mina is a renowned chef, having acquired fame from his restaurant, Aqua in the late 90s.  Enterprising owner of Mina Group (with tennis star Andre Agassi) with restaurants in destination cities from Seattle to Washington, D.C., Mina has recently opened a fine dining venue inside Levi Stadium, home of the 49ers, in Santa Clara.  For the first time in the history of professional stadiums a restaurant within a professional arena is open to the public even on non-game days.  Bourbon Street Steak & Pub is a high-end restaurant on every day of the week, but game days find the pub transformed into an upscale tailgate party for members (premium season ticket holders) only, first serving traditional sit-down meals with about ten available items—such fare as wood-fired rotisserie ox or cow and boiled lobster.  After the meal is finished, fans can walk around to different bars and stations within the restaurant, enjoying pastries, charcuterie, and cheese until game time.  Mina’s vision isn’t complete, though, without the help of guest chefs who are brought in from the city of the team the 49ers are hosting at home, allowing his customers to experience the local favorites of different areas of the country at each home game.  Chef Mina’s trailblazing sports-venue-dining muse seems to have ignited new trends, as sports settings across the nation are aspiring to emulate his 5-star dining experience—NYY Steaks at Yankee Stadium, Curly’s at Lambeau Field, or Dempsey’s at Camden Yard to name but a few.

So the next time you find yourself craving a gourmet plate of nachos or hot dog, or even a 5-star meal, you really need to look no farther than your local sports arena.  And maybe you can even catch a ballgame while you are at it.

The post Culinary Savvy at Sports Venues? You Bet! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

And if the lingering recession didn’t seal the deal for these fast-casual operations, check this out: in 2008, the biggest rise in sales was from the 18-34 age demographic. That same group now makes up the 24-40 demographic, and their continued patronage of fast-casual restaurants persist in driving the market segment.

This top dining trend for 2015 is in it for the long haul, too, and other chains eager to mimic Chipotle’s style continue to open up nationwide—think Five Guys and Panera, Panda Express and Boston Market. Traditional sit-down establishments are opening their dining rooms for fast-casual lunches while their dinner formats remain unchanged, as demonstrated in Romano’s Macaroni Grill and their new Romano’s Kitchen Counter, where you can order from a special lunch menu customized to be speedy. You pay for your meal, take a seat, and your hot, fresh food will be delivered to you in under 7 minutes. Even pizza has jumped on board, with MOD joining the realm of fast, quality foods on the west coast and Uncle Maddio’s spreading across the east. Individual pizzas, made to order with the freshest ingredients and minimal waiting time, are picking up momentum among even the most environmentally conscientious of America’s time-starved crowds.

Many times a trend is just a passing fad that withers and dies almost as quickly as it caught hold. But this top trend of 2015 doesn’t seem to be at risk for slowing its pace. You can expect that sit-down markets will continue to dwindle as fast-casual establishments stay the course.

The post Restaurant Trend #3: Please (Don’t) Take a Seat appeared first on Houston's Blog.