Centerplate Prepares Team-Inspired Menu Items for 2021 College Football Playoff Championship
Hospitality partner to Hard Rock Stadium serve a taste of South Florida while adhering to industry-leading safety protocols
NEW ORLEAMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (January 11, 2021) – Centerplate, the leading hospitality partner to North America’s premier sports entertainment venues, today announced an array of specialty menu items for Monday’s highly anticipated College Football Playoff National Championship between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes. This is the first time the game will be played in Miami, and the food and beverage experience will rise to the occasion, while ensuring all of the appropriate safety protocols for the expected 13,000 fans in attendance. Everything has been coordinated within local, NFL, and CDC guidelines to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Hard Rock Stadium, a global entertainment destination, was the first stadium worldwide to receive GBAC STAR accreditation. The stadium successfully completed 20 program elements with specific performance and guidance criteria to earn accreditation and has been safely hosting professional and collegiate football games over the past few months, as well as an outdoor theater experience. This video details the safety protocols that have been installed.
“Although this year will look different, this is a championship matchup, and we are prepared to provide a championship level of hospitality,” said Steve Pangburn, CEO, Centerplate / Sodexo Sports & Leisure North America. “We are sourcing from South Florida purveyors and employing nearly 1,000 employees to help boost the regional economy and will help curate the finest fan experience in the safest environment possible.”
The experience will feature an online order-ahead food and beverage option via the stadium app, with distinct pickup-only locations in the stadium. There will also be a limited concessions menu featuring only the most popular items and more pre-packaged offerings, to reduce wait time and crowding on the concourses, so people can return to their seats faster.
“The health and safety of everyone continues to be our top priority for the national championship game,” said Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium Vice Chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel. “We hope the diligent planning that has gone into making Hard Rock Stadium a safe environment will create an enjoyable experience for all of our guests.”
Among other changes to the food and beverage program:
- Elimination of cash to reduce contact
- Elimination of condiment stands on the concourse
- Elimination of vendors walking up and down aisles
- Gloves and masks required for all food-service employees
- Social distance markings to encourage and promote distancing guidelines in common areas
- Buffet items to be served by both culinarians and private suite attendants
"Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff, added, “We know that everything will adhere to rigorous safety standards, while still providing students and fans a fun and tasty addition to their time at the College Football Playoff National Championship.”
There will also be team-inspired, locally authentic creations from Executive Chef Dayanny De la Cruz that will delight Alabama and Ohio State fans.
Finally, 20,000 of Ball Corporation’s infinitely recyclable aluminum cups will also be available for fans. Centerplate is adopting the cups as part of parent company Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 goals and to help forward Hard Rock Stadium’s broader mission to phase out 99.4 percent of single-use plastics at the venue. Hard Rock Stadium became the first professional football arena to feature the aluminum cups at scale when it debuted them during the Miami Dolphins' final home game of the season in December 2019.
About Centerplate
Centerplate is a leader in live event hospitality, "Making It Better To Be There®" for more than 115 million guests each year at more than 200 prominent entertainment, sports and convention venues. From hosting VIPs at the Super Bowl to super heroes at Comic Con, the company provides hospitality services to North America's premier events. A Sodexo company, Centerplate creates unique, locally-inspired menus, best-in-class guest service, and one-of-a-kind experiences backed by world-class design and insights teams. Visit the company online, connect via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Media Contact
Paul Pettas, Communications Director, Centerplate
