Atlanta Falcons Take $tand for Fans at the Concession Stand

Mercedes-Benz Stadium plans to offer Volkswagen prices when it opens in 2017.

The home of the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, and the Peach Bowl seeks to sell $5 beers, $3 waffle fries, and $2 hot dogs—the same price that major venues charged for frankfurters nearly a quarter-century ago.

Compare this to the $6.25 hot dogs and $10.25 “cheap” beers at Levi’s Stadium when it opened two years ago in Santa Clara.

And if fans get fat eating all that cheap food, don’t fret: the venue offers 21-inch seats (the Georgia Dome it replaces features 19-nch seats).

“The menu and pricing model – which will allow a family of four to consume the typical game-day purchases for $28 or less – will be in effect for Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United games, as well as major events at Mercedes-Benz Stadium including the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, SEC Championship Game, the College Football National Championship (2018) and the NCAA Men’s Final Four slated for 2020,” the Falcons point out in a release. “The pricing and product offerings will be the same for concerts, conventions and other special events booked at the stadium.”

The fans enjoy not just more competitive pricing but convenience. The stadium boasts 670 concessionaires, free refills for $2 soft drinks at self-serve stations, and to-the-dollar pricing that makes exchanges more efficient and lines shorter.

The stadium features a retractable roof and seats 71,000 for football games. Taxpayers footed about half of the bill for the $1.4 billion stadium.

Arthur Blank, who increased his bottom line at Home Depot by decreasing prices and utilizing efficient self-checkout aisles, hopes to enjoy similar success through similar strategies in his new stadium.

“We focused from the beginning on building a unique fan experience at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a goal of helping those who visit to leave the stadium with great memories shared with family and friends, not aggravation and frustration about their experience,” Atlanta Falcons owner Blank explained. “We have listened to the concerns of the fans on the food and beverage experience and have responded to those concerns in a way that honors our commitment to providing the best possible fan experience at our events.”