Notre Dame Stadium offers enticing new food choices, speedier service

Don’t expect the culinary team behind the food offerings at Notre Dame Stadium to rest content by offering the same choices year after year.

Sure, there will always be expected favorites, such as hot dogs, brats, popcorn and chicken tenders, throughout the stadium. It wouldn’t be game day without those staples that remain top sellers year after year.

But the team at Levy, the food-service company that took over service at Notre Dame’s athletic venues in 2016, has a way of presenting those items in a way that makes them look new and fresh with optional toppings that go far beyond the usual ketchup, mustard and relish.

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It’s a source of pride to come up with food that is both delicious and still portable.

“Our goal is to add to the overall stadium experience ― enhancing the excitement and the spectacle,” said Travis Johnson, senior executive chef for Levy who oversees operations here while also directing culinary operations at Oklahoma State, the University of Missouri and Iowa State.

Popcorn, hotdogs and brats are pretty much standard at most stadiums, but most places get unique options based on customs and lots of input from fans.

A mouth-watering pork tenderloin sandwich dressed in jalapeno yellow mustard, sweet and spicy house pickles, and American cheese with smoked bacon might only be understood by those living in the Midwest and especially Indiana.

But at $14.49, it also appears to be a great value.

New this year is a bacon jam smash brisket burger for $11.99, a hand-held chicken shawarma pita for $11.99, a Greek gyro pita for $11.99, mac & cheese with seared pork belly and gochujang BBQ sauce for $5.99 or $9.99, and a Rockne brat for $9.99 that helps support the Rockne Athletic Fund.

Other new food items this year include white chocolate bread pudding bites and organic lemonade. A unique item sold only at the stadium is a large, insulated Yeti cup with the ND logo, Johnson said, while also pointing out the new designs for the popcorn boxes and souvenir beverage cups.

Although most of the concessions throughout the stadium are manned by non-profits, churches and other organizations that use the proceeds to generate money for their causes, Levy controls what’s going to be served and how it’s going to be served in order to ensure consistency throughout the stadium.

Volunteers for each concession are trained by Levy personnel on food safety and presentation, and Levy’s chefs prepare sauces, meats and condiments in an effort that gets underway at 2 a.m. on game day and then requires constant coordination to ensure that each stand is properly supplied.

“Many of our personnel are averaging 30,000 or more steps, moving around with walkie-talkies to ensure everything is running as smoothly as possible,” Johnson said. “We want to serve people as quicky as possible so they can get back to the game.”

Except for the new food choices this year, Levy also focused on convenience and speed by installing 12 walk-though Grab and Go stations, two spots utilizing Mashgin touchless checkout technology and mobile ordering with pickup at six locations.

Johnson said the effort to upgrade food choices and service begins in earnest at the end of the season and is based on input from customers and what Levy has learned at the many other venues where it provides service.

The Pot of Gold Nachos, for example, now comes in two sizes because there was feedback that it was too large of a portion for one person. “We welcome the input and suggestions,” he said, adding that new food choices also can be tried at other athletic events on campus to get a sense of what might be the next hit.

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Although focusing on the customer is Levy’s top priority, it also enjoys partnering with local vendors such as Nelson’s BBQ, Ben’s Pretzels and Savory Kernal and then ensuring that most of the unused food from the game is rescued and repackaged into an estimated 1,500 meals each game by Cultivate Culinary and other volunteers.

“We’re constantly looking for improvements by bringing in new partners or innovations,” Johnson said. “We’re part of the ultimate game day experience.”

Here are some fun facts about what it takes to serve fans at a typical Notre Dame home game:

■ 70,000 bottles of water

■ 22,000 hot dogs

■ 500 pounds of chicken tenders

■ 8,000 brats

■ 800 working staff, including volunteers

Email Tribune staff writer Ed Semmler at [email protected].