Kicking Off in Style: 2023 College Football Season Sees New Hospitality Offerings from Sodexo Live! for Fans and Athletes

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (August 31, 2023) – Sodexo Live!, hospitality partner to the world’s most iconic venues, is thrilled to celebrate the 2023 college football season with stacked new menus, new local partners, and other hospitality and premium service offerings, to bring heightened excitement to the fans and athletes that the Sodexo Live! culinary team will feed across the 10 universities it serves. 

“Creating a memorable, 360-degree fan experience is our top priority in collaborating with our venue partners, and this year is no exception as fans will have so much to look forward to,” said Belinda Oakley, CEO, Sodexo Live! North America. “From creating menus for new VIP seating, to expanding offerings by bringing in new local businesses, our team of Experience Makers have put great effort into putting forth a reinvigorated hospitality program this year.” 

Highlights for the 2023 season include:

The University of Michigan | Michigan Stadium

• New suite menu highlights: 
  • Baguette filled with falafel, oregano scented oven dried tomato, grilled eggplant, portobello mushroom and pickled red onion with herb peppadew chutney
  • Build-your-own shawarma: chicken, beef, and cauliflower shawarma, toum, small wedge tomatoes, thin sliced red onion, thinly sliced lettuce
  • Muffuletta sliced Dearborn ham, salami, mortadella, provolone, olive on muffuletta bread 
  • Big House corned beef brisket 
  • Desserts: apple cranberry cupcake trifle, keto lemon blueberry chia pudding, Sanders chocolate bumpy cake
• New local partnership with Motor City classic Buddy’s Pizza
  • Available in the suites and general concourse

The University of Kansas | David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium

• New local partners 
  • Uplift Coffee offering specialty coffee and beverages
  • Biggs BBQ offering burnt ends, pulled pork, BBQ mac ‘n cheese, and other comfort foods
• Expanding menus with bratwurst, footlong hot dogs, Chicago dogs, specialty “dog of the game” options and chili cheese dogs
• Offering happy hour at football games for the first hour after gates open through thirty minutes before kick-off selling various discounted items
• New and improved grab-n-go stations
   

The University of Louisville | Cardinal Stadium 

• Two new minority-owned local business partnerships 
  • Cheezy Does It 
    • Specializing in fried mac and cheese balls, Cheezy Does It has operated its food truck across the stadium for multiple seasons. The fan-favorite truck will now be moving inside the stadium with its own outpost. 
  • Barry’s Cheesesteaks 
    • Own Barry Washington is bringing their stacked, authentic Philly cheesesteaks to the stadium this year as an exciting step in expanding of his business 
• The stadium will also be one of the first in college football to offer premium field seating. The boxes will offer the best views in the stadium and have fans right in the action. The Turf Seats include a premium parking pass, pre-game and post-game field access, an all-inclusive food and beverage menu curated by Sodexo Live! Executive Chef Richard Shoop, in-seat waiting service and more.
   

The University of Mississippi | Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

• New local food truck partners: Wingz and Things, G&G Fries and Busy Bee 
• Jack and Coke footlong hotdog (hot dog, sauteed onions, made-in-house jack and coke cause and fried onions) joins the Jack and Coke chicken sandwich 
• A twist on the classic corn dog, Shark Bites will feature a funnel cake with hot dog bites

The University of Florida | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Gary Condron Family Dining Hall

• A first for The Swamp, new Grab N Go Gators outpost on the general concourse will offer the classics like hot dogs, pretzels, water, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages for fans looking to get back to the action of the game as fast as possible
• Planned renovations to the iconic Ben Hill Griffin Stadium have also recently been announced to refresh the concourse, seating, sound system and more in the coming years 
• Athlete dining: Expansion of additional pre-and-post game meals, including the use of a catering on-the-go e-vehicle for the varied sports teams across campus

Northern Illinois University | Huskie Stadium 

• Guests can look forward to classic fan-favorite menu items, as well as a few new local offerings, Chicken Salad Chick as well as Cotton Candy. Additionally, to help speed up the purchasing process and get fans back to watching the game faster, Huskie Stadium will remain a completely cashless venue.

Illinois State University | Hancock Stadium 

• Fans can purchase tickets for a premium area with a “Bud Light Build-A-Bar” serving Anheuser Busch products along with soda and water. The ticket includes seating under a tented area with a front row seat to watch the game. 
• In addition to the gameday classics, new menu items include loaded Mac & Cheese and tacos in three varieties.
   

Football fans can also look forward to Sodexo Live!’s culinary creations again this year at Harvard University’s Harvard Stadium, University of Alabama, Birmingham’s Protective Stadium, and at Hard Rock Stadium for University of Miami football games.  

About Sodexo Live!
Sodexo Live! manages prestigious convention, cultural, and sporting venues and major events all over the world. With 40,000 employees and 500 sites, Sodexo Live! offers clients a range of bespoke catering, sales, and event management services, helping to transform the consumer experience into unforgettable memories. Sodexo Live! commits to unlocking customers’ full potential while favoring local communities. Sodexo Live! contributes to the success of prestigious events such as Royal Ascot, the Tour de France, the Rugby World Cup and soon the Paris 2024 Games, and showcases exceptional venues such as the Eiffel Tower Restaurants, Bateaux Parisiens, Yachts de Paris, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Museo del Prado in Madrid, the Hard Rock Stadium, the Scottish National Gallery, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.