When Taylor Swift kicked off the first of eight Eras Tour concerts at Wembley Stadium in June 2024, the venue had only recently hosted the UEFA Champions League final and the Betfred Challenge Cup rugby league final.
For foodservice operations, this shift from one event type to another is a major change. On a match day, the crowd may be predominantly middle-aged men who are drinking beer and eating burgers, but that’s not going to work for a pop concert audience made up mainly of women under 40.
Pecularities of the Swiftie demographic aside, sports and entertainment audiences behave differently when it comes to food and drink. “At a sports event, you tend to eat at your seat, while at concerts you’re dancing, singing, and standing. A lot of people go out to eat beforehand, and alcohol sales tend to far outweigh food,” says Phillip Landgraf FCSI, executive principal at Ricca Design Studios, which recently renovated the restaurant and bar at Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver, Colorado.
Flexibility is essential for accommodating different types of events within the same venue. “We do what we call white labeling for kiosks, using digital signage and ensuring the equipment has a generic setup, so we can quickly switch the concept and serve different menu items from the same kitchen,” explains James Johnson FCSI, consulting principal at Russell Partnership Collection, a UK-based hospitality consultancy with operations in the UAE and the US.
Danny Potter FCSI, director of Invito Design – a consultancy that led the redesign of the General Admission concourse at Manchester’s AO Arena – explains how equipment can be adapted to suit different audiences. “A bar could just be a slushie bar for Disney on Ice, slushie margaritas for an older demographic, and then iced tea or coffee frappes on a conference day,” he says.
Setting up F&B offerings for a concert in a sports venue often means working with reduced space. “During concert events, some of the stands will close down, so the design needs to be as flexible as possible. It may be necessary to convert a brick-and-mortar food and beverage concession into one that serves beverages only, and supplement the offer with portables,” says Ryan Rongo FCSI, vice president of design at Chicago-based S2O Consultants.
Knowing exactly how to adjust the offer starts with a thorough analysis of audience profiles. “Forecasting numbers for live events is especially important because you never know exactly how many people will actually attend. To identify different types of customers and the spend per head for each service tier, we use a model that draws on our own historical data and the client’s,” says Darren Moore FCSI, head of global consulting, Russell Partnership Collection.
Moore recalls the company’s six-year involvement in Expo 2020 Dubai as a standout project: “We were involved from the very beginning, working with the organizers when there was nothing there.” Russell Partnership developed the F&B strategy for the 173-day event, which welcomed over 23 million visits and included 200+ outlets.
More recently, the firm applied the same customer-first approach to a Stranger Things immersive event in London, which ran for six months. “We started with products from the show and expanded into cocktails, pizzas and other items. Our starting point was always: ‘what’s the customer looking for?’,” explains Moore.
Maximizing revenue
One of the most significant trends in catering for entertainment events in recent years is the growing role of food and beverage in shaping the overall experience. “We can no longer look at big venues and say, ‘We’ll build it and they’ll come.’ Everything is experience-led. If people show up for a concert and their experience doesn’t match what they’d expect on the high street, they won’t come back,” says Potter.
Moore echoes this perspective: “The question is still: how can we maximize the use of this huge piece of concrete we’ve built for hundreds of millions of pounds, 365 days a year? But now there’s a realization that F&B plays a huge part in that. In years past, it was simply seen as a service you had to provide,” he adds.
Unlike sports events, entertainment performances often present fewer windows for food and beverage sales. “At a game, you might have two or three 15- to 20-minute intermissions, depending on the sport. At concerts, there’s usually just one longer break between the supporting act and the headliner – just enough for a drink at the bar or a quick appetizer,” says Landgraf.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, he notes, is a unique case where the venue itself draws crowds beyond the show. “Red Rocks is more than a concert venue – it has a museum, a park where people come to walk or work out, sunrise services on Easter, and movie nights in summer. These events bring people in both before and after concerts.”
For urban venues that don’t have the scenic pull of Red Rocks, creativity becomes essential. “If you show up right when the event starts, you’re unlikely to buy anything, but people won’t arrive early just to stand around and be bored. If you want to increase dwell time and spend per head, you need to activate the concourse,” says Potter.
Children’s events, in particular, offer untapped revenue potential. “Traditionally, venues haven’t generated much from kids, but that’s changing. We call it the ‘I want it factor’: a child sees something they like and starts pleading, ‘I want it, I want it.’ Parents usually give in. The challenge is creating more offers that grab kids’ attention,” he adds.
Technology also plays a role in maximizing revenue, especially at high-traffic events. “At concerts, the bulk of sales comes from drinks, so speed is essential,” says Rongo. “We’ve seen real progress in POS systems and payment methods. RFID wristbands and contactless devices let guests tap or wave to pay, which speeds things up and improves the overall experience.”
Tiered experiences
As venues strive to elevate the overall guest experience, many are embracing premiumization. “We’ve seen operators reclaiming underused spaces and converting them into clubs. What used to be a simple low-end and high-end model has become much more stratified – you can now have up to six different tiers. The idea is to encourage guests to upgrade, unlocking more value from a broader range of visitors,” says Landgraf.
This trend also extends to classic menu items: “People want to know where the meat in their burger comes from, or prefer a brioche bun instead of a standard roll,” says Johnson, who adds that interest in all-inclusive packages is also increasing. “Guests want a ticket that covers everything – food, drink, the whole day – so they can relax and enjoy the experience without thinking about every individual purchase. It’s not just a show anymore, it’s a full experience, and food and beverage are part of it.”
Andrea Tolu
