Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta โย the host of tonight's CFP National Championship Game โย has the cheapest concessions in sports:
โข $2 sodas
โข $2 pretzels
โข $3 pizza slices
โข $5 cheeseburgers
The idea was inspired by the concessions at Augusta National Golf Club, but while other owners thought Arthur Blank was crazy, the idea was actually genius.
The Atlanta Falcons consistently rank first in the NFLโs annual internal survey for food quality, price-to-value ratio, speed of service, and variety.
The Falcons say that the price decrease led to an 88% increase in merchandise sales in the first year.
Fans are now spending 16% more money on concessions than they did a few years ago, and an average of 6,000 more fans enter the stadium two hours before each game.
However, the best indicator that the new model works is that several other professional sports teams have copied it.
From Ryan Smith and the Utah Jazz to Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns, owners across North American professional sports are lowering concession prices for fans.
The idea is that a better gameday experience keeps fans coming back and often leads to the eventual purchase of higher-margin items, like merchandise.