Aramark Sports + Entertainment mobilized their team to prepare Oracle Park for Opening Day in just a few weeks.
Aramark Sports + Entertainment has stepped into the spotlight at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, as the new food and beverage provider. Drawing inspiration from the city’s robust food culture, Aramark’s talented team of culinarians set out to elevate the ballpark’s culinary landscape and deliver a refreshed food and beverage program with a variety of new offerings and service innovations to enhance the game day experience – all while continuing to deliver existing fan favorites. Oracle Park joins Aramark’s impressive lineup of MLB venues including Citi Field, Citizens Bank Park, Coors Field, Fenway Park, Kauffman Stadium, Minute Maid Park, PNC Park, and Oakland Coliseum.
Amidst the excitement of the 2024 MLB season, Aramark was awarded the new business just weeks before Opening Day and quickly mobilized to prepare Oracle Park for the start of the season. Led by Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s Regional Vice President, Danielle Lazor, and Vice President of Operational Excellence, Mat Drain, the dedicated team launched Diamond 58—a bespoke hospitality brand that would offer a fresh culinary experience, featuring an elevated aesthetic, innovative menu items, and a reimagined restaurant concept.
Danielle and Mat detailed the work that went into bringing Diamond 58 to life for Giants fans:
1. How was the Aramark team able to mobilize for Opening Day in such a short time period?
Danielle Lazor: It was a lot of work! We had a very short window of time before Opening Day, but our team has extensive experience managing venues like Oracle Park, and we were able to leverage our depth of resources and mobilize a team of nearly 100 managers to support the transition. The team at Oracle Park shares our goal of creating an unforgettable culinary experience on game day, so we worked in close partnership with them to bring our joint vision to life.
2. Can you talk to us about the creation of the Diamond 58 brand?
D: There was a strong desire to create a new brand and entity that aligned with our new food and beverage operation at the ballpark. We worked closely with the Giants to develop a name that was unique to our business but also meaningful to the team and the city of San Francisco. The Giants hold the food and beverage experience at the ballpark in the highest regard, so it is incredibly important that every element of the experience had true a connection to the fans. Diamond 58 represents the symbolic baseball diamond and the year that the New York Giants moved to San Francisco and became the San Francisco Giants (1958).
3. What has it been like working in partnership with the Giants to get this season up and running?
D: The alignment between Aramark and the Giants has been exceptional, a perfect match. Both organizations share a forward-thinking mindset. Our initial focus was to understand their brand and culture, ensuring that we support their growth and vision. Beyond food and beverage, the team prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability initiatives—areas that resonate with Aramark’s values.
4. Can you talk about culinary support? How many new menu items were introduced?
Mat Drain: Another goal for the Aramark team was to expand the variety of signature food items at Oracle Park. Aramark introduced six new items including the following:
·fuku®- Spicy fried chicken on a brioche bun served with pickles and fuku® sauce. Also available as tenders.
·Bacon Cheeseburger- double fresh burger patties piled high with thick-cut bacon, American cheese, burger sauce, on a brioche bun.
·Cove Crab Noodles- Green tea soba noodles with Dungeness crab, Thai vinaigrette, peppers, shiitake mushrooms, edamame, and garnished with cilantro spicy chili crunch,
·Onion Rings- Pub-battered onions with cotija cheese, jalapeño, cilantro, and served with Boom Boom sauce.
·Waffle Mitt Sundae- Vanilla ice cream with OREO topped with a fresh waffle glove all comes together in a San Francisco Giants souvenir helmet.
·Orange Splash- Refreshing specialty cocktail featuring Hornitos® Reposado, orange liqueur, orange juice, lemon lime soda, and a squeeze of lime and orange, served in a Giants’ souvenir baseball cup.
5. What is required to execute a full building menu board redesign?
M: To implement a comprehensive building redesign, a thorough review is essential. All newly introduced menus needed to align with our menu board strategy, which aims to streamline the guest ordering experience and enhance service speed. As part of this redesign, we incorporated updated brand colors, logos, and highlighted some of San Francisco’s most beloved dishes, diverse cuisines, and local favorites.
6. Can you talk to us about any new service styles that will be implemented throughout Oracle Park?
M: This season, we’re adding six new grab-and-go locations, bringing the total to eight. These additional grab-and-go locations reduce wait times at concession stands, allowing fans to quickly grab their desired food or drink and get back to the game.
7. 58 Social was an existing restaurant that we flipped. What are the biggest enhancements made and what are plans for the restaurant’s future? What kind of experience will we be offering to guests there?
M: Aramark relies heavily on data analytics to inform our decision making around food and beverage innovation. Our Data Science and Design & Development teams work hand-in-hand to identify trends and find opportunities within the food and beverage industry that can contribute positively to the guest experience. We wanted to ensure there was a way for fans to experience the thrill of a Giants game from outside the ballpark as well – either before they go through the turnstile or to watch the game amongst other fans. This is how 58 Social was born-- a high-end bar and grill that shares a wall with the ballpark.
About Aramark Sports + Entertainment
Aramark Sports + Entertainment serves more than 150 award-winning food and beverage, retail, and facility service programs in premier stadiums, arenas, convention centers, cultural attractions, performance venues, and unique entertainment destinations across North America. The company has received accolades for industry innovations including autonomous markets, dining concepts powered by artificial intelligence, and high-profile events like the MLB World Series, MLB at Field of Dreams, and NBA All-Star. In 2021, Aramark entered into a strategic collaboration with the Philadelphia-based Starr Restaurant Organization, led by entrepreneur and James Beard Award-winning restaurateur, Stephen Starr, which will bring the renowned culinary visionary’s highly sought-after concepts to clients throughout Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s portfolio. Aramark has been recognized on FORTUNE’s list of “World’s Most Admired Companies,” Fair360’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” and “Top Companies for Supplier Diversity,” Newsweek’s list of “America’s Most Responsible Companies 2024,” the HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality,” and earned a score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Contacts:
Hannah Blank
blank-hannah@aramark.com
