Orioles Select Delaware North Companies for Food, Beverage and Retail Partnership

BALTIMORE and BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Baltimore Orioles and Delaware North Companies Sportservice today announced a 12-year partnership in which the global hospitality management company will provide food, beverage and retail merchandise services at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Sportservice will manage all concessions, catering, dining operations and retail stores and kiosks within the ballpark, including Eutaw Street.

"Oriole Park is the standard-bearer for major league ballparks, and it is fitting that our concessions and retail operations be held to the same standard," said Orioles Director of Communications GREG BADER. "The fan experience is extremely important to both the Orioles and Delaware North Companies, and we expect that everyone will benefit from this new partnership through expanded food and retail options, quicker transactions and significant facility upgrades."

Sportservice has a strong reputation in the industry for its culinary expertise and innovative concessions concepts. In addition, its customer service program, GuestPath®, is highly regarded by the teams with which it works, as is its environmental management program, GreenPath®.

"Delaware North Companies is honored to become a partner of the Orioles organization and to have the opportunity to enhance the food and beverage offerings at the ballpark that set off a wave of new thinking about sports venues across America," Sportservice President RICK ABRAMSON said. "Baltimore and the region are known for great food, and we are eager to add more menu items at the ballpark that celebrate local fare. Fans can count on Delaware North Companies for the highest level of service and culinary excellence when they come to Camden Yards."

The Orioles and Sportservice will collaborate on an $11 million project to redesign and enhance the food and beverage stands at the ballpark, the first effort of this magnitude since Camden Yards opened in 1992.  As part of the investment, new concessions-related technology will be added, including a new point-of-sale system for faster transactions and new grills and other equipment so more food can be prepared fresh in front of fans. Additional details on the ballpark enhancements and culinary options will be provided throughout the offseason, as we get closer to Opening Day.

Abramson plans on touring a number of restaurants and food companies in the greater Baltimore area in the coming months as he works with Sportservice's top culinary executives and chefs, as well as the Orioles, to identify new concepts for the ballpark while preserving fan favorites such as Boog's BBQ and ESSKAY hot dogs on the Oriole Park menu. The company's chefs are mentored by Delaware North Corporate Chef ROLAND HENIN, a highly regarded certified master chef. Sportservice can also draw upon its relationship with Food Network for menu development and offerings.

Sportservice plans to bolster the size of the food and retail staff at Camden Yards in order to provide more fresh preparation of food, ensure that customer service meets the Orioles' and the company's high standards, and prepare for the team's continuing resurgence.  The Orioles and Sportservice have great respect for the hard-working concessions personnel at Oriole Park.  Sportservice looks forward to interviewing the non-management employees of the former concessionaire who are interested in employment.

Sportservice also will continue to work with Baltimore-area nonprofit groups to provide volunteers to operate some of the concessions. Sportservice has been operating its own non-profit group program at ballparks and other sports venues for nearly two decades, and in recent years helped groups raise more than $12 million a year to support their organizations and charitable work.

"We are committed to the City of Baltimore and the state of Maryland, and to helping the Orioles continue to be a positive economic force by enhancing Camden Yards as a model entertainment experience that draws Orioles fans and visitors from the region and beyond," Abramson said.

Over the next few years, Sportservice will improve the retail operations at Oriole Park as well. The Orioles Store on the first floor of the Warehouse will undergo several enhancements, including redesigned merchandise displays, a broadening of the merchandise available and emphasis on year-round activity to complement ballpark tours and other nearby museums and attractions.

Sportservice has extensive experience completing successful enhancements of concessions in professional sports facilities. In the past year alone, the oldest name in sports hospitality has developed concessions concepts and entire food and beverage programs for such highly regarded new venues as the Minnesota Twins' Target Field and the New Meadowlands Stadium, home of the New York Jets and Giants.

The company has a long history with professional baseball, having obtained its first Major League concessions contract with the Detroit Tigers in 1930, the beginning of an 80-year relationship that is still going strong. In the 1950s, Sportservice added two other teams as clients, the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, both of which have continued with Sportservice at three different ballparks. At that time, Sportservice also began a long relationship with the Orioles, serving as the concessionaire at Memorial Stadium for several decades.

Sportservice operates at more than 50 professional sporting venues, including 23 in major professional sports for 25 different franchises. In addition to the Twins, Tigers, Cardinals and Reds, Sportservice's other Major League Baseball partners include the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers. In addition to the New Meadowlands Stadium, Sportservice operates at Chicago's Soldier Field and other National Football League venues, and TD Garden and other National Hockey League and National Basketball Association venues.

Delaware North Companies also operates food and beverage services at some of the premier sports venues in the world outside of the United States: Wembley Stadium and two other facilities in the United Kingdom, plus the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Melbourne and Olympic Parks and several other stadiums and arenas in Australia and New Zealand.

About the Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a Major League Baseball franchise steeped in tradition and have been an integral part of Baltimore, the State of Maryland and the entire Mid-Atlantic region since 1954.

The club's much heralded ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, continues to serve as a destination for baseball fans from across this region and around the world. Hailed as the standard-bearer for the new wave of ballparks that followed, Camden Yards blends the best aesthetics of baseball's historic ballparks with the newest technologies of today, creating a state-of-the-art facility in a downtown setting that provides significant economic benefit to the city and consistently ranks among the top ballparks in America.

Off the field, the Orioles recognize the value of support from the community and believe it is important to give back by being actively involved in local programs and initiatives. Through OriolesREACH, the Orioles have established numerous new community support initiatives while also partnering with several existing charities and organizations.

On the field, six members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame - Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Earl Weaver - have worn the Orioles uniform and entered the Hall of Fame representing the organization. Thanks to the contributions of these players, the team has won three World Series championships: 1966, 1970 and 1983. The club has made ten postseason appearances, most recently in 1997 after becoming just the sixth team ever to win its division after leading every day of the season. From 1960 through 1997, the Orioles had the highest winning percentage in all of Major League Baseball.

Under the current leadership of President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail and Manager Buck Showalter, the Orioles are positioning themselves for sustained success moving forward.

About Delaware North Companies Sportservice

Delaware North Companies Sportservice is one of the nation's leading food, beverage and retail management companies. Sportservice provides concessions, gourmet catering and fine dining operations at more than 50 professional sporting venues, entertainment complexes and convention centers across the United States and Canada. Sportservice is the provider of choice for an impressive client roster, including the World Series, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball's all-star games, Stanley Cup Championships and the Olympic Games

For more than 90 years, Sportservice has demonstrated that it knows what it takes to effectively develop, operate and manage multi-faceted kitchens, restaurants, suites, fine dining and retail facilities in order to meet the changing demands of today's fans. From introducing new healthy, organic food selections and creative cuisine for twists on the traditional fare, Sportservice continues to innovate and enhance the fan experience.

About Delaware North Companies

Delaware North Companies is one of the world's leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden. Delaware North Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually and 50,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.

SOURCE Delaware North Companies