Beer at the Big House? Updates on Michigan Stadium concession plans, more
Michigan Stadium was open to the media on Tuesday for a trip up to the Jack Roth Stadium Club for a food tasting on Tuesday afternoon. The purpose was to sample some of the food items available at concession stands this year, which we will get to momentarily.
The main item on everyone’s mind is the potential sale of alcohol at Michigan Stadium. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill earlier this year that allows the sale of booze at the 15 public universities in the state for football, basketball and hockey games.
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Unfortunately for fans hoping to partake in the stadium, Michigan has no plan in place to integrate that for football games this fall, per an on-site spokesperson on Tuesday. Approval has to come from the university, as well as the athletic department and Ann Arbor police being involved in the logistics of the plan. There was not enough time in the leadup to the season to address it appropriately, but beer at the Big House is an inevitability and could happen as early as next season.
Michigan State has had similar discussions, but leadership at the school has shared similar concerns about the timeline in the lead-up to the 2023 season.
Currently, 11 of the 12 other member institutions in the Big Ten allow alcohol sales at football games with the Nebraska being the lone holdout. USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon, who join the Big Ten next season, all allow alcohol to be sold at their games.
Concession items at Michigan football games
Sodexo Live! and Executive Chef Chris Carr shared six food items plus a pair of giant cookies with the media on Tuesday afternoon. All but one of them will be available in general concessions this fall.
The Italian Beef Sandwich, Impossible Burger, Sharifia Halal Hot Dog, Mucho Nachos and Honey Stinger Chicken Sandwich will be available on the concourse this fall. The only thing that we tried that is a suite-only item is the Salmon Pannini.
Also of note was the confirmation that Buddy’s has replaced Cottage Inn Pizza as the official slice of Michigan Athletics, which is a five-year deal. Buddy’s 4-sqaure slices will be served at football, basketball and hockey games. Pepperoni or cheese pizzas will be priced at $15 a piece in a custom-designed “Go Blue” box, also featuring a $4 off coupon for a future purchase at a Buddy’s Pizza store location.
No pricing or location details for the other items were made available during the tasting event, but options have gotten more plentiful for fans hoping to dine at Michigan games this fall.
