The Phillies’ season begins with a Thursday home opener against the Texas Rangers at 4:15 p.m (live on NBC and MLB’s platforms). Will this season end in glory with a World Series parade down Broad St., or will we suffer another 11th inning error that eliminates the Phils from the playoffs?
Who knows? But spring is a time for optimism and there’s plenty of new food, gear and events at Citizens Bank Park this season, win or lose.
Here’s a list of some of the new additions that stood out to us after attending a Tuesday night preview event packed with Philly celebrities from near and far.
New food
This year, the Phillies and Aramark worked with local chefs from popular spots including Middle Child, Vetri Group, De Rossi’s, El Chingon, Sahbyy Food, Emmett and Her Place Supper Club, to expand the stadium’s food offerings to “All-Star” levels.
“Because of the All-Star Game we’re going to be representing Philadelphia to the entire country,” said Aramark Executive Chef Vonnie Negron. “So we elevated our menus, we became a lot more creative in our offerings in all levels: Concessions, premium, the restaurants. We just thought bigger, better and thought, ‘What can we do to elevate everything in the ballpark?’”
Along with the usual concession staples — though no “Sam the Popcorn Girl” for most of the regular season, and still no “Dollar Dog Night” for the foreseeable future — There’s plenty of new and updated items around the stadium
The ballpark will have a fresh lineup of player-inspired food, created with the help of some of the team’s stars. A portion of proceeds will go to their respective foundations. The list includes:
- Cristopher Sánchez’s “Sánchez Sliders,” two “honey-stung” chicken tenders tossed in a hot spice blend and served on potato rolls with garlic aioli and pickles. It’s available at Coca-Cola Corner (Left Field Plaza) and in the new Cadillac Hall of Fame Club, and sales also benefit Sánchez’s Clínica de Familia nonprofit.
- Kyle Schwarber’s “Schwarbomb Sundae” is vanilla ice cream topped with a funnel-cake-fried strawberry Uncrustable, strawberry sauce and fruity cereal pieces, all stacked in an All-Star Game batting helmet. This is Coca-Cola Corner Treats in Left Field Plaza, with Schwarber’s Neighborhood Heroes benefitting.
- Jesús Luzardo’s “The Sweeper,” a specialty cheesesteak sandwich that combines ribeye steak with pizza sauce and covers it with provolone cheese and pepperoni. The sandwich will only be available when Luzardo is on the mound and will be sold at Campo’s in Ashburn Alley and helps out The Luzardo Family Foundation.
Along with those are a couple other standouts:
- The Reading Terminal Market dessert stand will offer Wilt’s Chocolate Smothered Berries, a cup of fresh strawberries smothered in milk chocolate available at Section 111 and the Cadillac Hall of Fame.
- A jumbo-sized “Phootlong Hot Dog” on a Liscio’s Bakery potato roll, will be available at Hatfield Classics Grill in Sections 114, 129 and 314.
- It’s not new, but it’s also worth noting that the ballpark’s take on the 9-9-9 challenge —a hotdog and beer each inning — returns with its much more manageable portion size and packaging.
New gear
This season the park opens a bi-level “New Era Team Store,” and it will be filled with All-Star Game-themed Phillies merch ahead of that summer highlight. Francis Winkey, Aramark’s Senior Merchandise Manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, said that this season’s product lineup will also include sports and golfwear brands like Lululemon, Ralph Lauren, Travis Mathew and Tommy Bahama going on the racks during the season.
Wilkey also dropped a prediction about the new line of Phanatic-themed fashion everyone’s going to be seeking out this year: women’s accessories.
“We have an awesome new custom line of Phanatic women’s accessories,” he shared. “We’ve got a backpack, a purse, a clutch, all with Phanatic fur. They’re going to be one of our hottest items of the year.”
The full list of home game theme nights and promotions can be found on the team’s website. Star Wars Night is on June 3 and nowhere near May the Fourth, again, which is mildly infuriating, again.
All Star Game festivities run July 11-14 starting with a fan experience takeover event at the Convention Center. The Homerun Derby will be July 13, followed by the All Star Game on July 14.
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