"all you can eat" news and stories

Ballparks are always working on getting people in their seats. Lately they're reaching their fans through their stomachs with all-you-can-eat concessions -- a never-ending supply of nachos, hot dogs, popcorn and soda. These tickets cost around 50 percent more, usually ranging from around thirty to fifty bucks -- although they can run up to the two-hundred-dollar mark, according to USA Today -- and the trend has hit dozens of arenas, stadiums, and tracks.

At least one fan interviewed by Sports Illustrated is all for it. Matthew Cavalier recently took in an Orioles game at Baltimore's Camden Yards, sitting way out in left field (so to speak) in order to take advantage of the pumped-up food options. Cavalier thinks some teams need that extra calorie boost to get their fan base into the stadium. "The Phillies, Yankees and all them are always going to be fine. They don't need to do this. But for fans of, say, this team, it's a good plan."

Starting this season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are giving fans a reason to come to games other than to see baseball. Tickets for seats in the right field bleachers will be raised to $35 each ($40 on game day) and will include all-you-can-eat food. The deal includes Dodger dogs, peanuts, popcorn, nachos, sodas and more, but excludes ice cream, beer and candy. The way it will work is that fans in that section can simply walk up to the food booths and ask for whatever they want, whether it is just one hot dog and garlic fries or two dozen dogs for their whole group of friends. The Dodgers executive vice president and chief operating officer said that some foods may be set up in a buffet section to expedite service.

It isn't that hard to eat two Dodger dogs, despite the fact that they are quite large, but they run only $4.75 (or $5.25 for all-beef) each. A soft pretzel is $3.50 and peanuts are $5. It seems like the average fan may not eat $35 worth of food, excluding beer, during a game.

The ticket prices this season for right field were $10 each and the left field bleachers will still be available at that price.

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A few weeks ago, I posted about a restaurant in England that had imposed a fine (donating all profits to charity) on people who took too much food at a buffet because the owners were sick about the amount of wasted. Several commenters thought that this was a great idea or knew of shops that did a similar thing in their neighborhoods. Perhaps more buffets will take similar action now that a Des Moines family was kicked out of an all-you-can-eat restaurant for wasting too much food.

The restaurant staff had been observing the family over the course of several visits to the restaurant. A Dragon House employee said "they just take one bite and throw it away. They take four egg rolls and crab rangoon, take one bite of egg roll and throw the whole plate. That is wasting food." The management reported that the family repeatedly took food, threw it out and then took more of the same food.

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The James Beard Foundation has just announced their nominees for the 2006 James Beard Foundation Awards. The awards are the most prestigious in the industry and honor the top culinary professionals in every category, from journalists to cookbooks to chefs. There are 62 awards in all this year. Nominees include:

Best General Cookbooks

• Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks by Linda Carucci; The Cook's Book by Jill Norman; The Instant Cook by Donna Hay

Internet writing on Restaurant, Food, Beverage or Nutrition

• "Reserve Wines Score, by at What Price?"; "Down with Gloves: Why Chefs Shouldn't Have to Wear Them"; "Star Wars: Did Michelin Lower the Bar for New York?"

Best Internet Website for Food

• AliceFeiring.com; Epicurious.com; LeitesCulinaria.com

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