Bucs Slash Prices On Soft Drinks, Food For Opener
August 20th, 2011
The massive Fred Flintstone-like turkey drumstick for sale on the 300 level of the C.I.T.S. that Joe loves so much will be half price on opening day, along with soft drinks and all the Bucs’ gameday grub, so reports the Facebook page of WDAE-AM 620, the Buccaneers’ flagship station.
In a nod to fans, or perhaps an attempt to bust the Bucs’ heinous blackout streak, Team Glazer is shaving profits from the Bucs-Lions game on Sept. 11.
Joe thinks this is pretty cool.
While gameday drunks will still be soaked for overpriced warm beer, the move will represent a significant savings for a lot of folks. Joe’s still pegging opening day attendance about 12,000 shy of a sellout, but perhaps this could help move the needle a bit.
Update: 11:19 a.m. – It seems the Bucs’ half-off gesture is in response to screwups on Thursday night. From a Buccaneers letter to season ticket holders: “We would like to apologize to all fans who attended Thursday’s game for the concession service issues throughout the stadium. It is our commitment to ensure that our fans receive a first class experience at all Buccaneers games. Because of this, we will be offering 50% off all food and non-alcoholic beverages at our home opener on September 11.”
Clarification: Just so everyone is clear, this SNAFU Thursday night at the concession stands was due to issues with the vendor, Levy Restaurants, NOT the Buccaneers. But Team Glazer is making sure things are right with the fans. Joe doffs his cap.
As Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski just said on WDAE-AM 620, how cool is it that on a broiling 1 p.m. kickoff, you can get fluids at half-price?
August 20th, 2011 at 6:36 am
Well they didn’t have all of the concession stands open on Thursday, perhaps its because they knew what was coming with attendence, but waits up to an hour were common.
August 20th, 2011 at 7:08 am
Wow. Can’t ask more if the Glazers. Time for Tampa to step up!
The Bucs need more corporate/ business support. Another year like last year, and we risk losing the team. Others are waiting. . .
August 20th, 2011 at 7:15 am
Pete, what line did you find that lasted an hour? If you’re not exaggerating about that then I ask you, what kind of fan are you where you’d miss an hour of the game waiting for a snack or a beverage?
August 20th, 2011 at 8:05 am
Good move on the owner’s part. Say what you will about the Glazer’s, but you have to give them credit on all fronts for at least attempting to draw fans to the stadium. I can’t remember anything like this during Hugh Culverhouse’s Reign of Terror. During that time there were consistently 35000 fans in the stadium and he never cared. Unfortunately, I wont’ be in Tampa until Dec, so hopefully their good will will extend to then.
August 20th, 2011 at 8:12 am
A good move, but I don’t think it will work. The economy is still very bad in Tampa. Capt Tim is correct, last year was horrible and embarassing.
August 20th, 2011 at 8:16 am
I don’t know about an hour, if you wait on anything for an hour when you could go 50 feet in any direction and find the same thing you have other issues btw, but on the 100 level at the pizza hut it took around 35 min for two pizzas and two beers. And the line was about 20 or so deep. The Glazers acknowledged this in a letter to the season ticket holders. Its the right thing to do.
August 20th, 2011 at 8:42 am
well my season tixs are in 343 and u couldnt go in either direction or 50 feet to get a beer or pizza cause all the lines were stacked..most concessions didnt have but half there lines open.. my dad went to get us beer with about 10 mins left in the 2nd qtr and was still in line at half time. a gentelman in front of him waited about as long and was told as he got to the front of the line that the debit machine was down and they only took cash, the guy was well nicely very upset. the letter for half off food was cool but just makes the Glazers look like clowns and cheap. not good for a franchise trying to sell tickets…
August 20th, 2011 at 8:45 am
I’m just happy to accept their offer. It’s a nice gesture and as a ticket holder I do appreciate it.
August 20th, 2011 at 8:57 am
There were also problems with the tickets for season ticket holders. My ‘season pass’ did not scan at the gate. I was told I had to go to the customer service window to have my pass activated. I stood in line for 28 minutes to have the pass activated. The thanks we get for paying full price for a pratice. Worst experience I had in attending Buc games since 1977!!
August 20th, 2011 at 9:21 am
the letter for half off food was cool but just makes the Glazers look like clowns and cheap.
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Acknowledging a mistake and taking steps to rectify it is not the move of a clown. Its common practice in any service business and the fact they are taking half off the price can’t be cheap. Anyways, I wonder what the owners of Tampa Bay pro sports teams say about the fans. If we say they are cheap after this, what would they say about us? Especially when one of the teams has had tickets as low as $7, they let you bring your own food, parking for carpoolers (was) free and still no one goes. Just sayin…
August 20th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Love the gigantic turkey leg, or wing, especially if the skin is slightly crispy.
And the added bonus of watching the most physical team in bucs history dimantle the hapless lions.
I’m totally in now.
August 20th, 2011 at 9:40 am
nick i didnt mean that the letter they sent out made them look cheap and like clowns i was saying that the way things went down at the stadium made the team look cheap is all..it was a great gesture for the team to do 50% off at the first game for sure
August 20th, 2011 at 10:08 am
It’s the product on the field I’m concerned about.
August 20th, 2011 at 10:37 am
Lose the team because others are waiting? That’s a defeatist pipedream. The team is going nowhere. The fans will come back in time as the team improves and the economy hopefully strengthens. Relax.
August 20th, 2011 at 11:21 am
Typical bad reporting from hack radio station of blowhards who don’t check facts. Thanks Joe Buc for spreading the misinformation. Had nothing to do with selling more tickets. The Levy Restaurants food service was worse than a Little League game. … I was there. Half the booths on third deck were closed before halftime because they ran out of food. Lines were stacked; yes. at least an hour wait … Keep in mind the stadium was less than a third full. You can’t go to just any booth, anyway, to get what you want. Each booth has different menus (pizza at one, sandwiches at another, etc.), which is silly. The hot dog/sandwich booths were closed because they ran out. I wanted a hot dog because it was one of the few things they sell that costs less that $6. I…. went down to the first level to find a hot dog, but could not find a booth that would accept the $10 voucher cards the Bucs gave to season ticket buyers as an enticement to buy season tickets; they weren’t worth a cent because the machines didn’t accept them at most booths. Same with the 10% discounts season tix holders get by swiping their ticket pass. The vendors are volunteers who were all angry and frustrated by the constant complaints, and no managers were around. They were getting ugly with all the customers because they were so frustrated. …. I complained at the downstairs guest services who said she was getting same complaints all night and told me to call the Bucs. … It was horrible, ill prepared and amateur. The Bucs should fire Levy Restaurants, which has always been horrible, but this was the worst ever. It’s not like this game snuck up on them so they couldn’t prepare.
August 20th, 2011 at 11:27 am
@ Espo
I did not wait an hour but missing an hour of that game was no major loss. At the end of the 1st Qtr I went below to do some shopping at the gift shops. I walked around the stadium to all 4 and every concession stand was packed. I overheard two people complaining that they had waited for an hour for free refills. I saw several in line just give up yet the lines never seemed to move. Some concession stands were not even open and even at the gift shop they were having some issues with the registers.
But I have no problem with the glaziers lowere food prices, now if they would just roll back the 30% ticket increase of 3 years ago across the board, for every seat, not just a few, then perhaps they would have done all they could do.
August 20th, 2011 at 11:47 am
Good point Anthony, and more to the point:
Wasn’t the practice two weeks ago on Saturday night not enough of a dress rehearsal?
August 20th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Those cheap Glazer bastards!
August 20th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Have gone to hundreds of sporting events and this week’s concessions was the worst ever. Very unprepared staff. I’m sure I wasn’t the only season ticket holder who wrote the Bucs to complain. Hope they get it right next time.
August 20th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Should have stayed home and watched it on the live stream.
Go to BucsChat and they have someone in the forums providing the links to the streams!
August 20th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
So…on opening day you have lower ticket prices, lower parking prices and lower food prices.
How much will a community demand of a sports team? Are the Bucs players going to have to start having a themed dress code too?
Come on people…if you are in town and have the funds, buy the tickets from a distributor and go.
Don’t buy them from ticket holders…that does nothing to sell out the stadium.
August 20th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
“So…on opening day you have lower ticket prices, lower parking prices and lower food prices. How much will a community demand of a sports team?”
Even more cheaper tickets…at all levels, at all prices, even on gameday and something else to do at the stadium as the game is not always enough these days.
August 21st, 2011 at 1:27 am
Last Year, we ate outside Tampa stadium. Those independent vendors outside the stadium were very effiicient, and food was good.