Features

Nationals Park introduces new concessions experience

US financial services company Square has claimed a first through a partnership focusing on mobile concessions payments with Levy Restaurants and Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Washington Nationals.

During the 2019 season, Caviar Pickup and the new Square Terminal device will seek to make it faster and easier for fans at Nationals Park to order and pay for food and drink from their seat, without missing a pitch.

Square has partnered with the Nationals to create a concession stand that offers the only skip-the-line, order-ahead experience in the ballpark, powered by Caviar Pickup. Square’s Caviar service is designed to allow restaurants to offer diners delivery, pickup, and group ordering.

Fans who open the Caviar app from their seats at Nationals Park will be able to order their concessions in advance – including beer and wine for fans 21 and over – and receive an alert when their food is ready to be picked up. The stand will feature food from exclusive Caviar restaurant partners, featured in a rotating series of pop-ups throughout the season.

Square Terminal (pictured), the handheld, all-in-one payment processing hardware device, will also be piloted by roving concessions hawkers at Nationals Park. Square Terminal will allow fans to pay using credit cards or contactless payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay as they purchase food and beverage items from their seats.

Kevin Burke, marketing and sales lead at Square, said: “The Nationals organisation has taken an innovative approach to the fan experience, and their commitment to enabling a tech-forward stadium that is convenient for fans sets them apart as a league leader.”

The new services debuted at Nationals Park yesterday (Thursday) as the home team fell to defeat against the New York Mets on Opening Day of the 2019 MLB season.