Food & Beverage

Cubs unveil The Yard, Guardians extend with Delaware North

Featured image credit: Chicago Cubs

Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs have unveiled plans for a new outdoor space at Wrigley Field, while the Cleveland Guardians have signed a new long-term deal with food and beverage provider Delaware North.

The Cubs will launch The Yard at Wrigley Field as a new outdoor space featuring five semi-private rental areas designed to help fans sample the bleachers “as if they were in their own backyard”.

The Yard will offer high-top seating, fully stocked coolers and a smaller premier experience not previously available at the ballpark. The space is located in the Budweiser Bleachers above the batter’s eye in centre field.

The rental spaces will be available for groups starting at four guests, with a maximum capacity for a total of 50 guests. Each rental features an exclusive table with unlimited beer, seltzer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as a ballpark meal for each guest. The Yard will be accessible up to 90 minutes before the first pitch until the end of the game.

Cale Vennum, senior vice-president of ticketing at the Cubs, said: “Fans often tell us that Wrigley Field is their summer home, so we wanted to create a space that feels like their own backyard.

“The Yard not only offers a cosy and intimate setting, but also addresses feedback we’ve received about creating bleacher options for smaller groups. The historic Budweiser Bleachers have a unique energy unlike anything in Major League Baseball. The Yard sits in the middle of the action but provides an elevated gameday experience in an all-inclusive and reserved space for a few friends or family members.”

Meanwhile, the Guardians have agreed a multi-year extension with hospitality and entertainment company Delaware North.

The company will continue to provide food and beverage services at Progressive Field until 2036. Delaware North’s partnership with the Guardians stretches back to the opening of the ballpark in 1994.

As part of the new deal, Delaware North and the Guardians will continue to invest in making significant capital improvements to operations and fan amenities at Progressive Field.

Delaware North currently provides hospitality services at 10 MLB ballparks, six of which represent partnerships that have been running for 30-plus years.

Elsewhere in MLB, the Washington Nationals are planning a new entertainment hub at Nationals Park to provide the stadium with more year-round revenue opportunities.

The Washington Business Journal reports that the Nationals have come up with “early concept plans” for a destination featuring shops and restaurants. Gregory McCarthy, a senior vice-president at the Nationals, detailed the plans during a meeting of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District yesterday (Wednesday).

The stadium is owned by Events DC, and in November DC Council approved legislation to provide funding for upgrades at National Park. The funding is dependent on the Nationals extending their lease to play at the stadium until 2054.