Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Business Report with Thomas Boeh- Oct. 14
10/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 18, 2005
- On today's show, assistant athletics director for facilities and operations John Kriebs drops in for a quick update on concessions.
DOG ZONE: Have there been any updates to the concessions topic that was originally brought up a few weeks back?
JOHN KRIEBS: "We had a good meeting with Ovations a week ago and they are willing to help us out and step up. What we've had is a standard of about 35-40 "hawkers or points of sales" in the stands and that number now will be up around 75. Ovations is also planning to outfit those individuals with a bright green shirt so they will be a lot easier to identify among the crowd. The other concern is with our points of sales (which basically amounts to any single register located in the stadium). We have 125 points of sales in the stadium and we need to increase that. The national average for a stadium our size is 225-240 points of sale. So we are looking for better locations and more point of sales. We are continually working with Ovations on a game-by-game basis, making changes and obtaining feedback from folks to help us grow."
DZ: Why do you choose to outsource and use Ovations as your concessions option?
Thomas Boeh: "We are a department of athletics. We are not equipped to do these kinds of concession sales, whether it be with equipment, expertise, buying power you need from wholesalers, etc. I would say 99-percent of Division 1 schools outsource their concession sales. You have to bring in professionals to handle concessions if you want it done right."
"I would agree that we need to keep an eye on the number of concession stands that are geared toward beer sales compared to those for other concession opportunities. Unfortunately, that is market-driven as you would imagine. If there is a demand for beer versus other concessions, then they are going to put those in place. As long as we are selling beer and we are selling it to people that are responsible, not intoxicated and everything is legal and healthy, we are going to have people that demand that."
DZ: Is it possible to increase space out on the concourse in order to add more points of sale for concessions?
TB: "I think we can; that's something that would be part of a larger renovation. I think most people would agree that some of the amenities in the stadium are 25 years old now. We have added some seats. We will need to eventually renovate that stadium and possibly expand. Part of expansion though is not just throwing out more seats; it involves serving those people as well."
DZ: Is there an update on stadium renovation and/or expansion?
TB: "I think long-term might mean three years or it might mean seven years. First off though, we need to take care of the customer base we have and sell that thing out. If we get sellouts every game and I know there is interest in a larger stadium, but we are talking about a project that will take tens of millions of dollars. It's just not as expensive as it was even five years ago. It will be a serious commitment, we have a lot of athletic facilities to deal with and if we can see the return on it, then it makes all the sense in the world. However, for the continued growth of the department and the football program down the line, expansion needs to be something that we are thinking about in the long range plan."
