A total of 77,660 fans flocked to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch Ohio State’s 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship on Monday. By the end, some celebrated the Buckeyes’ victory, while others were disappointed by the Fighting Irish’s 36-year national championship drought. But in one sense, all were winners, thanks to Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank’s genius idea of offering cheap beer and sodas, which was initially dismissed as “crazy” by other team owners.
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Blank’s idea was simple. He introduced fan-first menu pricing at the stadium in 2017 after it was open to Falcons fans. This set of concessions allowed them to purchase pizza slices for $3, cheeseburgers for $5, pretzels for $2, and sodas for $2. Evidently, it remains one of the most appealing offers for any football fan.
As detailed by Joe Pompliano in a LinkedIn post, this move by Blank helped the team generate more money through merchandise sales and tickets over the years. “The idea was inspired by the concessions at Augusta National Golf Club, but while other owners thought Arthur Blank was crazy, the idea was actually genius,” Pompliano explained.
“The Atlanta Falcons consistently rank first in the NFL’s annual internal survey for food quality, price-to-value ratio, speed of service, and variety. The Falcons say that the price decrease led to an 88% increase in merchandise sales in the first year.”
Additionally, Pompliano observed that Falcons fans are now spending 16% more on concessions than they did a few years ago. And, if that weren’t impressive enough, an average of 6,000 more fans enter the stadium two hours before each game.
THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES WIN CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
— Ohio.news (@RealOhioNews) January 21, 2025
These points indicate that the concessions have been well received by the NFL fans and have led to more foot traffic and revenue for the Falcons. Another indicator of its success is that several other professional teams are now emulating this model.
“From Ryan Smith and the Utah Jazz to Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns, owners across North American professional sports are lowering concession prices for fans. The idea is that a better gameday experience keeps fans coming back and often leads to the eventual purchase of higher-margin items, like merchandise,” Pompliano added.
That said, when comparing the prices at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to other NFL stadiums, the difference is mind-boggling. For the 2024 season opener between the Ravens and the Chiefs at Arrowhead, fans had to pay a whopping $16 for a beer and a hotdog.
What’s even crazier is that this is close to the average price for that combo, which stands at $15.02. And if you’re a Seahawks fan watching a home game, that combo will cost you the most in the league at $19.98. But in Atlanta, that same combo will cost just $7.49. So, let’s just say that Blank put the fans first, and now, they are returning the favor.
In 2002, Blank purchased the Atlanta Falcons for $545 million. At the time, the franchise value of the team was $407 million, according to Statista.com. Fast forward to August 2024, and the franchise value has risen to $5.2 billion—a phenomenal increase that would not have been possible without Blank’s fan-friendly initiatives.
Meanwhile, Blank and the Falcons will look to move on from the disappointment of an 8-9 season, which derailed their playoff hopes this year.
