Sabres fans get direct say about food at KeyBank Center (2024)

Beth Surdej attended most Buffalo Sabres home games last year as a first-time season ticket holder. However, she was not overly impressed with the food at KeyBank Center, so she didn’t eat often at the arena.

But she is encouraged by the improvement in the food quality and selection this season and the willingness of longtime arena concessionaire Delaware North to hear from fans about menu items at KeyBank Center.

She was one of about 100 people to take part in a “Fan Fare Culinary Council” on Wednesday inside the Lexus Club at KeyBank Center. They were asked for feedback on several arena menu items as part of Delaware North’s new initiative to give sports fans in venues it serves a more active voice in the food and beverage experience.

“I think this is great that they care enough to put this on and get our opinions,” Surdej said. “I’m impressed that they are doing it.”

It is also part of an effort by Delaware North to improve some of the offerings at the arena, after fans have lodged considerable concession-related complaints about the quality of the food.

Delaware North hosted tastings for team leadership in the off season and committed to refocusing on its core food items in the arena – such as hot dogs, pizza and nachos — that make up most of the game day sales at KeyBank Center.

The council in Buffalo consists of about 500 fans – a mix of Sabres’ full- and partial-season ticket holders, as well as individual ticket purchasers. It is an initiative first piloted by Delaware North in June at Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers.

“They’ve gotten a lot of criticism in year’s past, and rightly so – the food was not so great,” said Scott Demayo, who attended Wednesday with his wife, Marlene. “But they’ve done a lot to improve it.”

Judy Ragona and her husband, Mike, second-year Sabres season ticket holders who drive up from Cattaraugus County to attend games, wanted to join the council so that they could express their view that there are still some issues with the food.

Beside the freshly carved roast beef on weck, Judy Ragona believes the arena food menu is “ordinary,” and she was disappointed at the lack of healthier options and options for people with food sensitivities. She’s also hoping the team can provide an online menu to help people plan their dinners before getting to the arena.

“My daughter, when she comes with us to games, has to search to find something she can eat, so it’s an issue,” she said.

Wednesday’s attendees tried three different varieties of various concession items – such as burgers, chicken fingers, sausages, fries and pretzels – and filled out an online survey that they scanned using a QR code as they ate each item.

They were asked in the survey to rate their level of satisfaction with both the quality and taste of the food items, their likelihood of purchasing these products at KeyBank Center and what could be improved about each item.

These items were chosen because they are bigger sellers and ones that can be improved quicker, according to John DonVito, general manager for Delaware North at KeyBank Center since March. Some are also being evaluated to potentially be sold on a more widespread basis around the arena.

DonVito said some of the healthier options around the arena, including salads, do not get enough exposure, and are sometimes difficult to find. He added that Delaware North is also considering turning a small vegetarian foods cart into a larger location.

“It’s not going to move the needle, necessarily, for the mass crowd, but for certain individuals coming out night after night, it could be a destination stop,” he said.

Buffalo-based Delaware North plans to have another food tasting with additional members of the council formed for KeyBank Center in the first quarter of next year.

“It’s in our backyard, so it felt like the right next place to do this,” said Kathleen Batten, director of customer insights for Delaware North. “John has really come here and made so many improvements, and now we really wanted to have the fan input as part of the process. Hearing it from their voices is so important.”