Concession Stand Review - Bryant-Denny Stadium

Yes, that’s right; you’re getting not one, but two concession stand reviews this week. Please try not to shout with excitement.

As you may know, we went to the Alabama vs. Penn State game last Saturday and I don’t think there was ever any doubt we would be hitting up the concession stand for one of those Bryant-Denny Stadium Dogs! Oh my word, are they ever good!

We had all eaten barbeque at the Theta house before the game, so none of us were overly hungry. It was either late in the first quarter or early in the second when Chad went down to get Tina a funnel cake. I don’t think I even knew they had funnel cakes at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tina, Chad and Jackie each took a bite of it and the next thing I knew, Tina was up out of her seat going to take it back. Apparently it was chewy, which isn’t really a quality that I associate with funnel cakes. I’m not really sure how it came to be chewy but needless to say, it wasn’t good and was promptly discarded in favor of a Stadium Dog! You might as well get what you know will be good!

When we walked in to the stadium, I saw a guy walking around selling Lemon Chill, which put a big smile on my face. I wasn’t feeling too well, as you may have read, and in the past when I’ve gotten overheated at games (yes, it’s happened before – I told you I don’t like heat!), my dad has always gotten me a Lemon Chill. It never ceases to instantly make me feel better. It’s probably a subconscious thing, but I’m sure it helps to cool down the body as well. I ended up not needing one last Saturday, but it was comforting to know it was there in case of an emergency. There was also frozen Minute Maid, which a guy behind us had.

At halftime, I got two hot dogs for Justin and two for myself as well as a Diet Coke. Yes, Bryant-Denny Stadium is smart enough to carry Coca-Cola products. I’m sad to admit this was not always the case. When I was in college The University went through an unfortunate Pepsi sponsorship, but they have since wizened up and are back to being sponsored by Coca-Cola. The cost of these five items cost me a hefty $22, but it was all worth it. The Stadium Dogs were $4.50 each and the DC was $4. I actually wanted a DC in a souvenir cup, which would have been $6, but the stand I went to only had the $4 paper cups, which was rather disappointing.

I know they have Nachos and also BBQ at the stadium as well as Dippin’ Dots, Popcorn, and other various and sundry items. I don’t know the price of these since I didn’t buy any, but you can rest assured that it was more than $3. Some folks in our group bought bottled water from the vendors walking up and down the aisles and those were $4.50, with the 50 cent change being kept by the vendor without being told he could do so. I wonder what his tips were like at the end of the evening.

Obviously, the prices at Bryant-Denny Stadium are outrageous but I’m sure The University needs the money (you can laugh out loud now). OK, so maybe not, but people are going to pay the price – I mean have you ever seen a concession stand at halftime that didn’t have people at it? I know I haven’t. I don’t tend to buy much, if anything when at college and professional events, but I always make an exception for the Bryant-Denny Stadium Dog! I haven’t been to any other stadium that serves them the way they do in Tuscaloosa, except when Alabama used to play at Legion Field and they were sold the same way there. They have the perfect mixture of sour kraut, mustard and ketchup on them and it’s like a little slice of heaven. I’ve tried to duplicate this taste at home and haven’t been very successful. You know, as I write this, I just now started wondering how many Stadium Dogs get thrown in the trash after the game because they go unsold. That’s so sad, on so many different levels. I told Jackie last Saturday that I wished I could take a few home and freeze them, but I think we all know it just wouldn’t be the same.

Despite the high prices, Bryant-Denny offers a wide variety of foods for the fans in the stands.

Final grade: A-