Superdome food is an embarrassment...

[Jesse]

Why is it that in a city with so much good food, and so much of it being so cheap that the food in the Superdome is so consistently and all around terrible. They can produce a ton of good food at Jazz Fest all outdoors, but in the dome with as much facilities as one could possibly need they can only produce the crap they are selling for OBSCENE prices. It's disgusting, and for me, enough reason not to go to events there. For people who come to visit New Orleans for a Saints game, I can only hope they've had food from elsewhere or they'll really think our food is crap.

Why is this the way it is? Are no local places trying to get in? Is this just the Superdome management being lazy, and wanting to turn food service over to one company to avoid having to manage it themselves? If so, they should be ashamed.

The Arena's not much better, and I just don't get it.

[Gourmondo]

I believe the answer here is, "follow the money".

[BTG]

It is def. an ambarrassment, no doubt about that.
Same goes with the convention center. I have been to conventions at other cities where they have offered some descent, if not good choices for lunch at their convention facilities. Nope, not in N.O. though.

[Jerry]

Local foods take a lot of thoughtful preperation and knowledge.
Concession foods can be bought in pre-cooked, frozen, easy to prepare (for the young skulls of mush who work there) right on location, quickly and for the greatest profit.

The concessionaires don't get to keep very much of their profits.
I personally know some who work the Dome and Arena and will inquire as to their opinions...

Mardi Gras food wagons are pretty much the same.
...I do know one that's local and has good food on the corner of St. Charles and St. Joseph on the riverside.

[Jesse]

You're right Jerry, Mardi Gras food carts are generally terrible as well. It's a shame we don't have better street food here.

I'd like to hear your acquaintances thoughts.

[Schuarta]

All concessions pay 50% of the gross, I believe, to the "house". Most of the customers don't have any "taste", they'll buy any garbage, they're already high on the over-priced beer.

Enjoy some food before or after the game, not "at". :mad:

[Oyster]

Stay out of the Club areas! Most servings were $9. About the same as the Dome Club area. That's where the cooked to order items are offered. Prepared fresh as you order, in most cases. At Friday's Hornets game, my troops had Seafood Pasta, Crawfish Etouffe, BBQ Shrimp, Shrimp Alfredo, and Banana Foster Cheesecake. People behind me were ordering the Steakburgers. One ordered with cheese and heard "sorry, out of cheese!":D

Oh...I just had beer...

[Tchoupitoulas]

Contracts at the Dome and Convention Center were all given to cronies of the late Dutch....I doubt much has changed.

[JudiB]

You know, this is a very good point. It's all so expensive, and all so bad. The Pontchartrain Convention Center in Kenner is the same way - I have occasion to go there every year for a weekend event... and it's a good thing there's a good long lunch break. Sheesh.

[JRO]

I would't expect an arena to have very good food. Eat before attending the event

[JudiB]

Why wouldn't you expect decent food... no, make that GOOD food, in a city that thrives on it's tourists and is renowned for it's excellent cuisine, in an arena where thousands of tourists go every year?

Thanks for the tip though, JRO. :)

[JRO]

mass production of large quantities of food = not very good food IMO

That brings up how curious I am about 30 people in line at the ATM for Saints games as soon as they walk in the building. I know they just drove past 3 or more on the way

[Jesse]

The mass quantities excuse is bunk IMO, the Jazz Fest packs people in every year, and the food is always good. It can be done by the right people, and it's clear the folks working the dome aren't it and I wonder why that is when there are clearly people in this city who can (and I assume would want to).

[TulaneRebel]

Earlier poster hit it as far as the convention center and airport - Dutch/Marc Morial gave long-term service contracts to his cronies who slop out the worst food and service. Airport bartenders are the worst.

As far as the Superdome, the '08 Dome Foam paired up quite nicely with the not-quite-foot-long hot dog.

[BTG]

Airport bartenders are the worst.



Have you ever had the honor of being served by the old slow lady at the "Oak Bar", or whatever it is called in the Southwest terminal?
That place is horrible.
I had to fly three times in a two month period a few years back and I had to laugh after watching her or the other bartenders run that show? At that time they were not serving any of their draught beers, but instead of putting cups over the taps or putting up a sign saying they were out, it was just deemed a better business practice to wait for people to make up their mind and try to place their beer order, then tell them bottled beer only.

Same little show with their sandwiches. They had a sign out in the terminal that said they served various sandwiches. They also had a sign in the bar that showed all of the sandwiches. Only problem was, they were only doing one or two of the various ones listed.

[Jesse]

I had the pleasure of trying to get a drink from that old woman less than two weeks ago. Nothing has changed. You'd swear I must've asked her to hand blow the bottle, then farm the hops, purify the water, brew the beer, and run it herself through the bottling line. I thought I only asked for an Abita Amber. Ridiculous.

[Gourmondo]

Have you ever had the honor of being served by the old slow lady at the "Oak Bar", or whatever it is called in the Southwest terminal?
That place is horrible.
I had to fly three times in a two month period a few years back and I had to laugh after watching her or the other bartenders run that show? At that time they were not serving any of their draught beers, but instead of putting cups over the taps or putting up a sign saying they were out, it was just deemed a better business practice to wait for people to make up their mind and try to place their beer order, then tell them bottled beer only.

Same little show with their sandwiches. They had a sign out in the terminal that said they served various sandwiches. They also had a sign in the bar that showed all of the sandwiches. Only problem was, they were only doing one or two of the various ones listed.

These are but a few of the reasons I am grateful I don't have to travel for work anymore.

[Schuarta]

Any restaurant, bar, or similar establishment, which doesn't depend upon return visits of its customers for its success, should not be entered with any hope of finding quality in its product or service. Airports, train stations, sports venues, and the like, have little or no intention or ability in developing a relationship with repeat customers. Your stuck with what you get; just hope they at least pass the Board Of Health Codes. :(