Crossing Broad Sports Complex Food Awards: The Results
Last week, we asked you to participate in voting for our Sports Complex Food Awards. The results are in, and you can check them out below. Use them to your advantage.
By the number of responses to the polls, it’s clear that you, like me and Kyle, eat most frequently at Citizens Bank Park (followed by the Wells Fargo Center and the Linc). In every single poll where those three arenas/stadiums were the three options, they finished in the same order. See?
Which stadium or arena has the best overall food and drink selections?
Citizens Bank Park – 87.9%
Wells Fargo Center – 8%
Lincoln Financial Field – 4.2%
Which has the best generic food selection?
CBP – 73.5%
WFC – 19.9%
LFF – 6.5%
Best brand food selections?
CBP – 81.1%
WFC – 13.7%
LFF – 5.2%
Which stadium has the most quality food options quickly accessible?
CBP – 82.7%
WFC – 13.8%
LFF – 3.5%
As you can see, in most cases, it wasn’t even close. And that makes sense. Baseball is more of an eating event than any other sport, and over the course of a 162-game season, CBP undoubtedly sells more food than its counterparts (probably combined).
When it comes to specific foods at each venue, there were quite a few surprises. Let’s start with Citizens Bank Park:
I thought the Schmitter would’ve had this one in the bag. Bull’s BBQ’s near 30% total finally explains the lines. As (semi) expected, the generic stuff landed near the bottom. And everyone agrees Harry The K’s is an overpriced gimmick with a friendly mascot (miss you, HK).
[Editor’s note: Love The Schmitter and Bull’s, but the South Philly Dog is the best thing that has ever happened at Citizens Bank Park. EVER. F you all.]
On to the Wells Fargo Center:
If we based this poll on the food you see people eating there alone, Lorenzo’s would still be an easy number one. The giant-pizza giant snuck the win past the Roast Beef or Roast Pork next to P.J. Whelihan’s, which had a surprisingly impressive showing. [Editor’s note: Yes. Yeeeees. YEEESSSSSSS, my meaty wich. Do your thing. #WheresTheBeef] Butch’s BBQ came in second-to-last, probably because Butch doesn’t look like he’s from here.
And finally, a close showdown at the Linc:
Until the very final second that we tallied the votes, the Food Trucks at Headhouse Plaza held a slim lead in this one. Tony Luke’s squeaked ahead right before the buzzer, but only won by a handful of votes. Pizzeria Vetri and Quick and Carmichael BBQ, the two newbies at the Linc, pulled up the rear. But that could be a longevity thing.
When asked to rate the overall food options at Citizens Bank Park from 1 to 5, a majority (56%) gave it a solid 4. When you add in the votes of 5, the total comes to 74.9%– an overwhelming positive sentiment.
The Wells Fargo Center and the Linc didn’t even come close. At the Linc, 42.2% of voters rated overall food options a 3, and 71% ranted them either a 2 or a 3.
At the Wells Fargo Center, 3 won out again (40%), and the 2-3 vote totaled 66.8%. Neither venue received a vote of more than over 4% for a 5.
The Drink Selection vote was more of the same, with CBP pulling a 4 overall and the Linc and WFC scoring a 3. Again over 70% of voters gave CBP a 4 or a 5, while neither the Linc nor the WFC pulled a percentage higher than 5.5% for a 5 vote.
And now we come to Xfinity Live, where no one gives two shits about Spectrum Grill:
Best area in Xfinity?
Victory Beer Hall – 45.3%
NBC Sports Arena – 16.6%
Bullies Pub – 16.1%
PBR – 12.6%
Spectrum Grill – 9.4%
As for Xfinity’s overall ratings, the drink options question got the most positive response, with 40.4% of you giving it a 4. If you add the 5 votes in there, 60.6% gave the place a 4 or a 5 for drink selection, which really should be how it is, considering how many damn bars they have. The other questions (food quality, overall atmosphere, and wait times) all landed a 3. On food quality, 44.1% of you guys voted for 3, but another 22.7% clicked the button for 4. There as a similar breakdown for overall atmosphere — 31.1% voted 3, while 28.3% voted 4. Where Xfinity is weakest is its wait times. 38% of you gave it a 3 — which is not terrible — but a combined 42.9% voted with a 1 or a 2.