Phillies

Fan Vote: Aramark to Showcase a Banana Ice Cream Sundae and Rib Melt During All-Star Week

By Matt Schultz

Published: Jul 8th, 2026 · 4:45 PM EDT

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After holding a fan vote for a new food to be featured at Citizens Bank Park during All-Star festivities, Aramark announced Wednesday that the results are in: Betsy’s Banana Ice Cream Sundae is the winner and will be available all week.

But there’s more… The contest’s runner-up — the Revolutionary Rib Melt — got so many votes that Aramark decided to make it available too.

That’s the right move, in my opinion. Sell both. Why not? The rules are all made up anyway. And they both look damn good:

Look at this beauty. It’s banana pudding and vanilla soft serve topped with crushed vanilla wafers, peanut brittle, hot fudge, strawberry sauce, a toasted marshmallow cloud, and red, white, and blue sprinkles, all served in an All-Star souvenir cap. Lot going on here. Exciting treat. Nice collectible to take home/wash out/put on a shelf of cool stuff in your home office that’s visible behind you during work Zoom calls. 

The rib melt appears to be a little more straightforward:

Looks like a pretty standard rib melt sandwich. That’s some good ballpark food right there. That’s a good fastball.

This is the first time Aramark has let the people have a say in which foods would appear in the ballpark for All-Star Week, and because the festivities are happening in Philly this year, all the options were Philadelphia/America 250/generally patriotic-themed. Fans got to choose between four possible foods; the sundae and rib melt beat out something called the Liberty Stack and the Declaration Dog. The Declaration Dog was a hot dog, of course. I’m not sure what the Liberty Stack was. Its name does not conjure any specific foods in my mind. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what it was. The Liberty Stack lost, and history is written by the victors…

Aramark is also doing a showcase featuring local chefs from Philly-area restaurants during the festivities. From the press release:

Aramark will showcase Philadelphia’s renowned culinary community at bistro locations inside the ballpark’s premium Cadillac Hall of Fame Club, one of newest enhancements to the Phillies’ ballpark. Throughout the week, fans can enjoy an “All-Star Lineup” of signature food items created by some of the city’s most celebrated chefs and restaurateurs, including Marc Vetri, Middle Child’s Matthew Cahn, Del Rossi’s Nish Patel, and Emmett’s Evan Snyder. The lineup will also feature a creation from Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s own All-Star Executive Chef Iovonnie “Vonnie” Negron and a sweet treat inspired by a Reading Terminal Marketfavorite. The special menu highlights the diverse flavors and local food traditions that make Philadelphia one of America’s premier dining destinations.

The last bit of news Aramark shared is that it’ll be making food from a bunch of different ballparks around the country available in Philly next week:

Aramark’s culinary celebration will also extend beyond the ballpark and throughout Philadelphia. Visitors to the Capital One All-Star Village at the Pennsylvania Convention Center can explore MLB’s “Ballpark Bites” activation, presented by Mastercard, featuring signature menu items from Aramark partner ballparks across Major League Baseball, including:

Uncle Charlie’s Cheesesteak (Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies) – Cooper Sharp American cheese, with or without Onions, Liscio’s seeded roll

New York Deli Pastrami Sandwich (Citi Field, New York Mets) – Hand-carved hot pastrami, deli mustard, rye bread, kosher dill pickle

Birria Grilled Cheese (Oracle Park, San Francisco Giants) – Buttered Texas Toast, braised beef birria, pickled onion slaw, cheddar cheese

Crawford Dog (Daikin Park, Houston Astros) – Two split & griddled all-beef hot dogs, Crawford Bock bacon onion jam, mustard, toasted Martin’s potato roll

Taco Momalona (Coors Field, Colorado Rockies) – Red chili tortilla shell, green cabbage romaine mix, smoked brisket, crispy pork belly, hickory + gold BBQ sauce, Hot Cheeto dust, Pico de Gallo, avocado, crema

Footlong Hot Dog Wellington (Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City Royals) – Prosciutto, mushroom duxelles, puff pastry, chipotle ketchup

Manny’s Pierogies (PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates) – Potato + cheese mini pierogies, BBQ pulled pork, shallot butter, chive + parsley

Fenway Lobster Roll (Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox) – Maine style, chilled lobster, mayo, lemon butter, Luke’s Secret Seasoning, split-top bun

Aramark is doing a bunch of great stuff here, but that’s the most interesting one to me. I’m surprised no one’s thought to do this before — making a bunch of different cities’ favorite ballpark bites available in one place is such a good idea. I’ve never been to Kauffman Stadium, Coors Field, or Daikin Park, and it’s very possible that I never will, but I love the idea of getting to try their fans’ favorite foods anyway. It’s kind of like an Epcot situation, where you can have a bunch of different countries’ foods in one walkable spot, but better because 1) this food would be authentic, 2) it’s all ballpark food, and 3) you don’t have to go to Epcot/immerse yourself in one million strollers and motorized carts to partake. 

My only note, though, is that it’d be cooler if Aramark made these foods available at the actual games themselves rather than only at the Convention Center. Just an idea. Maybe next year.

Anyway, all in all, well done, Aramark. Pumped to eat all this stuff. All-Star Week kicks off Friday, and the All-Star Game itself will be played at the Bank next Tuesday.