Royals’ Diamond Club renovation adds value for fans
Major renovations to the Diamond Club inside Kauffman Stadium along with several new menu options will be shown off at the Kansas City Royals’ 2017 home opener against the Oakland Athletics on Monday.
Fans who have purchased memberships to the Royals’ premium seating area should be thrilled with the Diamond club renovation that took place over the off-season. If the improved aesthetics and function of the space don’t impress, the new dining options should.
Just across the concourse hall from the also newly-renovated Majestic Team Store, the Diamond Club has expanded. Fans familiar with Kauffman will immediately notice that the Royals Authentics Store and the 50/50 raffle office have moved across the hall to make space for the new mixed drinks bar at either end of the Diamond Club. That will be available for all fans, as will some of the new concession items.
Among those new concession items are the Sunrise Dog, a hot dog with bacon, cheddar cheese, white sausage gravy and a fried egg. Fans of gourmet dogs can also enjoy the Cuban dog, which has all the classic toppings of a Cuban sandwich. There’s also the pork patty melt, the chicken bacon smoke stack, two new salad options and a burnt end chili burger made with brisket from the local KC Steak Company.
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Aramark Executive Chef James Mehne said that part of his focus in the menu overhaul during the off-season was incorporating as many local ingredients as possible.
“We’re using farm-to-market breads from right here in Kansas City,” Mehne explained. “We are using local flour in the bakery. We have partnered with C&C Produce to get a lot of our fresh produce on a daily basis. We want to support the local community and highlight what Kansas City has to offer.”
There are a couple of new eateries that feature storefronts on both the Diamond Club and concourse side, The Pub and KC Baking Company. The Pub will feature options like short rib cheese curds and street tacos. In addition to its house-made cinnamon rolls, KC Baking Company will try to wow fans with made-to-order ice cream with a plethora of topping and/or mix-in options.
Fans who pay the premium price to watch Royals games from the Diamond Club will be able to take advantage of other dining options not available to other ticket holders. That includes a rotisserie serving items like truffled mac and cheese and a pulled lemon garlic chicken sandwich.
If all Aramark and the Royals did was revamp their concessions, that might have been sufficient to impress some fans. Both parties wanted to renovate the physical space in the Diamond Club as well, and that started with partnering with the Kansas City branch of the design firm Populous. Adam Stover was a big part of that project for Populous.
“We have had a long-standing relationship with the Royals, and they determined that the Diamond Club was an area that could use some improvements,” Stover said. “The end goal was to make it a top-tier destination for the ballpark. The Royals are very good at looking at the long-term feasibility of their facility. We have spent a lot of time looking at analytics to see what fans want and to anticipate what changes could happen in the future.”
Upon entering the Diamond Club, fans will immediately notice the unobstructed view of the field from anywhere in the facility. Another new amenity that immediately draws attention is 112 theater-style seats with countertop space between and access to power via personal USB ports in each seat.
“These seats have all the bells and whistles,” Stover elaborated. “They are behind home plate, in the middle of the club and allow for a new seating environment. Instead of being out front and coming in to enjoy the experience or get away from inclement weather, there’s a new option for members. Fans used to look at the back side of a bar when they walked in but now the space has been opened up and you get that grand moment of taking in the field when you walk in.”
For Aramark and the Royals, this renovation was all about adding value for Diamond Club members and the never-ending quest to make sure Kauffman remains a first-class facility. Part of the team responsible for managing that undertaking is Aramark General Manager Troy McKenna. McKenna talked about the feedback that Diamond Club members who took part in a preview gave him.
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“This is exactly what we envisioned months ago,” McKenna stated. “This space is amazing. The ticket holders who came in for the preview were blown away, not only with the space but the seating. The members are very pleased that this was done especially for them.”
Just six games into the 2017 season, how successful the on-field product at Kauffman Stadium will be is still to be determined. Aramark, Populous and the Royals have endeavored to create a destination for fans in Kauffman’s Diamond Club, and that might be enough to draw crowds even if the on-field product isn’t as good as the beer battered fish and chips at The Pub.