Despite "making room for and welcoming smaller minority-owned, local restaurateurs," U.S. Bank Stadium concessionaire Aramark "didn’t pay them until last week, three months after the building opened," according to Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Aramark Senior Dir of Corporate Communications Dave Freireich said that the local vendors who are selling food in suites, stands and kiosks throughout the building "were paid late last week or will be paid this week." He "faulted a 'clerical' error for the failure to pay the vendors and declined to elaborate on what the problem was." Freireich also "declined to say how much money and how many vendors were involved." Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen called the situation “not acceptable," noting this is "not how we treat our Minnesota food partners." She said that it "won’t happen again" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/2). In Minneapolis, Mecca Bos noted some stadium vendors are "reluctant to go on record" for fear of "never seeing any payment at all." Jon Farnsworth, an attorney representing two vendors, said that "neither of his clients has been paid any of the monthly royalties checks they are owed." He said that he has been "contacting Aramark on behalf of his clients since October 20 and has received 'no follow-up.'" He "can’t tell if this is an issue of 'corporate ineptitude,' or indicates that Aramark is in some sort of financial trouble." One of the clients said that they "have not even been provided with profit and loss statements by Aramark, so they can't even determine how much money they're owed" (CITYPAGES.com, 11/1).
