The Kansas City Royals are revamping the Diamond Club at Kauffman Stadium and will offer new seating products and food options.
Populous designed the upgrades for the club, an indoor space totaling 16,600 square feet that’s one of two clubs behind home plate. The new floor plan replaces old tables and chairs with seven rows of 112 padded “MVP” theater-style seats and 26 tables with four seats apiece.
On average, both seating products sell for about $150 a person per game as a full season ticket. All tickets include $20 in stored value to buy food and drink in the Diamond Club. The MVP seats have shared counter space and USB ports to charge mobile devices.
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Rows of padded theater-style seats are among the new features of the club space.
Rendering: KANSAS CITY ROYALS
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One month before the regular season, the Royals have sold about 80 percent of the new inventory, said Mike Bucek, the team’s vice president of marketing and business development.
The bar that stood in the middle of the room took up too much valuable space and has been relocated to the back of the club, said Kevin Uhlich, the Royals’ senior vice president of business operations.
Ballpark concessionaire Aramark, which operates the Diamond Club, is introducing new food concepts situated behind the seats, including a new cinnamon roll as a signature product. It’s available at the KC Baking Company stand, along with hand-scooped ice cream.
The Rotisserie, featuring hand-carved beef, pork and chicken sandwiches, and the Pub, serving hot dogs and pizza, are also new stands. Aramark installed a new Appetize tablet-based point-of-sale system for the food stands, and with the exception of the Rotisserie, the locations are accessible to fans on the main concourse as well as the Diamond Club, Bucek said.
In addition, a new 16-foot-wide rolling glass door fronts the first row of the MVP seats, replacing an old fixed glass door. A new paint job in the Diamond Club brightens the space considerably, Uhlich said.
As part of the renovations, the old Royals Authentics retail stand has been moved across the concourse, he said.
The Diamond Club originally was remodeled during the $250 million stadium renovation completed in 2009. Five years ago, some subsequent improvements included a new outdoor bar.
The Crown Club, the premium space directly behind home plate, has new carpeting and the table setup has been reconfigured, Uhlich said. Those upgrades are part of the $2.5 million project cost, he said.
