The Predators have delivered to the Nashville Sports Authority a plan to “give a whopping new" concessions contract to Delaware North, according to Phil Williams of WTVF-CBS. The Predators insist that the deal at the city-owned Bridgestone Arena "would be good for Metro taxpayers.” The proposed contract “takes what was essentially a no-bid contract and potentially extends it to the middle of this century.” The original contract with Delaware North “was supposed to run for 10 years with options to potentially extend it -- for the right price -- to 2026.” But a “later amendment pushed that date to 2033.” Now, the proposed new contract "could give the business" to the company through '43. Predators President & COO Sean Henry “first presented the proposal last month to the Nashville Sports Authority, portraying it as a way to sweeten the current concessions deal, getting high-tech cash registers and other improvements at no cost to the city.” Delaware North is owned by Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs, and a Sports Authority member “questioned whether the Predators can or should continue giving such deals to an NHL insider -- without seeing if taxpayers could do better.” The concession contract “has a window coming up in two years, where the city and the Predators could renegotiate the whole deal." But Henry said that “he had already checked with potential competitors -- and it wouldn’t really be worth the effort.” However, Centerplate and Aramark, “Delaware North’s biggest competitors,” released statements suggesting that they were “never called” (NEWSCHANNEL5.com, 8/22).
