Wake Forest Univ. on Friday announced that it is "switching food-service vendors at its major athletics venues," moving from Aramark to Ovations Food Services "in time for the 2013-14 basketball season at Joel Coliseum," according to Richard Craver of the WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL. Ovations "begins operating Deacon Tower Grille on Sept. 4," and "takes over concessions at BB&T Field" starting with the '14 season." Centerplate will "provide concessions at BB&T Field for the 2013 season." It also will "handle concessions for the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament, while Ovations provides catering." Wake Forest Associate AD/Media Relations Steve Shutt said that the school "chose Ovations as part of its decision to place concessions and catering for its major athletics venues with one group." Shutt added that the choice of Ovations was "timed in part with Wake Forest’s pending purchase of the coliseum." Winston-Salem City Manager Lee Garrity said that the city's contract with Aramark "expired June 30," and added that the city "extended its Aramark contract through the end of the year at Bowman Gray Stadium" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 7/27).
