Members of the Jr. Nationals Kids Club for children ages 4-12 will be eligible for the free meal at gamesGETTY IMAGES
The Nationals, beginning with Monday's game against the Rockies, will become the first MLB team to offer free meals to children at all home games. Members of the Jr. Nationals Kids Club for children ages 4-12 will be eligible for the meal, which consists of a free hot dog and the choice of apples or chips and soda or water. When a ticket is purchased, parents will receive a voucher for the meal through the Nationals’ mobile app. Nationals Exec VP/Business Operations Jake Burns noted that the voucher can be redeemed for a meal at dedicated stands inside Nationals Park. “Every kid in your family is eligible to receive a meal -- we’re putting a limit of six redemptions per family, per game,” Burns said. He added several redemption stations will be located near the PenFed Kids Zone play area and the family picnic area. The promo is an effort to get more families to attend games. Burns: “There are two primary goals. One, we obviously want to get as many people to the ballpark as possible. Then two, we’re trying to find creative and innovative ways for us to really deliver a family-first environment here at Nationals Park.” The Nationals rank 15th in MLB for attendance, averaging 27,945 fans per game this season through July 17, according to SBD data. That is down 12% from the same date in '18. Burns said the meal special will be examined at the end of this season to determine if it will return in '20. “We’ll evaluate how it does and how it performs. If it's a benefit that our fans' value, we’ll reassess and figure out what we’ll do in the future,” Burns said.
