Aramark will add points of sales and concession stands at Minute Maid Park for the Astros' second World Series trip in three years. Along with 15 more food and beverage stands and 45 additional points of sales, Aramark will add six new food items beginning with tonight's Game 1 against the Nationals that reflect the culinary tastes of the Astros' fanbase. "We ran the numbers from the Astros' 2017 World Series run, saw what sold and what didn't, and the new food items are (a) little more Tex-Mex," said Jimmy Coatsworth, Aramark Exec Chef at Minute Maid Park. One notable item, the "Walk-Off Nachos," was inspired by Astros 2B Jose Altuve's walk-off home run in Saturday's Game 6 of the ALCS. The nachos feature multiple fried orange tortillas, stacked and layered with charro beans, ranchero salsa, crema, pico de gallo, fresh jalapenos, cilantro and a choice of carne asada (beef), pork carnitas or fajita chicken.
CUMULATIVE EFFORT: The World Series menu is driven by Minute Maid Park's five chefs and takes into account feedback from Astros fans, Coatsworth said. "We get a lot of fan feedback and we have a great partnership with the Astros and we work with Aramark headquarters, and then all the chefs gather around the table eat some food, have some drinks, and talk up some crazy stuff that we can make up." When developing a new menu item, Coatsworth said that he and Minute Maid's chefs also think about delivering quality food items at scale. "You have to think about the simplicity of building an item for fast service but also trying to keep it restaurant-quality in a concession stand," Coatsworth noted. "From the orders coming in, to how we're going to prep it, fire it off, execute it in the stands and minimize the waste, is huge." If the World Series returns to Houston for Game 6 next week, Aramark will be prepared to supply the ballpark at the same levels, said P.J. Saidler, the concessionaire's GM at Minute Maid Park. Aramark has also brought in additional employees from the Texans' NRG Stadium to help with staffing levels.
