The Arizona Diamondbacks and Budweiser are converting a restaurant next to Chase Field into the Game Seven Grill, themed after the team’s 2001 World Series title.
The Diamondbacks, beer sponsor Budweiser and Levy Restaurants, the team’s food provider, are sharing the $1 million to $2 million cost to retheme the former Sliders American Grill in a 20,000-square-foot building outside the park’s main gate, club President and CEO Derrick Hall said. The Diamondbacks manage the building for Maricopa County, the property owner.
Together, the three parties are putting a fresh look and a new name on the eatery, which can seat 450 diners. Levy, the restaurant’s operator, is replacing an old pizza kitchen with a new 1,850-pound smoker tied to a menu heavy on St. Louis-style ribs and barbecue pork, brisket and chicken platters.
It will be operating for the first of two preseason games March 29 against Cincinnati.
An early version of the menu lists Bud-battered onion rings and American Ale barbecue and cheese sauces, a few examples of how Anheuser-Busch plans to integrate its beer flavors into the dishes consumed by Diamondbacks fans.
The menu is still in development, but, in general, plates of barbecue and fries should cost $7 to $10, Hall said.
In addition, Budweiser’s brand will be prominently displayed inside and outside the restaurant. As part of its marketing platform with the team, the brewer will work with the Diamondbacks to book live music on a stage set up on the plaza in front of the establishment, Hall said.
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A rendering shows the Game Seven Grill, which is to open later this month just outside the main gate of Chase Field.
Photo: PGAV DESTINATIONS
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Game Seven Grill’s decor will showcase game-used jerseys, programs, tickets and game balls from Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, in which the Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees.
Game Seven Grill will be open only on game days. In the future, its hours could be extended for lunch or dinner on non-game days, Hall said.
The rebranding was driven by the need to make a change after the Sliders concept ran its course after 10 seasons, he said. The old restaurant was run by a third party renting the space from the Diamondbacks with no involvement from the team or Levy.
The Diamondbacks went to Budweiser for help to redevelop the space, Hall said. In turn, Budweiser hired PGAV Destinations, a local design firm that has done work for the brewer, to redecorate the restaurant.
Bluemedia, another local company and the producer of stadium graphics for the 2011 All-Star Game at Chase Field, was also involved in developing the grill’s internal design.
In Greater Phoenix, Game Seven Grill serves as a connection to the Budweiser Bowtie Bar, a new feature at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the spring training facility the Diamondbacks share with the Colorado Rockies in Scottsdale, Hall said.
