Menu Items Unveiled for College Basketball’s Big Event at Lucas Oil Stadium

Centerplate’s approach features local flavors, a fully cashless experience and other enhanced safety protocols

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., March 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centerplate, a Sodexo company and the leading hospitality partner to North America’s premier sports entertainment venues, today announced an array of specialty menu options and enhanced safety protocols for Lucas Oil Stadium.  

 

Centerplate – the exclusive catering partner to Lucas Oil Stadium and a Sodexo company – is known for serving creative and exciting menu items at the world-class venue and hundreds of other leading entertainment destinations around North America. In Indianapolis specifically, it is a program rooted in traditional Heartland dishes and Hoosier hospitality, and is regularly ranked #1 in Stadium Journey’s “Best Stadium Experience” annual list.

 

This is the third time the Centerplate team has hosted the championship event at Lucas Oil Stadium, including 2010 and 2015. This year’s iteration is one-of-a-kind though, as the team will host 15 games over 8 event days, with hundreds of employees stepping up the occasion.

 

"The top priority will be the health and safety of fans, players and our staff,” said Steve Pangburn, CEO, Centerplate / Sodexo Sports & Leisure. “Our heightened protocols are in place to help everyone feel confident, safe and comfortable, and our menu items have also been dialed up a notch to meet the moment of one of the most exciting sporting events that our industry has to offer.”

 

Among the specific changes to the food and beverage program in-venue:

 

• 100% cashless points of sale to reduce contact; fans who don’t have credit cards can exchange cash for gift cards to use on gameday
• Individually packaged flatware
• Portion-controlled condiments
• Transitioned foodservice to individual packaging and closed containers
• Gloves and masks required for all food-service employees
• Social distance markings to encourage and promote distancing guidelines in common areas
• The Rise with Sodexo program is the company’s systematic approach to embracing this new world and adapting to new safety environment