ST. LOUIS — With the St. Louis Cardinals home opener just a week away, here are the new things you can expect at Busch Stadium.
The 703 Club at Busch Stadium is nearing completion, costing approximately $2.5 million, according to Bill DeWitt, president of the St. Louis Cardinals.
“It’s a big project for us,” he said. “We spend a lot every year to keep Busch Stadium up to date.”
Fans will recognize the name represents former Cardinals player Albert Pujols’ number of career home runs. The new club is located in left field on Level 2, formerly known as the Budweiser Bowtie Bar & Left Field Porch.
“We’re really excited about the new club,” DeWitt said. “It’s a little different product offering than we have at our other clubs, but the newness and excitement is, I think, fans are really going to respond (to).”
The new club is indoor, climate-controlled and has great views of the field and Ballpark Village. Guests will experience premium service, a full-service bar, an open kitchen for stone-fired pizzas and fresh pastas, a variety of other food and dessert stations and more.
Outside, guests will have a dedicated seat. The outdoor seats are made with new mesh material to keep people cool on a hot day while providing comfort, according to DeWitt.
“We’re always trying to be on the front edge,” he said. “We’d love for opening day to be something for people to experiment and see what else is new.”
Tickets are all-inclusive.
“The whole experience is different and unique,” DeWitt said. “It should be something that people love.”
The brand new, huge 703 Club also will be available for private events.
“If you haven’t been to all the clubs at Busch Stadium, you should make a point to do each one at least once because there are different levels of service, and this one is right up there at the top, probably just behind the Cardinals Club,” DeWitt said.
The 703 Club is sponsored by Budweiser.
For more information, click here.
Have you ever eaten a hot dog with sunny-side-up fried eggs on top? Now you can, as that is one of the many new food items at Busch Stadium.
“There’s something for everyone,” said Vicki Bryant, vice president of event services and merchandising. “Before the season’s over, we’re already thinking about what items are we going to serve next year.”
Bryant said the culinary team developed a great variety of items, and listed below are the “best of the best.”
- Big Chicken will have freshly prepared, hand-dipped chicken tenders with Big Chicken seasoning. This will be available near sections 135 and 458.
- Supreme nacho fries will be available near sections 101, 169, 233, 266 and 450. The fries are topped with nacho cheese, taco meant, salsa, jalapenos and sour cream.
- The Slinger Dog is a one-third pound, all-beef hot dog topped with freshly made hash browns, taco meat, and two sunny-side-up fried eggs. Customers will have a variety of fresh cold and hot toppings to add. Guests can enjoy the Slinger Dog at the Top Dog portable near section 132.
- Freddy’s new chicken bacon and Swiss sandwich features a grilled chicken breast topped with Swiss cheese, bacon and pickles served on a fresh bun. Guests can enjoy the sandwich at Freddy’s Steakburgers near section 432.
- A frozen custard and waffle nacho sundae called the “Wacho!” includes waffle chips topped with two scoops of house-made frozen custard, chocolate and strawberry sauce, crushed Oreos, whipped cream and a cherry. Guests can find this treat at Dingers and Donuts near section 151.
- The Triple Play BBQ Box features a half-pound, house-smoked brisket, turkey and pulled-pork topped with barbecue seasoning and barbecue sauce. It is served with freshly baked corn bread loafs, potato salad and jalapeno garnish. Guests can purchase the box at Broadway BBQ near section 109.
- New vending machines will offer fresh salads and sandwiches from Farmer’s Fridge. Guests can find these at Schnucks Grab N Go Market near Section 158 and inside the Redbird Club.
Bryant said the stadium also has expanded its self-serve units, which have been “a tremendous improvement in our waiting line time."
She added that opening day is her favorite day, watching fans enjoy the food.
“Watching the joy on people’s faces is something that I look forward to every year and I can’t wait for this year,” Bryant said.
“We all make hotdogs at home, (but) they never taste like they do here at the ballpark. Everybody’s got to have their ballpark dog, and get their nachos and get a good, cold beer.”
To learn more about concessions and food guides, head to the MLB Ballpark app.
FarmTruk, a locally owned and operated, farm-to-table food truck will be a new vendor at Busch Stadium. It is known for its scratch-made comfort food, using locally sourced ingredients.
The menu at Busch Stadium includes FarmTruk’s spin on the traditional Reuben, brisket mac-n-cheese, jalapeno popper sliders with smoked confit pork belly, and a variety of seasonally rotated Gooey Butter Cakes.
“We’re very excited to show our comfort food (and) local flair,” said Samantha Mitchell, founder and CEO of FarmTruk, which is a certified woman-owned business.
FarmTruk is no stranger to large crowds as there are locations at the Enterprise Center, Citypark and take part in farmers' markets and food truck events.
“We are committed to providing Cardinals fans with an exceptional dining experience that celebrates the best of St. Louis cuisine,” Mitchell said.
Guests can find FarmTruk in section 428 on the Budweiser terrace.
For more information about FarmTruk, click here.
From Skee-ball, prize machine games, to cotton candy and more, a new children’s arcade is ready for guests.
Renovations have been made to the Family Pavilion, which transformed the virtual reality area into an arcade, according to Nate Green, senior director of hospitality.
"The use for it before only allowed for one or two kids to do something at a time,” Green said. “So, this allows many more kids to come in and enjoy themselves."
The arcade includes two Skee-ball machines, a Hurricane machine game, two car racing games where players can race against each other, multiple crane machines where guests can win prizes and a cotton candy machine with a variety of flavors.
"There are games for everybody,” Green said. “We’ve been working on this really for almost two years, getting all the plans in place and this off season, doing the work that was needed.”
The Family Pavilion also features multiple play areas, a speed pitch game, a virtual reality game, and children’s concessions.
“It’ll be nice when we hit opening day and every day after that, seeing the kids come down here and the families come down here and enjoy themselves,” Green said.