A Look at the Food Offerings at CFG Bank Arena

CFG Bank Arena, which has been under renovation since March of last year, will host its grand opening on April 7th for the Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert. Oak View Group (OVG), the arena’s developer, hosted a media tour of the renovated arena yesterday and showed off the new food and beverage offerings available at the venue.

The food and beverage lineup includes Shaq’s Big Chicken, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, Koko’s Bavarian, Charm City Classics, Grill Masters Express Market, and The Pizza Bar, as well as local product and service partners spotlighted through OVG’s supplier diversity program.

CFG Bank Arena will use CHEQ’s mobile ordering system to allow guests to order food, drinks, merchandise, and more from their seat using their mobile devices. Guests seated within premium areas can have their orders delivered to them at their seat.

Additionally, strategic partnerships with PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) and TURN Systems have allowed OVG to implement a reusable cup system.

“Each of these world-class partnerships enable us to further enhance our overall guest experience, add more value to the live event experience, while making a positive impact within the community we serve,” said CFG Bank General Manager Frank Remesch in a press release. “It’s been an amazing journey to get to this point, and I am proud CFG Bank Arena will help drive the transformation of a historic area of the city and once again put Baltimore on the map as a major point of destination to experience the best in live entertainment.”

About the vending partners from OVG:  

Big Chicken (Level 3) features Big Flavor, Big Food, and Big Fun, offering their signature M.D.E., a large fried chicken breast on a delicious roll with Shaq sauce and pickles. Or the Uncle Jerome, a large Nashville hot chicken breast on a delicious roll with lettuce, mayo, and pickles. Although Shaq’s Big Chicken is featured at several OVG-owned-and-operated venues nationwide, this marks the national brand’s first foray into Maryland.

Koko’s Bavarian (Level 3) features a taste as big and as bold as Texas. The Austin, TX-based German brewery and beer hall brand offers Bavarian specialties including giant melt-in-your-mouth deep-fried pretzels and signature house-made beer brats. Prost!

Classics and Brew Locations (Levels 3 & 4) offers multiple locations in the arena featuring fast service bars on each side of the arena where guests can grab an ice-cold beer and a tried-and-true hot pretzel or cheesy nacho. These locations will also be home to CFG Bank Arena’s CHEQ Point pick-up locations for mobile ordering.

Charm City Favorites (Level 4) features crowd pleasers such as crispy chicken tenders and fries, jumbo soft Bavarian pretzels with cheese, jumbo all-beef hot dogs served on a locally source baked bun and the crowd-pleasing nachos with Tostitos cheese sauce.

Grill Masters Express Market (Level 1) features freshly prepared mouth-watering hamburgers and hot dogs, and a selection of ice-cold beverages.

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood (Level 4) has been a local favorite since 1974 and continues to proudly serve the local community with iconic culinary creations, unmatched philanthropy, and legendary hospitality. The national destination offers guests seeking a true taste of Charm City, popular dishes from their nationally recognized restaurant, which has been featured multiple on the Food Network. Founded by the late Demetrios “Jimmy” Minadakis, the “Famous” quickly became a Maryland  landmark as a direct result of his unrivaled work ethic. Today, Jimmy’s carries on his vision through his sons, who display the same passion and diligence that he was beloved for.

The Pizza Bar (Level 1) features quick-service grab-and-go for hot delicious slices of artfully prepared pizza or a fresh, crisp classic Caesar salad.

Premium Eats Stands are located on multiple levels of the arena and feature a selection of arena favorites and rotating specialty food items including BBQ Street Fare, Ultimate Wagyu Beef Sliders, Jerk Chicken from the Soul Kitchen, Meatball Sliders from Little Italy, and more. All food items can be enjoyed with locally owned Capital City Mambo Sauce, which will be available throughout the arena.

Beverage Express Markets (Level 1, Level 3, Level 4, General Concessions) offers nine locations in the arena featuring quick service ice cold beverages from CFG Bank Arena partners including Sagamore Spirit and New Belgium Brewing, and fan-favorite sweet and salty snacks.

Bars are located on all five levels of the arena. With various naming partners including Bud Light, Casamigos, Cutwater Spirits, Modelo, and Sagamore Spirit Rye (local), the full bars feature an assortment of hand-crafted specialty cocktails and fan-favorite ice-cold beers. The arena’s West Side Bar features specialty draft cocktails that will be themed based on the show.

About CFG Bank Arena’s diverse supplier partners from OVG:

Capital City (minority-owned / family-owned / locally-owned) will provide Capital City Mambo Sauce as a preferred condiment choice throughout the arena where other condiments are located and will be integrated into a specialty food item in the venue.

Chapels Country Creamery (local / regional) provides specialty cheeses such as Bay Blue, Woodbine, and Cheddar.

Enchanted Cakes (local / regional / small business / women-owned) provides specialty cakes, cookies, and logo items.

Firefly Farms (local / regional) provides specialty cheeses that will be featured across many of the chef inspired dishes.

H&S Bakery Inc. (local / regional) provides high-volume baked goods such as hotdog buns, burger buns, sliced breads, and more.

Mangers Meat Processors (local / regional) provides specialty sausages such as bratwurst, half smokes, Italian, scrapple, and others.

Truly Good Foods (women-owned / small business) provides bulk snack mix and trail mix, dried fruits for cheese boards, and nuts.

Uptown Bakery (local / regional) provides artisanal breads including breakfast pastries, Danish, croissants, baguettes, and more.

Bars

Food Stalls 

Food

Shaq’s Big Chicken

Koko’s Bavarian Soft Pretzels 

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood Crab Cake Egg Rolls 

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood Crab Dip Fries, Fried Shrimp, and Chicken Tenders 

Jerk Chicken from the Soul Kitchen

The Pizza Bar 

BBQ Street Fare

About the Author: Kevin Lynch

Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.