Another gutbuster is making its way to an MLB ballpark this season: The Arizona Diamondbacks will be selling the $25 D-Bat Dog, a deep-fried 18-inch corn dog delight.
The Diamondbacks were already pushing the envelope in terms of high-calorie dogs at Chase Field, but the D-Bat Dog is just on this side of acceptable of gluttony: the deep-fried corn dog is stuffed with jalapenos, bacon and cheddar cheese. If that wasn’t enough, it comes with a side of fries. For a single person, it’s definitely excessive; for a couple, it’s actually not a bad deal.
“This is really about providing our fans with new options each year, and in the case of some of our larger items, it’s really about sharing with the family,” team president and CEO Derrick Hall told ESPN. “We don’t have any expectations for the D-Bat, but we’ll look forward to seeing if it becomes popular with our fans. Every night for us is a successful night because we offer the most affordable food prices in all of baseball.”
Items like this are great on two levels. First, they actually can generate some revenue: The Texas Rangers reportedly sold 20,000 $26 Boomstick hot dog last season, generating more than a half-million dollars in concessions sales, and we’re guessing the Diamondbacks would be thrilled with a deep-fried corn dog generating a half-million in new sales.
But the bigger reason the D-Bat Dog is already a success: it’s generating good publicity for the Diamondbacks. You can bet every local news outlet has written about the introduction of a $25 corn dog at Chase Field this season, and coverage in national press is just icing on the cake. Most leading minor-league and summer-collegiate teams knows the power of introducing unusual — yet tasty — items on an annual basis; it’s now trickled up to the MLB level.
—-
Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.
Are you a subscriber to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!
Follow Ballpark Digest on Google + and add us to your circles!