Springfield Cardinals rolling out food items for distinctive fan experience

The Springfield Cardinals opened the ballpark’s first-ever themed concession on July 4 weekend with Louie’s Route 66 Grill, located on the third-base side of Route 66 Stadium.

There, fans can purchase grilled items like the Smokehouse Dog, a quarter-pound Nathan’s Famous Inc. brand hot dog topped with beef brisket, crispy onions and barbecue sauce, which costs $15.99.

Also available is a bratwurst option, featuring a bacon and pepper jack brat from local butcher shop Horrmann Meats. It is topped with grilled onions and brown mustard.

“You can customize it however you want,” said Lori Brinker, general manager for stadium concessionaire Delaware North America LLC. “We have other toppings available at the grill. We have jalapenos, pineapple salsa, shredded cheese – you can make it yourself; you don’t have to stick with our recommendation.”

A variety of sauces is on hand for further customization.

Asked what is emerging as the favorite dish at Route 66 Stadium, Brinker said the Smokehouse Dog is the fan favorite.

“Everybody likes the fact that we brought in the all-beef Nathan’s hot dog. That speaks for itself,” she said.

Steve Granado, public relations and digital marketing manager for the Springfield Cardinals, said the Cardinals have been rolling out a soft launch of new food items throughout the summer.

“The idea with the grill was, you know, we wanted people to smell something good, so that was where it started – you hear the sizzle, see the smoke. It’s kind of hard to miss,” he said.

One new item, the Cleanup Hitter, is presented in a full-sized Springfield Cardinals batting helmet, and it offers fans a chance to customize the contents. They can choose from three bases – tortilla chips, fries or macaroni and cheese – or a combination. To that is added chicken, either as chopped-up tenders or pulled, and nacho cheese, with three sauce options: ranch, barbecue or spicy mayonnaise.

Granado said the Cleanup Hitter is $28, but it includes enough food to feed a family. A single serving is also available for just under $14.

Also new is a drink called Caramel Frost Route Beer, containing root beer, a caramel drizzle, vanilla creamer and whipped cream.

Popular items introduced prior to this season are also making a return, among them the Cheesy Chicken Mac Stack, a sandwich composed of chicken tenders, mac and cheese, French fries, ranch dressing and pickles.

Ice cream nachos are also back, which Granado said have waffle chips, ice cream and choice of sauce, with the addition this year of apple pie nachos – fried tortilla chips with cinnamon sugar, apple pie topping, whipped cream and caramel.

Granado said concessions are a big part of the fan experience.

“While we obviously pride ourselves on the Cardinal Nation, we know that not everybody’s going to come for the baseball,” he said. “This year we’re taking a more concerted effort to try to offer a different experience to get people into the ballpark.”

Baseball fans are easy to get in the gate, according to Granado, but the goal is to ensure that a visit to Route 66 Stadium offers something for everyone.

“We know that we have the baseball clientele, but we also know that people are going to come specifically for the food and the experience, and we want to provide that for everybody,” he said.

He said a continuing goal is to create something fans can experience only at Route 66 Stadium.

“We want to create something specific for our ballpark that you can only get here,” he said.

Route 66-themed concepts are in the works, Granado said.

Brinker agreed, noting Route 66 covers a lot of ground, making fun possibilities to lean into the new identity, adopted for this season.

“We’d like to include different things from the full route – but that’s probably in the future,” she said.