PITTSBURGH — PNC Park is already buzzing ahead of Friday’s home opener against the Baltimore Orioles as the team gets set to introduce improvements and new food options for fans.
Among the headliners at concession stands this year are chipped ham fries covered in the classic Pittsburgh staple and the Heavy Hitter Dog, a foot-long corn dog covered in mustard and pico de gallo.
From bursts of creativity to fan feedback to Pittsburgh influences, PNC Park executive chef Gabor Kovats gets his ballpark food inspiration everywhere.
“I remember when I came up with the foot-long corn dog,” said Kovats. “I woke up on a Monday morning like, ‘we should do this.’”
Those flashes of inspiration are in this year’s food additions, including the Boricua Dog, a Puerto Rican-inspired hot dog that Kovats describes as a tribute to Roberto Clemente. Concession stands will also offer a cold pierogi salad, empanadas, kettle nachos topped with kielbasa and Nutella beignets.
“It’s always a weird but great feeling to see fans eat the food that was just a concept a couple months ago,” Kovats said. “That was all in your head, and then they’re actually enjoying it. For every chef, it’s a great feeling.”
The Pirates also want food in fans’ hands and stomachs faster this season with grab-and-go service. It’s opposed to the more traditional experience of waiting in line to order, then waiting for food.
Fans will notice the pass-through design, getting in line to grab their own food and heading for checkout.
Pirates president Travis Williams said the team was looking for ways to make service faster as the game speeds up.
“The pitch clock has certainly impacted the speed of the game,” Williams said. “We want to be able to make sure that fans are able to get those items, still enjoy them, but get back to the seats and not miss any of the action.”
Fans will notice changes outside the park, too.
Bucco Bricks, once embedded in the sidewalks outside PNC Park, now hang as bronze plaques on the park’s external walls. The bricks, filled with names and messages from generations of fans, were at the center of controversy last year when the team got rid of them without notice to fans.
Now, more than 10,000 messages hang on 60 bronze panels permanently. Fans can scan QR codes to help them find a particular square.
“We worked with Janet Marie-Smith and the Canopy Group to identify, how can we display them in a way that is more sustainable, longer-term, and gives people the opportunity to interact with them a little bit more? Putting them vertically on bronze plaques affixed to the building along General Robinson and Mazeroski Way gives us that opportunity,” Williams said. We know these were really important to the fans. They’re really important to us to preserve those, and I’m glad we were able to find a place like the bronze plaques affixed to the ballpark.”
The biggest change outside PNC Park is the Plaza at North Shore, an outdoor gathering spot complete with its own big screen and restaurant. The Pirates will utilize the space as a gameday gathering spot, much like Federal Street, but it’s expected to be a host site for much more.
Channel 11 saw crews working on the space on Tuesday afternoon. Williams said it will be ready for Friday’s home opener, as well as the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
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