Dean Evason on what to expect from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2025
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason previews upcoming season during media day on Sept. 15, 2025.
Columbus Blue Jackets fans can expect over a dozen new food items at Nationwide Arena this season.New offerings include elevated basics like a croissant-wrapped hot dog and Mediterranean-style nachos.Other new items range from the “61 Stack Burger” to CBJ-themed cream puffs and warm chocolate chip cookies.
It remains to be seen how many wins the Columbus Blue Jackets will serve up this season at Nationwide Arena.
But fans sure won’t go hungry in the literal sense. With more than a dozen new items at stands, carts, suites, clubs and lounges, Executive Chef Sean Barger promises “everything you’d want from concessions food” in 2025-26.
Continuing a long-term trend of chef-driven meals and snacks at the nation’s sports venues, arena chefs said they worked over the five-month off-season to elevate the basics.
You can still get hot dogs and bratwurst off roller grills, nachos with pickled jalapenos and a pump of cheese, peanuts by the bag and popcorn by the box. Now, though, you’ll also have options of hot dogs wrapped in croissant, pita-chip nachos with Mediterranean toppings, and fries with beef brisket and yumyum sauce.
Barger, who oversees arena concessions for Delaware North, said that they’ve “taken things as a base and just added as much as we can without overdoing it.”
Well, maybe overdoing it a little. He described the croissant-wrapped hot dog, which will come in foot-long and 2-foot versions, as “gluttonous and beautiful.”
Here are 13 new items for hockey fans this season.
Croissant Dog
New to the lineup of hot dogs and bratwurst is a footlong, all-beef hot dog, wrapped end to end in flaky croissant dough and topped with everything seasoning. As if that’s not enough, Barger said a two-foot, two-pound croissant-wrapped hot dog is on its way, too. Why?
“Instagram,” he said. They’ll be sold at the Jet’s pizza stand on the lower concourse and the concession stand outside Section 217. Cost: $12.99.
Mediterranean Nachos
Wedges of za’atar-spiced pita bread are topped with shawarma chicken, harissa yogurt, pickled red onion, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, feta and preserved lemon. They’re part of a new Mediterranean menu at the Wild Turkey Hat Trick Bar on the lower concourse. Cost: $13.99.
61 Stack Burger
A smash-burger patty on a buttered bun comes with caramelized onion, white American cheese and a creamy, tangy bistro sauce. The burger named for the number worn by Blue Jackets legend Rick Nash will be available at concession stands and club-level stands. Cost: $13.99, with additional patties for $4.99 each.
Umami Fries
French fries come loaded with braised beef and yumyum sauce and a sprinkling of green onion and sesame seeds. Fans can get them at the Club Grill, at the top of the escalator to the club level. Cost: $10.99.
CBJ vs. East Coast Nachos
An update of last year’s 2-foot box of rotating, opponent-focused nachos will be sold at concessions stands outside Sections 110 and 217. CBJ nachos in one half of the box are blue and red tortilla chips topped with queso, roasted corn, cotija cheese and cilantro. East Coast opponents are represented in the other half with chips, pastrami, queso, lime slaw, tomato and cilantro. Cost: $19.99.
Sloppy No
A vegan sloppy joe starts with kimchi-flavored textured vegetable protein and is served on a gluten-free bun with Asian slaw and shoyu onions. It will be available at the concessions stand outside Section 106. Cost: $12.99. Nationwide Arena also sells plant-based Beyond Burgers (Section 113) and Beyond Bratwurst (Section 206 and club level).
Stix Tacos
The Stix concessions cart on the lower concourse will sell three different tacos, including a new version with poke-style tuna. There also will be chicken tacos and dessert tacos. Cost: $4.99 for tuna, $3.99 for chicken and $3.49 for dessert.
Puck Luck Pretzels
The Fanatic Sportsbook has added fried pretzel bites topped with queso bianco and pico de gallo. Cost: $8.99.
CBJ Cream Puffs
The Schmidt’s Sausage Haus stand in the main concourse has created a Jackets-inspired cream puff in team colors. The filling is strawberry cheesecake, and it’s topped with blue icing sugar. Cost: $7.99.
In the suites
Fans in Nationwide Arena suites have three new menu options this season. The 5th Line Salad ($80) includes field greens, Manchego cheese, Marcona almonds, strawberries and a blueberry vinaigrette. Smoked turkey sandwiches ($105) come with cheddar, baby spinach, red onion and barbecue mayonnaise on ciabatta bread. Dessert nachos ($75) are a platter of cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips, blueberries, strawberries and banana drizzled with chocolate sauce.
Warm chocolate chip cookies
They’re coming fresh out of the oven at arena concessions stands this year. Cost: $4.99.
Dining reporter Bob Vitale can be reached at rvitale@dispatch.com or at @dispatchdining on the Instagram social platform.