Italian Bistro

Every stadium across America in the early 1980s contained the same fare: hotdogs, popcorn, candy and beer. When the Carrier Dome opened in 1980, its concessions were no different; except it didn't just have the hotdog, it had the Dome Dog. Each concession stand in the building was installed with small boilers to cook the famous Dome Dogs.

About five years ago, grills replaced the boilers, as the Dome began selling Hofmann German Franks. Confusion arises because the frank is still known around Syracuse as the Dome Dog. Yet, the Dome Dog is now a Hofmann German Frank.

"If you haven't had a Dome Dog in five or six years, you should probably try one," Craig Maffiore, senior concessions manager at the Carrier Dome, said. "It is a lot different than it was in the early 1980s."

The story behind the Dome Dog is a little-known secret that a fan visiting the concessions at the Carrier Dome might not know. Another secret is the extended food selection located behind the blue curtain on the opposite side of the basketball court. Fans may also not know about the quarter of a million dollars that non-profit groups earned working the concession stands last year. Although the Dome is not packed with fans on a non-event day, it is still a busy as a beehive. Mark Tewksbury, assistant director of concession and catering services, Maffiore and the rest of the Dome employees work throughout the week in preparation for a three-hour basketball game.

The Dome concessions have expanded the selection beyond the boiled hot dogs of the early 1980s. For some different food choices and shorter lines, fans should take a walk behind the blue curtain. One stand fans should not miss is the Italian Bistro, located at aisle 126. For 18 years, this stand has served everything from lasagna to Italian mixed vegetables and meatball subs. Its location on the other side of the Dome is due to necessity - with its hot food, the stand needs to be near the kitchen.

Over at aisle 121, fans can find whoppers and fries at the Burger King stand. Further down at aisle 118 is the most requested item at the Dome: the barbecue pulled pork sandwich. Found at the Brew and Barbecue stand, the sandwich contains a delicious barbecue sauce. Fans can wash the pulled pork or the barbecue chicken swiss sandwiches down with a microbrew or import beer.

To avoid long lines, the Dome concessions offer a select number of food items at each stand. "It's a speed of service thing," Tewksbury said. ?If we give fans too many choices at one location, it takes too long to fill an order."

Fans usually only get in line for food before the game or at intermission. So, the Dome has to gear up for a lot of people in a short period of time, and there is a labor cost and a group payment that goes into setting the prices. Also, keep in mind that the cost of nachos or any other type of food includes a seven percent sales tax. Stores add the tax at the register.

"When you are looking at our prices, you have to look at other stadiums," Maffiore said. "Our prices compare very favorably to every stadium in the state. If you go out of the area, the prices are much higher."

The price of food at a concession stand is often compared to a fast food restaurant, which is not a fair comparison. Fast food restaurants are open seven days a week, 12 to 24 hours a day, while a stadium is open only once or twice a week, for a three-hour time span. During that three-hour period, most people want to eat in a half-hour time frame. The short selling period drives up food prices at any stadium.

While purchasing from a concession stand, a fan may not realize that a teacher, lawyer, parent or student is selling the food. At a football game, Dome concessions employ more than 550 workers. Half of those workers are members of non-profit groups, which get a percentage of the sales. Charitable groups from around the area will run a concession stand on event day, providing labor and receiving a portion of the concession?s sales. Last year, area non-profit groups earned $250,000 by working at the concession stands. One non-profit group, Eastwood Rotary, started working for concessions when the basketball games were still played at Manley Field House. A core of the same people from Eastwood still work every football and basketball game at the Dome.

The other half of the employees are students or temporary help. The Dome offers a Student Management Program in three departments: concessions, novelties and catering. University students who need a part-time job can work at a concession stand on event day. They also have the opportunity of moving up the ladder. Tewksbury, Maffiore and his wife Lisa, who is assistant director of catering operations, all were a part of the program as students. Craig and Lisa Maffiore even met while working at the Dome.

Instead of rushing to the Dome and finding their seat right at tip-off, fans might want to arrive when the gates open 60 minutes prior to tipoff to take a walk behind the blue curtain for an extended food selection. Or start up a conversation with the people working at the concession stand, or grab old reliable - the Dome Dog.