When the puck drops this fall, fans at Grand Casino Arena will be tasting a different side of hockey culture. The arena on Wednesday unveiled a 2025-26 concessions menu that pairs traditional game-day staples with regional ingredients, plant-based alternatives and faster service options intended to shorten lines and lift per-capita spending.

“Our goal was to make concessions part of the experience, not an afterthought,” said Mark Reynolds, general manager of the arena. “By working with local producers and chefs we’ve added distinct Minnesota flavors—plus options for people who don’t eat meat—and invested in technology that gets food into fans’ hands faster.”

Key items include a Lake Walleye sandwich with wild rice slaw, a barbecue-smoked brat topped with maple-bacon kraut, a plant-based “Bleacher Burger” developed with a Twin Cities chef, and a portable wild rice-and-berry bowl inspired by regional Indigenous cuisine and created in consultation with local tribal cooks. Reynolds said the arena also struck agreements with several Minnesota breweries and a local coffee roaster for poured beverages in compostable cups.

The changes are part culinary and part commercial. Concessions remain one of the most reliable revenue streams for arenas nationwide, and operators are responding to inflationary pressure on wages and ingredients by seeking higher-margin, higher-priced items that justify longer lines and premium tickets. “We expect per-fan food spend to rise this season,” Reynolds said, adding the arena projects a mid-teens percentage increase in concession receipts driven by new product mix and expanded beverage offerings.

Technology upgrades accompany the menu overhaul. A newly launched mobile ordering app will allow fans to pick up prepared items at express windows or have orders delivered to their seats on certain nights. Contactless payment, digital-only limited-time items and dynamic pricing during peak periods reflect an industrywide push to reduce congestion and increase convenience.

Not everyone cheered the news. “I like the new flavors, but I’m watching prices,” said Emma Johnson, 28, who drove from St. Paul to see the unveiling. “If a burger is $18, it changes who can afford a full night out at the rink.” The pricing debate underscores a broader social issue: stadium food can be both a revenue engine and an access barrier for lower-income families who make attending games an occasional treat.

Cultural resonance was also central to the menu choices. Arena representatives said the wild rice bowl and other items were developed with input from Indigenous cooks to honor regional culinary traditions while keeping portions and prices approachable. “Food tells a story,” said Chef Ana Morales, who consulted on the plant-based line. “When a venue celebrates local ingredients it connects the event to the community in a meaningful way.”

Sustainability efforts—compostable packaging, reduced single-use plastics and partnerships with local food banks to donate unsold prepared foods—round out the arena’s pitch. As live-sports operators compete for attention in an era of streaming and home comfort, arenas are betting that distinctive food offerings and smoother service can deliver both economic returns and deeper community ties. How fans respond this season will be as telling as any scoreboard.