Inside the PGA Championship's all-inclusive food production
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Country sausage with cheddar is one of the options available with a Championship+ (general admission) ticket. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
130,000 8-ounce burgers and 90,000 hot dogs — that's how many burgers and dogs Eric Babcook and his team with Delaware North's Patina Restaurant Group expect people to eat during the PGA Championship in Charlotte.
Why it matters: Unlike when the tournament took place in Charlotte in 2017, the PGA Championship's equivalent of a general admission ticket (Championship+) now includes unlimited food and nonalcoholic beverages.
Context: Babcook, who is Delaware North's general manager of the PGA of America Championship, has spent the last two years planning for this.
- The 2022 PGA Championship was the first year they introduced all-inclusive food and beverage from Thursday to Sunday.
- The 2023 PGA Championship switched to the current model, making food and beverage inclusive for the entire week.
- The goal is to get people back to watching golf faster, tournament director Jason Soucy says.
Between the lines: The PGA Championship is expected to draw roughly 200,000 people. That's a lot of people to feed.
How it works: Your Championship+ ticket gets you access to five markets. You'll select one drink, one entrée and one snack. You can go back as many times as you want.
- There will also be bars stationed around the course where you can purchase alcohol, which is not included in your ticket.
What to expect: Everything is prepared onsite. Breakfast options for Championship+ ticket holders include sausage, egg and cheese on a biscuit, crispy chicken biscuits and Krispy Kreme donuts. Drinks include water, Gatorade and other PepsiCo. products.
Lunch options include salads and sandwiches, plus:
- Butchers grind cheeseburger
- All-beef hot dog
- Grilled chicken sandwich
- Country sausage with cheddar
- Plant-based burger
What they're saying: Patina Group executive chef Ed Milan says each tournament's menu varies based on the season and location. Charlotte's, for instance, will have spring flavors with a nod to barbecue.
- Milan and his team spent two and a half weeks testing the menu in Los Angeles in February.
- Premium areas will have four types of barbecue sauce: a Cheerwine sauce, bourbon, Eastern Carolina and a standard barbecue sauce. There will be 75 gallons of Eastern Carolina barbecue sauce, Milan says. They've also made over 1,000 gallons of bourbon brine.
By the numbers: The tournament's 700,000-square-foot production kitchen opened earlier this week. It's a 24-hour operation with 11 kitchens across the course, 200 cooks and 58 chefs working the tournament. Ultimately, more than 1,000 people will contribute to the food and beverage experience.
- They're expecting to go through 15,000 cases of beer, 5,600 bottles of vodka and 3,200 bottles of bourbon, Babcook says. Cocktails start at $16.50. Beer starts at $14.50. Wine is $13.50. Seltzers are $15.50.
- There will be over 135 tractor-trailers for storage and refrigeration over the week of the tournament.
What's next: The work for next year's menu starts when this PGA Championship ends, Milan says.
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