How the PGA Championship feeds 200,000 fans
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The concession market at the Fan Zone at the PGA Championship. Photo: Mike D'Onofrio/Axios
The logistics of feeding roughly 200,000 spectators at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club this week is no easy feat.
Why it matters: The golf tourney is the rare major sporting event where general admission includes unlimited food and drinks (sans alcohol).
State of play: Plans started two years ago for the massive undertaking that is feeding a crowd the size of a small city over seven days, says Eric Babcook, vice president of operations for the Patina Group — the tournament's caterer since 2022.
- The food is all prepared and cooked on site — coordinated by 60 chefs, 170 managers and roughly 800 food-service employees.
- The set-up began in February, when more than 150 semis began trucking in equipment and supplies for 10 on-site kitchens.
- Roughly 600,000 square feet of space has been built out for food service.
Between the lines: The food at PGA tournaments is its own draw.
- Menus include: Doughnuts, fruit, yogurt bars, and chicken biscuits for breakfast.
- Lunch: Hot dogs, chicken and ham sandwiches, cheeseburgers, Italian sausages, plant-based burgers and Mediterranean salads with falafel.
- Plus: Local ingredients are used, like Kennett Square mushrooms.
One missing thing: Cheesesteaks.
- Babcook tells Axios that the group tries not to replicate iconic dishes, but instead focuses on "incorporating local flavors and vendors to showcase the best of the region."
By the numbers: Over the week of the tourney, fans are forecast to consume:
- 🍔 124,000 burgers
- 🌭 88,000 hot dogs
- 🐔 77,000 chicken sandwiches
- 🍪 67,000 cookies
- 💧 372,000 bottles of water
- 🍺 122,000 beers
How it works: Fans can access four market concessions throughout the club — at the Fan Zone and PGA Shops, and at Holes 1, 3 and 18.
- Don't worry about lines, looking over menus or complaining about sky-high prices — just grab a meal, drink and snack.
What they're saying: "We want the guests to come in, grab what they want … and simply walk out" so they can get back on the course quickly, Babcook says.