New, contactless concessions for PPG Paints Arena

By Nick Horwat

The Pittsburgh Penguins and their food and beverage partner Aramark on Wednesday announced new renovations that will be made within PPG Paints Arena.

The renovations are being made to create a safer, contactless experience when purchasing food or drinks at PPG Paints Arena events.

The two are bringing new fan-friendly technology, as well as new concepts throughout the arena, adding to the already robust amount of options for fans.

“We’re excited to extend our partnership with the Penguins and to use this off-season to further elevate PPG Paints Arena’s dining experience,” Mike McDonald, District Manager, Aramark’s Sports & Entertainment division, said. “Now, more than ever, it’s imperative we provide a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone we serve.”

The new technologies that will be added are:

-      Self-checkout scanners
-      Self-ordering
-      Mobile ordering

These will additions will be implemented to select locations around the arena, but will be featured in the new concepts that will be added.

Those concepts are:

Drink MKT (Section 101, 105, 109, 204, 215)

· Drink MKT is an express, self-service beverage market that uses Mashgin AI self-checkout scanners.

The King Penguin (Section 114)

· A new destination sports bar on the main concourse, featuring more than ten big screens, high top tables, lounge seating, and a wall to concourse premium bar serving beer, wine and traditional and specialty cocktails.

Market (Section 116)

· The Market is a large marketplace featuring three unique food stations and grab-and-go food and beverage.

Fan Favs Express (Section 119)

· The new Fan Favs Express will offer a variety of fan favorites (hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, beverages) and self-checkout, featuring Mashgin AI scanners that allow fans to expeditiously complete their transactions.

Connected Concepts (Section 205)

· Your Favorite Brands in One Stand. Connected Concepts offers some of the most popular menu items from around the arena available in one stand. The stand is “flexible,” allowing for the menu to change per event.

Last week the Penguins announced they will also be adding a Rivers Casino deck to PPG Paints Arena, and the new concession stands and concepts are just a part of the multiple construction projects underway right now.

“Following our announcement of the Rivers Casino deck last week, we have several construction projects underway to keep our fans safe and we look forward to welcoming fans back to the arena with improved food and beverage facilities and the latest fan interactive technologies,” Penguins CEO and President David Morehouse said.

Aramark and the Penguins have been partners since 1991 and are dedicated to bringing a safe, enjoyable environment for fans in the post-COVID world.

Concepts of the new additions can be found in the image gallery below.