What’s the least you can spend at a Royals game? Finding the deals at Dollar Dog Night
I’m not the biggest fan of hot dogs, nor do I want to know how they’re made, but I’ll always indulge myself in a couple whenever I’m at a pool party or cookout.
However, the urge to consume hot dogs grows at baseball games. It’s one of many ballpark staples, and it’s an item that gets a larger-than-life presentation at Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals.
Fans can see hot dog races at most home games, where three lucky participants get to dress up in a big hot dog costume and run as one of three condiments — ketchup, mustard and relish. You can also buy plush dolls and themed shirts based on your favorite condiment of the three runners. They don’t sell plain hot dog plushies, so none of these speak to me.
Hot dogs also take the spotlight at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesdays when the Royals are in town. That’s the day the team hosts its Dollar Dog Night, where guests can enjoy $1 hot dogs at concession stands all around the stadium.
There are no limits on how many hot dogs you can buy at a time, and at $1 each, the item that some consider a sandwich becomes a hot commodity. Even though the prices of tickets and parking will set you back, you could be saving money on food.
I ventured to Kauffman Stadium on April 22 to see if Dollar Dog Night is one of the best ways to stretch your dollar while enjoying an evening activity for the second edition of On the Budget, a new series in which The Star’s reporter Joseph Hernandez checks out activities and restaurants around Kansas City and sees what fun can be had on a $25 budget.
Can you enjoy Dollar Dog Night on a tight budget? Here’s what I found out.
Cost of going to a Royals game
Full disclosure: I didn’t have to pay for parking or a ticket to the game, so that immediately added funds to my budget.
I was on assignment with fellow reporter Eric Adler asking 100 Royals fans of all ages, genders, backgrounds and places of residence if they want to see a new stadium for the team and if so, where they would like it to go.
I had media access to enter the stadium and was able to park on stadium grounds for free in the media lot (a parking pass costs $21 online with fees, and the cheapest ticket for this game was $22). When I went to the previous Dollar Dog Night on April 8, $43 was my price of admission with parking.
Buying the dogs and other food
When my assignment ended and I went from reporter to observer near the sixth inning, I was happy to see that dollar dog stands were still operating and that lines were long. The lines also moved quickly since the fans were there for one thing and one thing only.
$25 isn’t a lot of money, but it feels like it on an attraction like Dollar Dog Night. It’s only the hot dogs that are $1; everything else is priced normally, like $14.99 for a 24 ounce beer, $7.69 for bottled water, $9.99 for a souvenir agua fresca at Palacana or $7.99 for french fries.
But if you’re still looking to save some money and get a drink, fans can find value menus in sections 120, 135, 201, 213, 242, 405, 417 and 422, featuring cheaper options of popular stadium foods, including $3 sodas and $5 beer cans. They also offer $4 hot dogs, which I didn’t check if they were offering on this night. The concession stands with value deals are marked with menus behind the staff with the items.
You should know that the hot dogs are around the same size as Ball Park Brand hot dogs you can buy in grocery stores across Kansas City. The foot-long jumbo hot dogs are still the regular price of $9.59, and the specialty hot dogs found at concession stands on the lower indoor level cost $10.79.
I’m not aware of when concession stands close down for the night, but I bet they made a few extra bucks during the game. The 14,567 fans in attendance were treated to a game that went to extra innings after the Royals coughed up a 2-run lead in the top of the ninth inning to the Colorado Rockies, and tied it 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth.
The Royals survived the scare and won 4-3 in 11, after Freddy Fermin knocked in the winning run. I hope they celebrated with a few hot dogs of their own in the clubhouse on their way to sweeping Colorado.
How much could a Dollar Dog Night cost?
Like most activities, it can get expensive in a hurry if you aren’t careful. All the bread you may eat with the hot dogs will make you thirsty, and then you’re tempted to buy a soda, water or beer if you didn’t bring an unopened water bottle with you to refill at water fountains.
Other items, like the Vinnie Pasquantino “Pasquatch” plush that my girlfriend now owns, cost $29.99, which would have gone way past my budget if I had bought it for her during this game (it was purchased at a different game).
I mostly kept my money for the hot dogs, purchasing five in total. I bought three during my first stop and two at my second stop, along with a cold souvenir beverage that my boss said I was allowed to get.
The first stop with only the three hot dogs cost $3.33 and the second stop with the two hot dogs and souvenir drink totaled $19.78. The math says I only spent $23.11 at Kauffman Stadium on this night, which I would call a success if you excuse any stomach issues I had the following day.
Other ways to save inside Kauffman Stadium
Dollar Dog Night isn’t the only affordable option for game days at Kauffman Stadium. As previously mentioned, value menus are located on all levels of the stadium with cheap prices for classic ballpark foods.
If you can’t go to a game on Tuesday, Sunday home games offer a special four-pack deal where you can get four tickets, hot dogs, sodas and a parking pass for $60. Jackson County days will slash ticket prices in half for county residents, and sometimes, fans get emails from the Royals promoting 50% off tickets for different games throughout the season.
The Royals also offer seats that come with all-you-can-eat concessions like hot dogs, nachos with toppings such as chicken or carnitas, popcorn, cookies, sodas and water bottles. The price of the ticket varies on who the Royals play and when they play, but ranges between $60 and $100 per person.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
