The Royals are bringing new foods to Kauffman Stadium for 2025. Should you try any?
Opening day for the Kansas City Royals is just a couple of days away, and fans looking to see the season kickoff will have a chance at some new bites at Kauffman Stadium starting Thursday, March 27.
The Royals and Kauffman Stadium vendor Aramark Sports + Entertainment revealed several new food items coming to the stadium’s concession stands for the 2025 season. These meals will be located at different spots inside, from the Craft & Draft section that anyone can enter to the Diamond Club, a premium seating option for game day.
The biggest name is the Z-Man, the classic sandwich from Joe’s Kansas City. Joe’s will have a concession stand inside Kauffman Stadium for 2025 and beyond, said Corby Stephens, a manager with Aramark.
The team has previously highlighted the Sluggerrr Dog ($18.99), a chorizo hot dog topped with manchego, tempura batter, Doritos Cool Ranch crust and avocado aioli, and Blue Velvet Whoopie Pies, which are blue velvet cakes with vanilla fluff ($9.55).
The pie wasn’t on hand for a media event hosted by the Royals on Monday, March 24, but a few new items were available for visitors to eat. They came from the mind of Troy Tornabeni, an Aramark district chef for Chicago and Kansas City, and his team inside The K.
Part of Tornabeni’s menu planning included considering which foods were going to be able to be sat out all day compared to foods that needed to be bought and consumed as soon as it was done cooking. It’s all in the name of remaking and reinventing the food wheel every day.
“We’re not feeding 10 people or 100 people; we’re feeding thousands, right?” Tornabeni said. “So whether it’s product sourcing or executing in a stand or a suite, we have to think of holding time and if we’re able to make this item and keep it fresh.”
Served in smaller portions Monday, visitors could try the following:
- Cheese Frenchee: a grilled cheese sandwich made with cheddar and provolone cheeses and coated with Dorito Cool Ranch crust. $21.59
- Mack & Jack: a jalapeno brisket hot dog topped with macaroni and cheese, a crispy cornbread crumble, hot honey and green onions. This is found at Craft & Draft. $17.89
- Back to Blueberry: a waffle sandwich with basque cheesecake, blueberry compote, caramelized bananas, Fruity Pebbles and powered sugar. This is found at Craft & Draft. $15.99
- Southern BLT: fried green tomatoes, arugula, lemon aioli, thick-cut bacon and cheddar cheese served in between two pieces of Texas toast. This is found in the Diamond Club. $19.39
- Beef Crunchwrap: refried beans, beef tinga, nacho cheese, green onion, sour cream, pico de gallo and lettuce wrapped inside a fried corn tortilla. This is found at the KC Cantina concession stands. $15.99
- Kauffman Fried Chicken Quesadilla: crispy fried chicken, corn, gravy, mashed potatoes, green onion and cheddar cheese wrapped inside a tortilla. This is found at the KC Cantina concession stands. $14.99
- Korean BBQ Bao Buns: hand-battered chicken tenders, Korean barbecue sauce, cucumber, tomato relish, onion tanglers and roasted red peppers served inside a bao bun. This is found at Rivals concession stands. $22.75
Stephens and Tornabeni said the Sluggerrr Dog was one of their favorites on the menu. Does its reputation hold up? How did the other new foods taste? Here’s what to look for inside Kauffman Stadium for 2025.
How are the new foods inside Kauffman Stadium?
Due to limited stomach space, The Star tried five of the items available: Sluggerrr Dog, Mack & Jack, Back to Blueberry, Kauffman Fried Chicken Quesadilla and Korean BBQ Bao Buns. The best of the bunch? The Sluggerrr Dog.
The stadium’s twist on a corn dog is as good as advertised. An initial concern when looking at the ingredients was that the Doritos Cool Ranch crust over the chorizo would overwhelm the rest of the dish. Instead, it added a much-needed crunch and was barely noticeable compared to the rest of the flavors. If fans are going to try one new item inside, the Sluggerrr Dog should be at the top of the list.
Fries weren’t served with it at the tasting, but the side will pair well with the hot dog. It also wasn’t served on a stick like a corn dog usually is, so you may want to grab a few napkins before returning to your seat.
The Mack & Jack also passed with flying colors. Stephens said they smoke 30,000 pounds of brisket at Kauffman Stadium, and its unique smoky flavor does the heavy lifting. It would be worth a purchase if it was a plain brisket hot dog, but the additional hot honey and cornbread crumble fill out nicely. And who doesn’t like macaroni and cheese?
Quesadillas are classic quick and easy meals to make at home, and credit is due to whoever on Tornabeni’s team decided to add Southern comfort staples to the mix in the stadium’s Kauffman Fried Chicken Quesadilla. However, it might not be the first choice for picky eaters or people who don’t like gravy to touch chicken.
One piece that underwhelmed? The Korean BBQ bao buns. On paper this sounds like it would be the best of the bunch, but it felt like something was missing.
Back to Blueberry will appeal to some visitors. It fell apart too fast and if tasters were given a bigger sample, it might’ve looked like a big blueberry mess inside the Diamond Club. The blueberry compote and basque cheesecake complement each other.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
