How does Arrowhead prepare for 70,000 Chiefs fans? See stadium’s playoff preparations
While Chiefs fans may be stressing out over the team’s AFC Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, workers inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium say the 24 hours before kickoff is the least stressful of the week.
Everyone from the concessions stands to staff stationed at merchandise stands around the stadium works hard to prepare everything for the 70,000 fans who pack the seats each game.
They plan for the playoffs in case it happens, and had the extra benefit of nearly a month to make sure the stadium is stocked with food, beverages and jerseys, since the team’s last home game took place Dec. 21.
The blizzard gave them some issues, but the over 1,000 staff members are more than ready to welcome the loudest fans in the NFL, plus some Texans fans hoping to see an upset.
Here’s a look at what it takes to set up Arrowhead Stadium on game day.
Final touches
Tim Witkowski, Aramark’s district manager for the Kansas City region, said the last 24 hours before the game is spent putting the final touches around Arrowhead. Aramark is the stadium’s concessions partner, looking over food service operations like inventory, customer service, food preparation, and food safety and sanitation procedures.
All the hard work takes place in the 10 days leading up to the game, meaning sometimes Aramark staffers are planning way in advance if the Chiefs play back-to-back games at home.
The 10 days before a game starts with beverage orders, like getting enough beer cans, water bottles and sodas to all the concession stands in the stadium, said Mat Miller, the general manager for Aramark’s Arrowhead Stadium operations. They usually start from the upper level and work their way down, but, this time the snow made them work from the bottom up.
They then load the stands up with food. The items for hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders and more all get delivered to each stand in a process that can take up to four days. The portable stands generally take around a day and a half to stock.
Finals touches can look like making sure every register works, adding more items to the stands based on their purchase frequency and preparing the outdoor tailgate district in Lot M with food, drinks, games and making sure the live entertainment setup works. Witkowski works alongside Miller to fine-tune the operations.
“So when we get to that 24 hours out, that’s really kind of just like, ‘OK, could we open that building that day?’” Miller said. “Our goal is always 24 hours before the game, we need to be ready to open up the building.”
The busiest part of the final day is in Arrowhead’s Pro Shop, where they see fans come in to buy last-second shirts, hats, gloves, jerseys or other Chiefs apparel or opposing fans taking stadium tours, Witkowski said.
Feeding the stadium
The food can’t get to the concession stands without the help of Aramark’s culinary team, and that’s where senior executive chef Erin Wishon steps in. The last 24 hours are critical for her team, since even with all the menu planning and advance ordering, the perishable foods she receives only have a short window before they’re no longer edible.
Her team covers everything food-related: the nachos and fries fans buy from stands, the playoff specials like the Touchdown Toast, team meals at the stadium and at their hotel. They also prepare food for the officials and families of the players.
She estimates that they have around 10 drops — locations where food is delivered — specifically for Chiefs members, whether that’s staff, players or coaches. They’re providing breakfast for the equipment staff in one area and stocking the locker room refrigerator with Uncrustables. Some players also request specific foods on game day for superstitious reasons, and Wishon makes sure it’s there for them.
Her planning also depends on what staff members request, and once those are in, they start ordering for items the week before a game. They stock frozen items first, then move into preparing any proteins the next day. Sauces and condiments are made the day after, and produce, cold sandwiches and salads are prepared last.
The final day of prep gets everything where it needs to go.
“When you hit the door on game day, it should be turn-key,” Wishon said. “It never will be, but it’s turn-key as much as humanly possible, so that any extra time you have you can designate and address any curveballs you get.”
Wishon said that some of these items need to go two city blocks away inside the stadium, for distance comparison, and that communications throughout all teams is key to make sure everything gets where it needs to go.
Last-second purchases
Miller and Witkowski walk through the Pro Shop last on their final preparations for game day. Retail lead Kevin Bayus oversees all the merch to ensure that the stands are fully stocked with what the fans are buying.
Bayus said their stock depends on a few factors, like the weather. They have more beanies, blankets, hats and socks available now than they did in September and October when it was warmer. The locations of each stand also carry different stock — like you’re more likely to see multiple options for coats, jackets and gloves on the south side of the stadium since the sun sets on that side first, he said.
The weather can also prevent items from popping up on time, at which point one of the team members talks with the delivery companies to meet them at a pickup location so they can transport it to the stadium.
Aramark staffers spend Mondays and Tuesdays before games resetting and restocking each of the 16 stands and the Pro Shop. The goal is to fill the Pro Shop first since it’s open six days a week. After that’s complete, the other locations are filled in order of which area sold the most.
Wednesday and Thursday is when other staff come in to hang the items on display, and Friday sees Bayus take one final check to fill any holes.
“Our goal is for game day to be the easiest,” Bayus said. “We have 90+ employees here to make sure everything goes smooth, so game days for us should be the easiest as long as we do the preparation, planning and all the procedures go as planned.”
On game day, Bayus first makes sure all the registers are working. They had issues during the Chiefs’ Wild Card game against the Dolphins in 2024 where some of the power strips froze, rendering the registers useless. His team also checks the registers the day before the game.
When staff arrives for the game, they run through their merch and make requests if they feel they don’t have enough of a certain item, like hats and shirts. Other members will arrive at their stands to replenish the stock.
Getting the field ready
Earlier in January, Chiefs’ groundskeeper Travis Hogan shared an early look at how his team gets the field game-ready for players, especially during major snows.
“Gonna be a crazy next 7-10 days of weather in KC,” Hogan wrote in an X post on Jan. 2. “Covering the field with grow tarps first then rain tarps on top to get through the ice and snow forecasted, then take rain tarps off once really cold temps pass. Gotta trap as much heat as possible without getting disease.”
In a post on Friday, Jan. 17, Hogan gave thanks to his crew for getting the field ready for the game.
This story was originally published January 18, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
