Dodger Concessions Apologizes for Service, Mails Gift Certificates

When Dodger President Peter O’Malley announced last October that he was changing Dodger Stadium concession vendors, he said the Dodgers wanted an “expanded menu selection.”

But after one Freeway Series game with the Angels, O’Malley is hearing more about expanded lines than he is about the menu.

After last Friday’s Dodger Stadium game with the Angels, the Marriott Corp., the new vendor, mailed letters of apology and $5 gift certificates to all Dodger season-ticket holders in the aftermath of complaints about slow service at concession stands.

In the letter, Mel Clemen, chief of Marriott Dodger Stadium concessions, apologized for service delays, blaming them on delays in the “construction of new stands, installation of a new service system and the fact that a number of the new facilities were not yet ready to open.”

Clemen’s letter closed: “Please accept our apology for the unacceptable food service on Friday night and for any inconvenience we may have caused you.” The certificates are redeemable at Dodger Stadium for tickets, parking, souvenirs or concessions.

When the Dodgers switched to Marriott, it ended 29 years of stadium concession service with Arthur Food Services. At the time, O’Malley said the switch was “part of a complete renovation and modernization of all food facilities at the stadium.”