For two weeks in October, Globe Life Field – the sparkling new home of the Texas Rangers – was the center of the baseball universe, punctuated by a thrilling six-game World Series.
As the food, beverage and retail partner, Delaware North had a chance to activate a team of nearly 500 associates to serve the limited capacity crowds of about 11,500.
“Our associates adapted amazingly – quickly adopting new ways of working, including within our Play It Safe protocols and those set by local and state officials,” said Casey Rapp, Delaware North’s general manager at Globe Life Field.
One of the changes implemented for the postseason games was a shift to 100% cashless transactions. Point-of-sale terminals were also outfitted with payment devices that accept contactless payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and tap-and-go credit card readers.
“Delaware North’s contactless payment acceptance rate shot up by a whopping 56% during the World Series,” said James Clayton, Delaware North’s product owner for payment solutions. “It’s just one site over a few days, but that kind of growth is impressive and encouraging. It says to me that consumers are embracing contactless technologies at a much quicker rate than in that past, and it reinforces that our investment in contactless technologies has been worthwhile.”
On the food and retail front, Rapp said sales were strong in both categories. The ballpark outpost of the popular Texas chain Golden Chick sold more than 450 chicken sandwiches per game, and the average retail spend per fan was nearly five times higher than a typical regular-season game.
“I’m really proud of the work our associates did to make this a World Series we won’t soon forget,” Rapp said. “It was a nice reminder that we can persevere amid trying circumstances, and it was great to show the world our amazing new ballpark.”