New foods are on deck at Durham Bulls games for 2023, including chorizo ribbon fries

Baseball returns to the Triangle this week as the World Champion Durham Bulls host their home opener on Friday night.

That means the return of ballpark home runs, peanuts and yes, even the Cheeto-topped hot dog.

We spoke with Dave Levey, director of food and beverage for the Durham Bulls, to find out all the new bites, beers and food specials fans will find at the stadium this year.

A hot dog change-up

For the first time ever, the main hot dog at Bulls games will be an all-beef frank. The DBAP changed hot dog vendors last year, moving from local brand Brightleaf in Smithfield to major stadium supplier Sahlen’s. Last year, concession stands featured a familiar pork and beef blend for the iconic stadium snack, but this year moved to all-beef.

Corn dogs return

Supply chain woes made foot-long corn dogs impossible to find last year, Levey said. Instead of opting for a smaller corn dog, the DBAP simply went without for the 2022 season. Well, now they’re back in all that fried-cornbread-on-a-stick glory.

French fry and pretzel upgrades

In snack shifts, the stadium’s fries are now of the crinkle cut variety, the greatest of all french fry styles, and Levey said there’s a new higher quality, and more expensive, pretzel for sale this year.

Bottomless soda

If you buy a soda at the ballpark this year it will come in a souvenir cup and as many refills as your heart desires. Self-serve soda fountains have been added to concession stands around the ballpark so soft drinkers won’t have to wait in line for refills.

Superb specials

Past Bulls seasons have featured Tetris tots and mac and cheese-covered hot dogs as concession specials. That kind of menu planning is still being worked out, Levey said, and will be tied to special theme nights at the ballpark — like Star Wars or Toros Bravos de Durham games, which will be the first food promotion.

For the Copa de la Diversión games where the Durham Bulls become the Toros Bravos, a special chorizo sausage will be sold on a bun, as well as crumbled on ribbon fries with queso and peppers.

One hit from last season will return, the Boom Boom Dog, which is a hot dog topped with a tangy slaw and crunchy Cheetos.

Grab ‘n Go + a new grill cart

Heading into the 2020 season, Levey said the DBAP planned to launch something revolutionary: the grab and go drinks stand.

Fans could pick out a beer or soda from a wall of coolers, scan, pay and slip back to their seats faster than kids can run the bases. Except there was no 2020 season due to the first year of the COVID pandemic.

Now grab-and-go vendors are mainstream in most major sports arenas. The DBAP has four spread across the ballpark and this year will add a quick service sausage bar and popcorn stand behind home plate. Where there used to be an in-stadium brewery, the Bulls have installed a grill cart and popcorn popper, where fans can buy sausages and snack cafeteria style instead of waiting in a concessions line for the food to be prepared.

“There are different things you hear, you see, you smell walking into a baseball game,” Levey said. “Now you’ll immediately hear popcorn popping and smell sausages grilling. We’re putting people into that mode of being at the ballpark.”

Fancy sauces

A series of condiment bars have been added all around the ballpark, going beyond the mainstay ketchup and mustard dispensers. Now fans will find ready-to-grab garlic aioli, barbecue sauce squeeze bottles and hot sauce.

“In a sense we’re saucing it up,” Levey said.

Local Vendors

All of the local restaurants serving food at the DBAP will return for the 2023 season. That means the ballpark will feature El Jefecito for tacos and margaritas, Pie Pushers for pizza, Two Roosters ice cream, LocoPops popsicles, Derby Roasters hot and iced coffees, Magnificent Concessions for funnel cakes and cotton candy, and the local franchises of Chick Fil A and Rita’s Italian Ice.

Beer list

Ten years ago, 80 percent of ballpark beer sales were Budweiser, Bud Light and Yuengling, Levey said. Today that number has flipped to craft beer, with North Carolina’s Foothills and Red Oak being the ballpark’s biggest sellers.

The North Carolina beer and cider brand you’ll find at the stadium this year include: Foothills, Red Oak, Trophy, Lynnwood, Deep River Hi Wire, Wicked Weed and Bull City Cider. The Wilson bourbon brand Weldon Mills Distillery is also new this year, with cocktail specials planned for the 42 bar.

Also be on the lookout for beer bats — plastic mini baseball bats that can hold 22 ounces of beer.