Reports of bad, overpriced food at SoFi Stadium
doubledragon
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Twitter has exploded over photos posted by Arash Markazi, a former L.A. Times sports columnist who was at the Rams vs Chargers game, of food items at SoFi Stadium where the Rams play. He posted four photos of food items with the quote, "Tesla makes an expensive car, here are four photos of used Hondas."
Reports of bad, overpriced food at SoFi Stadium should be taken with a packet of salt
If at first you don’t succeed ... pray it was at a time before Twitter existed.
Saturday’s contest between the LA Chargers and LA Rams was not only the first ever preseason game at SoFi Stadium and the only time fans have been able to attend, but also served as the grand opening of dozens of restaurants that had never really served food prior to last weekend. Were everyone in attendance food critics, or at least business entrepreneurs, perhaps there would be room for forgiveness should SoFi Stadium’s fare prove inadequate to the customers.
If that was even the case on Saturday night.
But not everyone is a business owner with a sense of understanding that this is beta phase. Instead, Twitter became a haven for piling onto failed expectations on Monday after reports that the food at SoFi is overpriced and underwhelming. Arash Markazi, briefly a sports columnist at The LA Times, tweeted out pictures of four food items that could be purchased at SoFi Stadium on Saturday night, prompting a firestorm of Fyre Festival comparisons because of the unappetizing nature of the photos.
Strangely, the pictures appear to be taken in an empty stadium and at what could be considered to be well before or well after any fans had attended a game on Saturday night. It is not clear if Markazi took these photos himself, if it was pregame, or if it was during SoFi Stadium’s food tour back in June. Though Markazi tweeted that there was a $15 pepperoni pizza, he did not include the prices for any of the four food items that he tweeted out (none of which being a pepperoni pizza) only to say that “the prices and appearance of many of the food options left many fans upset.”
Markazi began working as a sports columnist at The LA Times in 2019, before resigning in 2020 following reports of plagiarism and using social media “to work as a de facto PR representative” for companies and restaurants such as the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. It would at least appear in this case that Markazi is not serving any sort of PR role with SoFi Stadium, or with Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, the James Beard award-winning chefs who created the LA neighborhood inspired food program at SoFi.
Of course, it would be unreasonable to expect a hamburger or a hot dog — or a hamburger shaped like a hot dog — at a sporting event, something expected to be served to thousands of people who want it fast so they can get back to their seats, to be of the same quality as a hot dog, hamburger, or hamburger-hot dog at a restaurant. That’s not what anybody should believe they are getting when they go to a concession stand at any stadium in the world. Including a $5 billion stadium.
If LA locals like Burgers Never Say Die or Cassell’s ended up getting a contract to serve food at SoFi Stadium, so too would their $10 burger price tag seem “unfair” in a vacuum.
And yet, whether or not SoFi Stadium provides an average, above-average, or below-average standard of concession food and prices remains to be seen and certainly won’t be answered with a single tweet that doesn’t appear to even contain pictures of food that was purchased during the game — or prices of what those food items cost. The tweet essentially says, “Tesla makes an expensive car, here are four photos of used Hondas.”
If you want to find out how the food at SoFi Stadium actually is, it is probably best to try it out in person. Five years after the Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles, every other report about the debut game at SoFi Stadium tells me that the new digs have been well worth the wait.
Comments
That hot dog looks like it caught a beatdown.
This was $15.00, it looks like bread with ketchup and leaves on it. Pathetic.
"There was a lot made of the $15 pepperoni pizza at SoFi Stadium but it was a bigger issue than that. The prices and appearance of many of the food options at the stadium left many fans upset."
When you zoom in closer on the hot dog, I mean, this looks like something I tried to cook in the microwave when I was drunk one time.
doubledragon true identity revealed as Arash Markazi,
The real story would be if the food was priced fairly.
I wouldn't buy that food if it was fairly priced, just look at this up close, what the heck is it even supposed to be? This slop isn't fit for the hogs, shut it down!
look at all that cheese though. there must be at least 1.5 ounces of that fresh, gooey mozzarella peppered throughout.
I'd like to have a few words with the chefs who made this food.
Well they use only highly refined white flour on those bread products. I heard the name of the food service company used to be INSTANT DIABETES but Wilford Brimley forced them to change the name. Now it's INSULIN 4 US.
This story is all over the place, here is another more detailed article about the horrors of SoFi Stadium.
We Need To Talk About The Terrible Looking SoFi Stadium Food Options
Stadium food isn’t always good, but it should, at minimum, satisfy the basic need of making you no longer hungry while at a sporting event. I’m not speaking of the gourmet culinary offerings that can now be found at most major stadiums and arenas or actual restaurants with remote locations in stadiums, but the basics at the normal concessions stands.
We’re talking hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, nachos, and pizza, all the classic stadium fare that make up the “less expensive” options (even if at this point that still likely means $10-15). If you can’t make adequate stadium basics, what hope should anyone have for the rest of the food at your stadium? That brings us to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the brand new home of the Rams and Chargers, which got roasted over the weekend for their weak effort at “pizza” that was selling for $15 to fans at the Rams-Chargers preseason game.
The issues at SoFi apparently go beyond just the pizza, as Arash Markazi presented the world’s saddest smorgasbord to the world on Twitter, showing off the aforementioned “pizza,” a hot dog that looked like it’s been on the rollers since at least mid-June, and the cheeseburger and veggie burger subs, which appear to just be a cost-cutting measure to only need to purchase hot dog buns.
There was a lot made of the $15 pepperoni pizza at SoFi Stadium but it was a bigger issue than that. The prices and appearance of many of the food options at the stadium left many fans upset. Here's a look at the Hot Dog, Marinara Pizza, Cheeseburger Sub and Veggie Burger Sub.
The pizza is the standout here, as it appears to be a piece of focaccia brushed ever so delicately with tomato sauce and sprinkled with basil and three chunks of cold cheese. I really don’t think I need to dive too much more into what’s wrong with that, but it’s very bad.
I would like to talk about this hot dog, because, my heavens that thing has shriveled up like earthworm in the sun. The bun almost looks plastic and the dog itself needed to be removed from the heat hours ago. Then we get to the burger and veggie burger subs, which have cold Kraft singles covering the world’s driest rectangular burger patties, topped with some pickles (that look fine, but that’s because they come straight from a jar), resting on a hot dog bun that either has a very tiny amount of ketchup on it or someone grabbed it with a bloody thumb, unclear which is correct.
It’s preseason for everyone, but it might be time for the SoFi concessions folks to go back to the drawing board before the regular season because this is truly dire.
Very interesting thread. I don't doubt the truth about it all but I'm confused. As usual. Anyway......I usually eat nothing or very,very little at the game and will share one beer with one of my daughters-in-law because stadium food is always bad. But the first game at SoFi was different. The food was great. And very very inexpensive. I was shocked. I went for food with one of the girls and I was blown away by what I saw. For $50 a person gets unlimited whatever they want. No questions asked. For the entire game. Go back as many times as you want to. Take whatever you want. $50 And......the selection was fabulous. Great buffet. Italian, Mexican, Chinese. Fried chicken. Pizza. Wonderful healthy salads. The Lovely Mrs. Hydrant said the hot dogs were really good. $50 for unlimited food. Oh, well. I'm going to dig deeper into this.......I'll get back to you all.
Correction... the price was $55 and drinks not included.
methinks grandpa fire hydrant needs to grace us with his presence to corroborate these reports
i sure hope he doesn't take long, cuz i'm on the verge of ralphing all over the place after looking at that weenie that could pass for ron jeremy's appendage when he's 250 years old
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
O.k., I'm back. Two quick phone calls. Yeah, the food at SoFi was "horrible and overpriced" according to Informant #1 and the whole food service scene was a "disaster" according to Informant #2. The place where I got food was, well, according to Informant #1, basically... V.I.P. I think only certain seating sections have access to the place. I could be wrong but...? So....the problem has been recognized and changes need to be made.
i once went to a concert at the orange bowl. by the second set, they ran outta most of the food, condiments, bottled water, ice and even cups. only thing they had left was beer and those neon-pink yardsticks that daiquiris and miami vices come in. needless to say it was a very fun and memorable night drinking keg beer outta neon pink plastic yardsticks!
That must have been fun, heck, I'd drink beer from almost anything as long as it gets me sloshed!
That's a Florida thing. At least that's the only place that I've ever seen them. They remind me of those wax bottles with colored water in them that kids used to buy along with wax mustaches. Totally gross! And....speaking of Florida and daiquiris......I was in Panama City Beach (remember Girls Gone Wild?) once and I couldn't hardly believe it when I saw my first drive up Daquiris Shack. Oh, well.....PARTY DOWN!
These chefs need to be taken to task about that hot dog and bread with ketchup leaves on it, I want their chef hats confiscated, they don't deserve to wear them!
Yikes! The options are really not anything that look even a little bit ok 😳
Rams fans got it rough this season, when they go to a game they're either going to get a beatdown or food poisoning!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
The world has come a long way when hotdogs and cracker jacks isn’t enough. I doubt anyone who spends $400-500.a ticket comes to a stadium for 5 star food and expects it. I mean seriously? Don’t fans go to watch a game or eat tofu and bean sprouts.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
A box of Cracker Jacks? Sir, your total comes to $52.75!
Orange Bowl was notorious for running out of food and beverages at big games. I have experienced a few of those when the Canes played there.
I think you might be right....... for once!
It's disheartening to hear about the disappointing experience with the food at SoFi Stadium, especially when attending a thrilling game. The comparison made between the food quality and cost is quite striking. On a brighter note, shifting gears to the vibrant food scene, have you had the chance to explore the best mexican breakfast in San Antonio? Discovering delightful morning offerings in a city known for its culinary diversity could be a wonderful contrast to the recent stadium food experience.
I got food poisoning just from looking at those pics. Especially that pizza. Yikes.
I'm going over to the clinic right now for some Cipro.
This should fix you right up, poor man's version of Pepto Bismol.
Love San Antonio and the river walk atmosphere. The food is second to none. What else would you expect in Texas?
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
looks more like a Junior High School science fair gone bad... as in very bad. Good luck with the aftermath
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
The green chit on the pizza looks like leftover confetti from a pep rally.
I would advise against eating that green stuff without taking this medication first, bon appetit!
I think instead of consuming that pictured food, I'd rather pick-up a road kill carcass on the way to the game, and then cook it over the car engine in the parking lot. Motor oil flavored pigeon really isn't all that bad, especially when it's fresh.
YARK!!!
NFL: Buffalo Bills & Green Bay Packers