Taking Digital Payments out to the Ballgame With Next-Gen Concessions

“Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack. On my phone. So I don’t have to wait in line.”

Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?

Still, that’s the new reality at ballparks and other sporting arenas around the world as the same mobile tech that lets you order a pizza from your couch with a single click makes it into to the big leagues. More and more stadiums are rolling out tech solutions to offer digital-first convenience, which is giving spectators — whether they’re diehards craving Dodger Dogs in LA or football fanatics grabbing galettes-saucisse in Rennes — a new reason to cheer.

Online food ordering company Waitr (soon to be rebranded as ASAP), announced Tuesday (July 26) a partnership with the National Football League’s New York Giants and the Jets to be the exclusive provider of mobile ordering capabilities at MetLife Stadium, offering order-ahead capabilities to be picked up at the concessions stand.

“We are excited to partner with ASAP to provide fans with an expedited food and beverage experience at MetLife Stadium,” Jeff Fernandez, vice president of business development and ventures for the Jets, said in a statement. “They have an elite technology stack enabling our fans to order easily on their mobile phones, skip the concession lines, and pick up their order without missing any of the game action.”

Uber announced in May that Uber Eats at Stadiums would be included in its new suite of products. The technology powers digital ordering for pickup from concessions sellers at live event venues and is live at several MLB stadiums, including Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium in Los Angeles, Yankee Stadium in New York, and the Astros’ Minute Made Park in Houston.

“Want to grab a bite at the game but also watch every play?” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote in a company blog post. “Now you don’t have to choose. Our in-venue ordering on Uber Eats and Postmates allows you to place your order from concessions at the stadium and skip the line to pick up your food when it’s ready.”

Outside of baseball, the technology is also available at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.; at PayPal Park in San Jose; and at Roazhon Park in Rennes, France. Additionally, Khosrowshahi indicated there are “more to come around the world.”

In addition to mobile order-ahead payments, some stadiums are implementing frictionless checkout technology, enabling consumers to pick packaged items off the shelves and exit the concessions shop, having their purchases automatically charged to their cards. In April, Major League Baseball announced that the Astros are working with Amazon to offer Just Walk Out cashier-less checkout at two concessions stores in Minute Maid Park.

Read more: Sporting Venues Use Frictionless Payment Tech to Enhance Event Experience

In a statement at the time, Marcel Braithwaite, senior vice president of business operations for the Astros, said, “We wanted to provide this state-of-the-art technology to our fans, giving them a more streamlined and convenient shopping experience so they can spend more time enjoying baseball.”