Press 1 For Peanuts. Press 2 For Cracker Jacks.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I ventured out to see our former hometown (or at least, home region) Boston Red Sox on the Anaheim stop of their West Coast trip. It’s always interesting being a fan on “foreign” turf, but add the “post pandemic” aspect, and the ballpark experience was borderline surreal. Strangest of all was the food situation.

Once Upon a Time…

You go to a ballpark to watch a major league baseball game. It’s a sport with plenty of downtime, and among the side attractions filling the quiet moments is the constant shouting of vendors hawking snacks ranging from the traditional to the modern.

Popcorn.

Beer.

Pretzels.

Beer.

Ice cream.

Beer.

Not to mention novelty souvenirs. The crackerjack and peanut vendors of yesteryear even made it into the MLB Theme Song.

Not to dwell on it, but shit has changed since Covid. Ballparks have people showing up again, but the interactions have evolved. Concession stands remain relatively the same. But gone are the days of passing money and foods across seats, person to person. No more wandering/shouting vendors.

Continuing the boom in delivery services from the days of lockdowns, we essentially witnessed Doordash for Baseball. There’s an app. You order online. Put in your seat number. A short while later, your food shows up.

Cash isn’t even accepted at the stadium.

The future is digital. The march is inevitable.

Now ballpark food had joined the parade.