Life At Levy

Thousands of fans, back-to-back games, high-stakes environments: nailing the playoffs is a complicated recipe, and our team members have found a way to make it a recipe for success. In October, our team at Chase Field hosted three 2023 World Series games, and 8 of our MLS venues hosted Audi MLS Cup Playoffs matches: Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, CITYPARK in St. Louis, Lumen Field in Seattle, Lower.com Field in Columbus, America First Field in Salt Lake City, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and GEODIS Park in Nashville.

With so much postseason action happening across our company, we asked our Levy team members for their perspective on what it takes to thrive during this fast-paced time of year.

Kicking Culinary Up a Notch
In Phoenix, Chase Field Senior Executive Chef Stephen Tilder was instrumental to the World Series efforts. The Diamondbacks hosted three games, and Tilder’s team doubled in size to meet the heavy demands. “Culinary normally runs a crew of 35 people and it increases to 70 during playoffs,” he says. “We also fly in 10 support chefs to help us really elevate what we’re doing across the venue.” According to Tilder, the menu is elevated during playoffs and continues “going up a notch” with every round. By the end, the menus are luxurious and extravagant in all areas, with specialty items popping up all around the ballpark to match the championship energy. “You usually have months to plan a season,” he says. “During playoffs, you really dig in and execute new menus with every round in very little time. For the World Series, my team planned, ordered, and executed in 10 days, putting in over 160 hours to get it done.

Planning for the People
Over in Houston, Director of Operations Jeff Solomon was tasked with preparing for massive playoff crowds at Shell Energy Stadium. “We haven’t hosted a playoff game in over 6 years, so it was very important that we delivered an exceptional experience for Dynamo fans.” Solomon and his team had to plan far in advance to fulfill purchasing needs, ensure proper staffing, and of course, create a showstopping menu to fit the moment. One thing that is always top of mind is ordering – it’s a delicate dance for the Shell Energy Stadium purchasing team given the uncertainty of the playoffs. To get it right, they must prepare for their home team to advance, while also making contingency plans in case they don’t. In cases where there are leftovers, the team carefully strategizes ways to put them to good use, whether it’s sharing with other local venues, donating to those in need, or preserving shelf-stable items that can be used down the line.

Supply Chain Science
Michelle Baker, Vice President of Supply Chain, knows all about the balancing act of pulling off a successful playoff run. “The postseason theme is communication, communication, and more communication,” she says. “In anticipation of a playoff run, supply chain team members must pull multiple levers to ensure that Levy’s operators are set up for postseason success.” In the preparation phase, culinary team members align with their supply chain teams so they can understand what changes will be coming to the menu and who they need to work with to put those changes into action. “Suppliers must be quick, nimble, and willing to alter inventory levels based on the outcome of each game,” Baker says. Not only does the supply chain team meet with culinary, but they also meet with E15, Levy’s analytics arm, to understand the trends and volumes predicted for each game. “Data and relationships underpin everything in the postseason,” Baker says.  In the end, the multi-day to multi-week extravaganza turns into a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our team members. For chefs, it’s a chance to make that extra difference in an unforgettable fan experience. “Getting to be creative and shine is the best part,” Tilder says. “I love blowing away all of the fans' expectations.” According to Solomon, “The shared energy in the building between all parties is so exciting. Everyone knows that expectations are high and everyone is working to deliver above and beyond. When the crowds grow and everyone gets hyped up for the event, it’s a lot of fun to be a part of. You can feel it’s something special.”