I paid £12 for a disgusting World Cup stadium hot dog – and had a food epiphany
KANSAS CITY — The hot dog is fairly disgusting by any measure other than football stadium hot dogs, where it ranks medium to low. There is some colour on the sausage, but biting into it releases an escape of boiling water that frankly tests my gag reflex. The bun, which three seconds ago was dry verging on very dry, is now soggy in large patches.
It’s the size that really makes me laugh. In English stadiums the rollover hotdog has become a thing (rough translation: long frankfurter in a slightly pappy baguette), but this is a “Junior”, aka the rollover’s baby cousin. The entire thing is less than double the length of the small sauce sachet provided. It’s a three-biter, to use a phrase that I’ll probably leave on the shelf in future.
The price is a joke too, even if I sort of knew that was coming. I went “junior” for that reason. I add a reasonable tip (I’m British, it takes two extra steps not to add a tip and I’m medically scared of anyone thinking bad of me, even someone who I’ll never see again). It takes the purchase to $15.56 (£11.78), or £3.93 per bite. The mustard sachet was free, because this World Cup is truly determined to give back to fans.
Prices being overinflated at this tournament is hardly breaking news, but it’s on the stadium food that it really comes into its own. You can argue against lofty ticket costs, but the World Cup is at least a very captive market and an elite sporting environment. Paying 12 quid for a crap, small hotdog is less cool.
The crap, small hot dog wasn’t the only bad option on the menu at Arrowhead Stadium (Photo: Daniel Storey)
I had other options: the £9 pretzel or three-quarters of a pint of beer for £16.80, perhaps (plus tip). Nor is Arrowhead, Kansas City the most expensive stadium. In SoFi in Los Angeles, you can pay £14.70 for the beef nachos, plus 10 per cent sales tax plus tip. At least you cannot doubt the range of products on offer.
It’s just that I think you’d have to be silly to buy any of it. There are clearly times that call for emergency measures, such as a hungry child needing a meal ahead of an evening kick off after wanting to get into the stadium very early, or fancying some salty crisps after a day on the pop. But otherwise… nope.
In my experience, football supporters are prepared to accept uninspiring, make-do stadium food if it is relatively cheap. They are also prepared to pay a premium – although not to the point of piss-take – for decent food. One of the conclusions of my Doing The 92 series was that we live in an age where you can eat bao buns outside a League One football ground. This small, expensive, tasteless (other than the mustard) hot dog ticks none of those boxes.
I’ve seen very few queues for concessions in World Cup stadia, either before the match or at half-time. Anecdotal evidence suggests that US spectators are more likely to buy than foreigners, presumably because they are used to the prices. But few other people are.
Which is in some way reassuring. Perhaps there is a price point at which we can say no to being gouged. Perhaps we do deserve better. But also: why on earth would you be stupid enough to eat in the stadium anyway?
On the Road USA
Join Daniel Storey on his 7,200-mile odyssey across the US to tell the stories of a World Cup like no other.
People are very down on the quality of American food; it is a running joke in the UK. Yes, there is a seemingly endless list of fast food options serving pretty tepid fare. Yes, this is the natural home of deep-frying beige products to make them a little less beige. Yes, the portions are massive (is that bad?!). And yes, lots of these things are tempting because they are literally created to be addictive.
But that’s only a small part of the American food climate, even if its cultural dominance through television advertising and vast billboards persuades you otherwise. I’d say that has been the element of travelling to – and around – America that has surprised most supporters. In Warrensburg, Missouri on Thursday evening, a Dutch fan seemed more excited about the slow-cooked meat he had been eating than beating Tunisia 3-1 that day.
In large cities, where games are hosted, America’s vast immigrant communities offer a wealth of choice for just about every cuisine imaginable: Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Japanese are the most common. These communities created a food truck culture which has grown exponentially in volume, value and quality over the last decade.
Even in the smallest towns in the southern states, the average quality of Mexican food is exceptional. When you move further north, you find barbecue better than anything I’ve eaten in the UK in every provincial town. I had the best sliced brisket of my life (see video above) in a pit barbecue restaurant in Lindsay, Texas. Lindsay has a population of 1,045.
Perhaps we should be thanking the World Cup’s venue operators and concession partners for trying to charge spectators so much and seeing relatively few takers. Inadvertently, they have persuaded travellers here to find different, better value, better quality options that rail against the stereotypes of American food culture. I won’t be buying another hot dog, junior or otherwise.
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