The Phoenix Suns have made a fantastic decision for fans by unveiling a new $2 concession menu, giving visitors at the Footprint Center affordable snacks during games. Items on offer include hot dogs, soda, chips, water, and popcorn, with all items seeing more than a 69% decrease in price.
The change was announced by Suns team owner Mat Ishbia on X.
“Winning starts with our fans. When I walk the concourse at games there aren’t food options for families who don’t want to spend a lot of money. That needs to change, so today we’re rolling out our $2 value menu for all home Suns games.”
Winning starts with our fans. When I walk the concourse at games there aren’t food options for families who don’t want to spend a lot of money. That needs to change, so today we’re rolling out our $2 value menu for all home @Suns games. pic.twitter.com/BsluNoKD5P
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) December 18, 2024
Ishbia’s actions have led to a lot of praise, with Suns star shooting guard Devin Booker impressed by the owner.
“That’s special. Mat’s doing some incredible things. I know as a spectator that’s a big change, I always hear about concession prices. That was a big move by him and I found out with you guys.”
Devin Booker on the Suns' new $2 value menu at home games: "Yeah, that’s sick. That's special, man. Mat's doing some incredible things. I know as a spectator, that's a big change. I always hear about concession prices, so that's a big move by him that I found out with you guys" pic.twitter.com/HfdesIBJ22
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) December 18, 2024
Concession prices in modern top-tier arenas are quite ridiculous. A bigger takeaway for me here is that the Suns priced something like water at a higher rate than soda, chips, or popcorn before this change. The prices were taking advantage of fans rather than supplementing their experience of enjoying a game, so creating budget-friendly options is great and should be a permanent change instead of a temporary one.
We shouldn’t give them much credit for artificially inflating the prices of items inside their arena and then reducing them, but it’s still a step that most NBA arenas in the league aren’t taking to maximize revenue from in-arena concessions.
The Suns aren’t the first team in the NBA to create a budget-friendly menu for their fans, with the change being spearheaded by the Vivint Arena, where the Utah Jazz play their home games.
Owners of the Jazz and the Vivint Arena, Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), announced at the start of the season that they will introduce a fan-friendly concessions menu for all home games for the Jazz and the Utah Hockey Club. Discounted items include water for $2, with other items such as hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, and ice cream available for $3.
The Suns undercut the Jazz in price for all the items except water, which is available for $2 at both arenas. This might mark the start of more teams and arenas taking specific high-volume and low-cost products like hot dogs or popcorn and making it more affordable for fans as part of discount menus.
These arenas still offer more luxury dining experiences for those with the wallets for it, but the average fan would be greatly motivated to attend home games knowing that they can get basic concessions without worrying about paying more than the cost of the ticket itself.
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