Delaware North Co. is taking an aggressive approach to making changes to the concessions at KeyBank Center.
The Buffalo-headquartered company is updating food and beverage offerings, changing some of its service styles, adding locations for certain popular offerings, working through fan surveys and focusing on ways to make items easier to find.
Much of that wouldn鈥檛 be possible without the backing of the arena鈥檚 main tenant 鈥 the Buffalo Sabres.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have the partnership and the support on the backside, none of that stuff gets off the ground,鈥 said John DonVito, who鈥檚 worked in the industry for more than 20 years and is entering his second full season as Delaware North鈥檚 general manager at the arena.
That kind of support and attempts at collaboration from the organization are good signs for Delaware North, which has only a few years remaining on its contract at KeyBank Center.
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The longtime concessionaire of the Sabres has been working to prioritize the fan experience and working toward impressing an ownership and leadership group that has another difficult decision ahead.
Sabres owner Terry Pegula already decided to head in a different direction with food and beverage, along with retail sales, at Highmark Stadium, where Delaware North is a longtime partner of the Buffalo Bills. Legends, which has a growing relationship with both the Bills and Sabres, has taken over retail sales and will be the concessionaire at the new stadium once it opens in 2026.
Pete Guelli, chief operating officer for both teams, said improving the fan experience has been a top priority for the Sabres, and part of that effort has been partnering with Delaware North to amplify the food and beverage experience at KeyBank Center.
He said he started meeting with Delaware North leadership, including the Jacobs family, the day he got the job in March and has acquainted himself with the staff inside the arena, as well.
The next step in what is a forward-looking process for the two sides focusing in on the future of arena concessions is continuing to adjust each season, as needed.
鈥淔ood and beverage is an important part of what we provide, and it鈥檚 a huge part of the experience,鈥 Guelli said. 鈥淥bviously, Delaware North is based here, so collaborating with them is not that difficult. You need to find time to spend with them.鈥
DonVito works hand in hand with Dominic Verni, the Sabres鈥 executive chef, on food and beverage offerings, and said Guelli has brought a great energy to the organization and the relationship with Delaware North.
The team has collaborated with Delaware North on conducting fan surveys on concessions offerings and in other efforts so it is easier for spectators to find food and beverage items throughout the arena.
鈥淭he Sabres are in lockstep with everything we do,鈥 DonVito said. 鈥淒om has been super passionate and supportive of all the crazy ideas I pitch to him, helping me get a lot of this off the ground and running.鈥
Both the good and bad feedback that comes from the surveys is critical in decisions that are made for each season. Without it, Delaware North can鈥檛 get better at what it is doing, DonVito said.
However, it has been refreshing to get some positive feedback over the past year, DonVito said, after fans had been vocal about some of their displeasure with food and drink offerings and prices.
鈥淲ith me having a full year in the building, we now have the data to see what we can do and what we can improve upon,鈥 DonVito said. 鈥淚 understand the NHL, but every building is so different and every fan base is so different, so now we鈥檝e had a full year to see what motivates these fans. We鈥檙e as much their partner as they are our partners.鈥
That fan feedback pushed Delaware North last season to a back-to-basics approach 鈥 getting better at some of the arena staples. That included improving the ingredients and how the company made hot dogs, pizza, beef on weck and nachos, as well as focusing on making more traditional, theater-style food. It led to the creation of food attractions such as the two-foot nacho.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what the market wanted, so we figured let鈥檚 just do it,鈥 DonVito said. 鈥淭here is a certain way Buffalonians want their food.鈥
For this season, every concession stand on the 300 level has been renovated and enhanced in some way, whether it be in service style or menu changes.
Delaware North gutted one of the spaces on the 300 level, next to an escalator, to add a Coca-Cola Corner stand. It is one of four stands from the 100 level that were popular with fans last season, so they鈥檙e also moving to the 300s this season.
Additionally, the company created a Center Ice Cantina stand with Mexican-style offerings on the third level to keep those flavors alive, even after a now-former partner left the building.
The same is being done on the first level, where there will be a new Greek Out cart with rice and salad bowls made to order, replacing the offerings formerly from Rachel鈥檚 Mediterranean Grill, which is retrenching after a failed expansion into other markets.
鈥淲e have a lot of pride and passion about what we can create in-house,鈥 DonVito said.
Guelli said Delaware North has been flexible with their offerings and trying to make the food and beverage experience more affordable 鈥 something fans have also been clamoring about for years. That includes offering a 25% discount on concessions for season ticket holders and creating a Kids Meal for families attending games.
There is so much more that goes into upgrading the experience.
Delaware North has been increasingly strategic about where food stands are built, what items are offered in each quadrant of stands, how traffic flows in and out of quadrants, and erecting large, eye-catching signs indicating what type of food stand is where.
The company spends much of the offseason thinking about these integrations, with speed of service top of mind.
鈥淲herever we can kind of influx speed and flow and satisfy that experience is super important to us,鈥 DonVito said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e balancing out the floor to make it so that if you鈥檙e sitting in a certain area, you don鈥檛 have to go miles away for everything. You won鈥檛 satisfy everyone, but you try to check as many boxes as you can within every footprint.鈥
Food stands are typically set up right off the escalators, and usually include arena favorites for both adult groups or families coming with kids.
鈥淛ust by organizing it, it makes people feel better, and it鈥檚 a smoother experience,鈥 DonVito said. 鈥淵ou move along and keep people happy.鈥
At some food stands, fans can see their food cooked or dished up right in front of them. With more hands-on food stands, there has been a need for additional staff, including employees with advanced culinary experience. DonVito said they doubled the culinary staff at the arena last year and added another 10% this season.
鈥淲e hire and train consistently. We don鈥檛 stop that effort,鈥 he said.
DonVito is also a believer in using every ounce of space around the arena, especially with the limited capacity of the small KeyBank Center concourses.
鈥淚f there is a blank wall, I just take the wall and put something there,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 service the guest with a blank wall.鈥
And just like at Highmark Stadium, Delaware North has stepped up its wayfinding efforts. Surveys have indicated that fans have a difficult time finding certain food and drink items.
Delaware North has partnered with the Sabres to set up on the team webpage a drop-down with a food and beverage option in the arena tab that includes a full arena map of food and beverage offerings. The company also works with a food experience social media influencer who journeys around the arena trying different items.
鈥淚n a lot of studies, people would mention that they wish we had a certain item, and we would read it and go, 鈥榃e have that in three locations,鈥欌 DonVito said. 鈥淭here is nothing more frustrating than getting a survey back and realizing that it is a wayfinding issue.鈥