Minor League Baseball Teams Are Serving Concessions for Curbside Pickup

Last week, Major League Baseball released a 67-page document that outlined all of the health-and-safety requirements that it will have to find a way to implement before America's favorite pastime can throw out a single pitch. According to ESPN, the league has suggested that it must have the ability to process 10,000 coronavirus tests every week, it has recommended that baseballs will be "thrown away" after being touched by multiple players, and it suggests that spitting, high-fives, fist bumps, and snacking on sunflower seeds in the dugout will all be prohibited.

Despite all that, MLB is still optimistically suggesting that Opening Day could arrive sometime in early July. But if you can't wait that long for a foot-long hotdog or for literally anything served in a little plastic helmet, then you might want to see whether your local minor league team is offering curbside concessions outside its own ballpark.

Starting this week, the Richmond Flying Squirrels will be hosting Funnville Foodie Fridays from 11:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., allowing fans of the team and their Squirrelly Fries to drive up for a to-go order. The Squirrels will be serving hot dogs, burgers, chicken tendies, sausages, and brats, as well as its new Richmond Rally Cap beer and Feelin’ Squirrelly wine.

"We miss our fans terribly, and we know one of the things they miss right now is our Funnville food and beverages,” Flying Squirrels VP & COO Todd Parnell told RVAHub. “We look forward to being able to give them the opportunity on Fridays to enjoy that through safe, social distance-oriented curbside pickup right here at The Diamond.”

The Flying Squirrels aren't the only team letting fans take a few big bites of the ballpark home. The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels have been serving sandwiches from their Hot Corner Grill; last week, they sold out days before the Friday meal pickup. "We came in today and the first thing everybody said is we get to see some of our fans tonight," Kernels General Manager Scott Wilson told KCRG. "We're excited about that, too; we haven't seen our fans in forever."

The Fort Wayne (Ind.) Tin Caps have decided to go even further, selling kits that make five complete meals for a family of five. One of its recent Family-5 Kits, which sell for $185, contains all of the ingredients to make tacos, chicken mole, hot dogs and brats, pulled pork sliders, a marinated chicken meal, and Philly cheesesteaks. Each kit also comes with souvenir cups and helmets, potato chips, and a dozen brownies and cookies. (I mean... holy cow.)

The Charleston (SC) River Dogs are also offering meal kits—including high-end offerings for a 'staycation for two' or a lowcountry brunch—as well as fresh produce boxes and pantry essentials (yes, that means toilet paper).

If you live within pickup distance of a minor league stadium, it's probably worth checking the team's website to see what kind of to-go meals might be available. Chances are, they'll have more than peanuts and Cracker Jack.