Ideas for a Concession Stand for Championship Games

The championship game -- whether for high school football, college hoops or Little League baseball -- is a big deal for the players and their families. Stock up the concession stand with special items that celebrate the teams that have worked so hard to get to the championship. With good planning and some imagination, your food and drink budget will stay about the same, and you'll bring in high profits from selling special spirit items that weren't stocked earlier in the season.

  1. Mascot Dogs

    • You probably serve hot dogs all season long. For the championship game, give your dogs or hot sausages team spirit by creating "mascot" dogs. For example, if your team is called the Tigers, serve "Tiger dogs" topped with cheese, onions and chili sauce. Other special topping ideas include lettuce, tomato and onion; barbecue sauce and pickle relish; and sauerkraut and spicy mustard. Charge an extra 50 cents to a dollar for the championship dogs.

    Team Color Coolers

    • Stock the refrigerator with sports drinks in the team colors. You can buy cases of sports drinks in almost any color, including clear to suggest white and purple to suggest black. If the fridge is visible to fans, take some time to stock it in alternating team colors -- you can stock one team's colors on one side and the other team's on the other. Keep plenty of your regular beverages on hand for those who don't drink sports drinks.

    Extra Treats

    • Offer something extra special that you normally don't stock for regular season games, such as homemade cookies or brownies made by volunteer parents and friends of the team. Bring them out during a break in the game such as halftime, and have volunteers sell them from trays in the stands. Be prepared to make it a tradition, because this extra treat could become so popular -- and profitable -- that you'll have fans and boosters asking for it at every game.

    Non-edible Items

    • Even if your concession stand is food-only during the regular season, you'll want to offer some kind of spirit merchandise for the big game. It can be as simple as team buttons or ribbons and stick pompoms, or you can sell bigger items such as championship pennants, caps, foam fingers or towels. While some of these novelties can be fairly costly to produce, chances are you'll make the money back and then some, as people snap them up for souvenirs.