How C&U menu and flavor trends are showing up at the College World Series

It’s a whole new ball game at this year’s College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. For the first time ever, fans are able to purchase beer and wine at the ballpark through a one-year pilot experiment, the Omaha World-Herald reports. While organizers will assess the success after Wednesday’s championship game, other menu hits are tracking along flavor trends at colleges and universities nationwide. Though FoodService Director wasn’t able to make a trip to the ballpark, we saw these four themes echoing throughout the event’s foodservice offerings.

A celebration of local

With a full 95% of respondents sourcing at least some items locally, this was the most prevalent trend in FSD’s 2016 C&U Census. The College World Series takes this another step further, using burgers made at Stoysich House of Sausage for its Bratwurst Burger (also topped with sweet-and-sour slaw and grainy mustard aioli), and Thunderbird Salad Dressing from the Omaha Press Club for the Oma-slaw atop a Buffalo chicken sandwich.

Sriracha and beyond—the sauce effect

Winsight's sister company Technomic named global sauces its No. 1 food trend prediction for 2016, and that crystal ball prediction is coming true at the CWS. From ancho boursin cheese spread and Sriracha mayonnaise on the Midwest Monster cheeseburger to “Cobra Sauce,” a blend of buttermilk ranch dressing, Sriracha and Buffalo wing sauce, to Kalua barbecue sauce on the Kalua barbecue dog, chefs are looking to spicy flavors with a twist to draw in diners.

Waffles and breakfast all day

Innovative waffles were a big hit on Technomic’s Noncommercial Insights report for the second quarter of 2016, calling them the “next blank-slate platform for both sweet and savory flavors.” The CWS takes this trend in an interesting direction, using a sweet Belgian waffle breading for the Cheesy Hot Dog Smasher.

On-the-go snacking

While nachos long have been a ballpark standard, the addition of the walking taco, available atop several varieties of bagged chips, lends an edge of college-inspired convenience to the perennial favorite. (For those seeking a different kind of nacho experience, the Grounds Crew Tacho brings a half-pound of tater tots together with nacho cheese, hickory-smoked brisket, pico de gallo and pickled jalopenos.)