Warriors going local in lineup for arena food
From food trucks to black-owned soul food spots, the Golden State Warriors’ love for Bay Area food permeates its team culture. So when the Warriors organization went looking for food vendors for San Francisco’s Chase Center opening next year, it looked to its own backyard.
Instead of the usual arena sights like Dippin’ Dots or Papa John’s, all of the businesses will be small and local. Many are family owned or operated by firsttime restaurateurs. The stadium-food initiative, a partnership between Bon Appetit Management Company and Levy Restaurants, also hopes to provide exposure to smaller food operations tucked away in various Bay Area neighborhoods.
The push came from the players, said Rick Welts, the Warriors’ chief operating officer. De-
Marcus Cousins couldn’t stop talking about food during a recent Warriors organization meeting that included players and personnel, Welts said.
The Warriors’ newly acquired star isn’t alone on the team in his love of local food. When he first arrived in the Bay Area, Kevin Durant shared similar sentiments, and tried boba tea for the first time. Draymond Green has filmed bits at Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and Oakland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen has been a frequent stop for several players, including Andre Iguodala.
The Chase Center’s food vendors will be led by businesses with roots in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood, such as Boug Creole Deli, Yvonne’s Southern Sweets and a quaint peanut brittle operation named Earl’s Brittle. Filipino food truck Sarap Shop and viral sensation Dumpling Time, both located within a stone’s throw of the arena, will also find new audiences inside its walls.
The group also includes CC Made, an artisan popcorn shop out of Berkeley; Sugar & Spun, a cotton candy outfit in San Francisco; and natural beef supplier Five Dot Ranch from Napa. Also on the list is La Cocina, the Mission-based nonprofit that helps women of color open food businesses, and Old Skool Cafe, a nonprofit supper club in San Francisco that’s run by at-risk youth where Welts has hosted parties in the past.
For small operations like Yvonne’s Southern Sweets, a black-owned business known for its butter cookies and pralines, the program represents a push by the Warriors to diversify their new arena’s dining options.
“I’m on cloud nine right now,” said owner Yvonne Hines. “I’ve been praying for it. I mean, I’m local. I’m right down the street from the arena. They could have picked anyone. They could have shipped cookies from back east. Yet they picked me. It says a lot about the team.”
Kristen Brillantes of Sarap Shop can remember the days when she and her friends would go to Oracle Arena in Oakland, sit in the nose-bleed seats and root for the “We Believe” team, a decade ago. Now she’ll be one of the stadium’s vendors.
“We’re still pinching ourselves over this. It’s unbelievable,” Brillantes said. “All we’ve ever wanted is to introduce people to Filipino culture. This gives us a stage to do that.”
The new additions will be housed in several concession stands, sprinkled throughout the arena. They will join previously announced vendors, also local, that will have larger arena presences: Bakesale Betty’s, Big Nate’s BBQ, Tacolicious, Sam’s Chowder House and Hot Dog Bill’s, the family-run stand at the exclusive Olympic Club that sells hot dog-shaped burgers.
Fedele Bauccio, CEO of Bon Appetit, described the lineup as a “living food story” representing the Bay Area.
“We felt these businesses reflect the tastes of both San Francisco and Oakland,” Bauccio said. “And the options will evolve over time as new people come in.”
Notably, International Smoke, the popular barbecue restaurant from Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s wife Ayesha that has expanded to multiple locations throughout the country since opening in San Francisco last year, is not slated to join the Chase Center’s food and beverage program, due in part to rules in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.
Separate from the food vendors inside the arena, the Chase Center will also have 100,000 square feet of retail space outside. Leases for the 29 spaces are still being negotiated, according to Warriors officials.
“The Warriors are giving businesses like mine a chance,” said Tiffany Carter, the operator of Boug Creole Deli in the Bayview. “More than that, it’s like they’re bringing some soul to food options. And that’s about all you can ask for.”