Tasty menu changes coming to food lineup

New options to be featured at Classic Park concession stands

As senior director of food and beverage for the Lake County Captains, John Klein keeps busy in the offseason.

Klein analyzes what items sold well and not so well at concession stands on the main concourse, at group picnics and on the suite level of Eastlake’s minor-league ballpark.

Then he adjusts the menus to suit those sales trends and play to the tastes of the 250,000 or so fans who turn out for the 70 home games played by the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The Captains play their home and season opener on April 5 against the Fort Wayne (Ind.) TinCaps.

“The joy is seeing fans enjoy what we do and come back every year,” Klein said Feb. 21 during a showcase for items that will be featured during the 2018 season.

Even during the heart of season, when he’s at his busiest overseeing food preparation and the stocking of concession stands, Klein said he pays close attention to

feedback from fans.

“I’ve been getting a lot of requests for vegetarian items,” Klein said.

In response, Klein added a dish to the suite menu that has quinoa wrapped in bibb lettuce and seasoned with Korean spicy sauce.

Last year, a season ticket holder raved to Klein about a pizza burger he’d enjoyed at another ballpark. This season, a pizza burger featuring Jet’s pizza, sausage, provolone cheese and marinara sauce will be a new item at the main concession stand on the third base concourse.

Having noted steady demand for chicken fingers and chicken sandwiches at the concourse concession stands, Klein is adding two chicken items this season. They are chicken drumsticks with barbecue or buffalo sauce, and chicken strips with sweet dipping sauce and battered sweet potato waffer fries.

“You can’t go wrong with chicken,” Klein said, smiling.

Cleveland Polish Boy sandwiches topped with cole slaw, french fries and barbecue sauce will be a new offering at the Captains Grill behind home plate on the concourse.

A new taco stand will be added on the concourse adjacent to the Castaways bar. On the opposite end of the concourse, the existing nacho stand will be upgraded and renamed Buenos Nachos.

The other new items on the suite level are pretzel bites, plain with beer cheese or dusted with cinnamon sugar; and a dessert pizza made in the shape of home plate with puff pastry, roasted Fuji apples, cinnamon and crumb topping.

Although prices have not been set for the new food items, Klein said they will be comparable to prices charged for similar items in recent seasons.

KAILEE LEONARD — THE NEWS-HERALD John Klein unwraps the Pizza Burger samples in preparation for the new food presentation for the Lake County Captains 2018 baseball season at Classic Park, Feb. 21.

KAILEE LEONARD — THE NEWS-HERALD KAILEE LEONARD — THE NEWS-HERALD The Cleveland Po Boy is one of many new food items to be featured for the 2018 Lake County Captains baseball season. Quinoa lettuce wraps are one of many new food items to be featured for the 2018 baseball season.

KAILEE LEONARD — THE NEWS-HERALD BBQ and Buffalo drumsticks are one of many new food items to be featured for the 2018 baseball season.

KAILEE LEONARD — THE NEWS-HERALD Prospective Lake County Captain ticket customers enjoy a ‘Picnic Lunch-In’ at Classic Park, Feb. 21.