The Utah Jazz and Levy have announced a new joint venture–Salted Honey Hospitality–to manage food and beverage operations at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the Jazz, is undergoing a $125 million renovation that will be completed for the 2017-18 NBA season.
The joint venture to be known as Salted Honey Hospitality also extends to Smith’s Ballpark, the home of baseball’s Salt Lake Bees (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), as well as the Tour of Utah professional cycling stage race in August and the Salt Lake City Stars season of the NBA G League beginning in November. More than 2 million guests annually attend events at these Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment venues.
“Distinctive and delicious food choices are an important part of the game-day experience,” said Jim Olson, president of Vivint Smart Home Arena. “Our guests deserve best-in-class hospitality from trend-inspired menus to building favorites when they attend our events. We are bringing together hometown restaurants and the culinary expertise of Levy to truly elevate the dining experience.”
The name Salted Honey Hospitality reflects the intent to bring guest experiences to life with the focus on the details of a world-class food experience, and the spirit of teamwork and family-style hospitality. Under the Salted Honey Hospitality umbrella, Vivint Smart Home Arena restaurant partners will retain their individual brand and food specialties.
Levy has extensive experience in professional sports and developing market-relevant food experiences for all fans throughout the industry, specifically at NBA facilities including: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, United Center in Chicago and Moda Center in Portland. Their diverse portfolio includes restaurants services at the Grammy Awards, PGA Championship, US Open Tennis Championships, and Kentucky Derby.
“This is a unique opportunity to create a signature hospitality brand that deeply impacts the live entertainment experience across Salt Lake City,” said Andy Lansing, president and CEO of Levy. “Our expertise cultivating local tastes for a wide array of fans, combined with Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment’s skill producing first-class events, will deliver a high-quality, memorable experience for all visitors to the arena.”
Vivint Smart Home Arena is undergoing a comprehensive rebuilding of its food and beverage options that will benefit all guests. The renovation of the luxury suites and creation of a super club on level two will maximize the use of working kitchens in dining areas to showcase the preparation of fresh food.
Inspired by an emerging, entrepreneurial food scene, more than 30 local restaurants and vendors have already been engaged as food providers next season. The four corners of the main concourse will feature specialty menus with barbecue from R&R, hand-tossed pizzas from Maxwell’s, Mexican food from El Chubasco, and gourmet hamburgers and signature beef sandwiches from Cubby’s. Utah favorites JDawgs polish and beef hot dogs and Hire’s old-fashioned drive-in style burgers are also joining CupBop Korean barbecue and Zao Asian Café.
The Jazz and Levy, as Salted Honey Hospitality, will conduct extensive marketing and fan research through next-generation analytics to get feedback from the fans and help shape the new culinary offerings. The partnership is also exploring technology advancements through the Jazz mobile app to improve ordering efficiency and fan convenience. The partnership will develop future fan enhancements with new concepts, graphics, and redesigned stands, carts and spaces.
The top-to-bottom upgrades to Vivint Smart Home Arena will improve the fan and visitor experience for years to come. The lower and upper bowl concourses are being redesigned along with fully-cushioned Jazz blue seats for all fans; a 12,000 square foot atrium and new plaza are reshaping the arena entrance; and more than 2,700 rooftop solar panels have been installed.
RELATED STORIES: Jazz Unveil Menu for Renovated Vivint Smart Home Arena
