THINK PINK: T-Mobile Center’s rebrand from Sprint Center extends to food service. (Courtesy Venue)
Editor’s Choice
Magentarita, T-Mobile Center
Brand awareness is a critical piece of naming-rights deals, and for cell carrier T-Mobile, it extends to food service with its Magentarita. The frozen margarita served in general concessions and premium spaces at T-Mobile Center has proved to be a big hit for concerts and other events at the Kansas City, Missouri arena.
The drink’s hot pink color matches T-Mobile’s magenta scheme splashed throughout a venue that started rebranding itself from Sprint Center four years ago after the merger between the two carriers was completed, a process delayed a bit due to the pandemic and shutdown of live entertainment.
Since Levy, the arena concessionaire, introduced the drink in March of this year, part of the terms for T-Mobile’s naming-rights agreement, sales are up more than 20% compared with the old frozen drink stands, said Jay Cooper, ASM Global’s general manager.
Based on the creativity, fan engagement and incremental revenue tied to the new drink, VenuesNow bestows the coveted Editor’s Choice award to the Magentarita and a tip of the salted rim goblet to all lovers of frozen margaritas served at their favorite Mexican restaurant. ASM Global and Levy officials, in tandem with T-Mobile executives, wanted to capitalize on what they see in the marketplace from a convenience standpoint. They spent roughly six to eight months to come up with the right recipe and tested it with T-Mobile before going live with the item.
The branded T-Mobile cups are easy to carry, and most important, the Magentarita tastes good, Cooper said. VenuesNow can confirm the tastiness after trying a Magentaria during the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament at T-Mobile Center.
Levy is T-Mobile Center’s concessionaire and reports the drink’s sales are climbing steadily, Cooper said. The booze-infused concoction sells for $15 and $22 with a double shot of tequila.
“There’s a little bit of a learning curve from our guest perspective as to what a Magentarita is,” he said. “Last year, we sold a pre-made frozen project. It was tasty, but it was like a slushy in a cup that was frozen and it didn’t allow to add the extra shot, the floater. This gives us a lot more flexibility to try different things and people have responded to it well.”
The non-alcoholic version sells for $7. In late July, starting with the sold-out Olivia Rodrigo concert, Levy expanded the non-alcoholic option for the Blue Hawaiian, which is part of the Magentarita program.
“We will offer additional non-alcoholic options to match a show with a high underage demographic,” Cooper said. “But we are seeing an uptick in the general interest in the general interest in non-alcoholic beer and cocktails regardless of the age group, so it makes sense to offer more of those options across the board.”
