Best New Concept
Trisha’s Kitchen
No one can dispute that Tennessee is the state of country music. It’s practically synonymous with the vocal twangs and strings of the genre, but Texas is in contention for the runner-up spot with Austin’s Moody Center not afraid to put its appreciation for country music on display in the concession stands.
On top of booking major acts like George Strait and hosting the CMT Awards, Moody Center has country royalty attached to some of its food offerings. Oak View Group, parent company of VenuesNow, partnered with singer and successful cookbook author Trisha Yearwood, wife of Garth Brooks, to infuse some of her Southern homestyle recipes into their venues, and that vision came to fruition in April with the launch of three concession stands inspired by the country star: Trisha’s Kitchen, Trisha’s Tailgate and parTY nachos at the popular Texas arena.
Months of planning and hard work to develop the concession stands, including having some walls being broken down, were well worth the effort for the venue. Bob Kimsey, food and beverage general manager at Moody Center, said that they converted one stand into Yearwood’s parTY nachos and immediately saw sales go up at that location.
“Food itself is up 152% and the beverage is up 25% so, total, it’s up 75% from what the stand was doing before (Yearwood’s concession concept),” Kimsey said. “We definitely saw a nice return on investment with that name brand recognition. And it’s not your normal nachos.”
Customers are able to build the nachos to their liking, adding smoked pulled pork or chicken with stewed rancher beans over tortilla chips and waffle fries drizzled with pimento cheese queso. It’s also topped with green onions, corn salsa, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, pork rinds and Georgia peach barbecue sauce — all for just $25.
“It is gargantuan,” Kimsey said. “It is a hearty meal, but it’s meant for two. We put two forks in that.”
It’s a perfect representation of a city where its people vow to “keep Austin weird” with its diversity and arts scene. Yearwood’s menu follows that mantra with offerings like the chicken broccoli casserito, a chicken broccoli casserole wrapped in a tortilla with a cheese crust.
“Trisha loves broccoli chicken casserole, and they talked about turning it into a burrito so it could be more mobile,” said Michelle Warner, Yearwood’s culinary director. “Her food is fun and approachable, and what you’re seeing [at Moody Center] is food that Trisha will make herself.”
There’s also the doughnut grilled cheese with bacon and the Texas sheet cake, which includes a hint of Dr. Pepper, a soda that not only originated in Texas but also happens to be Garth Brooks’ favorite drink.
“We definitely wanted it to be food that Trisha loves but then adding the stadium aspect of it,” Warner said. “Trisha did some tailgates at Garth’s shows a few years ago and we used some of these items on that, like the doughnut grilled cheese, the nachos and the chili mac and cheese hot dog.”
Yearwood’s stands offer options one is accustomed to seeing at sports and concert venues like Trisha’s tailgate burger and barbecue meatball sub. She’s also added a bit of her childhood to the smoked chicken wings dish, using her father’s recipe for smoking whole chickens for community events. With the exception of the nachos, the food items are around $15, and dessert items are about $5.
Best of all, fans don’t have to wait long for the food. Moody Center is a grab-and-go venue with customers using self-checkout.
“[Speedy preparation and checkout were] definitely in Trisha’s mindset when we were coming up with the menus,” Warner said. “She definitely didn’t want elaborate things.”
That doesn’t mean the food skimps on quality ingredients. In many cases, Moody Center, which has a culinary team with 60 employees preparing all of the food at the arena, works with local vendors such as Texas French Bread to make Yearwood’s vision possible, and her name carries weight with foodies.
“The credibility that Trisha Yearwood brings with years of experience with her TV show is a huge benefit for us,” Kimsey said. “We really focus on that. We have her cookbooks on display at all three locations. You can pull them out and read her cookbooks while you’re sitting there.”
Yearwood also carries credibility as an artist, having played in venues of all sizes across the country and having an understanding of how the business works.
“She’s well versed in the food and everything, and Moody Center is a beautiful concert venue, and so it really aligns with what she’s doing, having performed [in venues like it] and getting to put her food out there,” Warner said. “This is one of the first times she’s been able to let people try her food on the other side of the camera. It’s great to see that it’s working out.”
Had it not worked out, Yearwood and her team likely would have tweaked the menu, Warner said. The Texas sheet cake offering is already going through a change and becoming a cupcake.
“If something doesn’t work, Trisha’s not going to be precious about it,” Warner said. “She wants people to eat what they want and to enjoy it. She’s down to mix it up.”
Moody Center was the first venue to feature Yearwood’s concept, and Kimsey hopes the partnership with the artist and OVG is a long one.
“It’s mutually beneficial,” he said. “We love having the name brand. We put a lot of effort and work into it, and we’re pretty happy with the result.”
