Texas Rangers say they are working to improve long, slow concession lines

Although the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field has been open for more than a year, thanks to the pandemic they had not been able to “test” it out with a full house until Opening Day last week and it’s obvious to fans that there’s one major issue that needs to be addressed.

The Rangers have played six home games and welcomed more than 25,000 at four of them. Fans are experiencing unusually long wait times at virtually every single concession stand inside at $1.2 billion ballpark.

One Rangers fan spoke for many on Sunday when he Tweeted at John Blake, the team’s executive vice president for communications, “John - I’d start worrying about the lines at the concession stands - they are beyond horrible; it shouldn’t take 45 minutes and 3 innings missed to get 2 hot dogs and a Coke. Everyone hates the lines.”

Whether it’s for a Coke, a beer, hot dogs or even the “convenience store” style market on the top concourse, lines are long, and slow moving.

The Rangers are aware. Be it phone calls, in person complaints, or emails, they are hearing about this development.

“Like any new building, our staff is having to learn it, too. I spoke to our Sportservice GM today and we are making refinements as we speak,” Rob Matiwck, the team’s executive vice president for business operations, said in an interview on Monday.

“We’ve identified some pinch points on the main and lower concourses that we are adjusting,” he added. “We’re also working on staffing levels as people have taken other jobs or decided not to work at this time. That’s a challenge right now across the food service industry.”

At least for the home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 5, which featured an announced sellout crowd of just under 38,238, it took two innings to buy a hot dog and a Coke.

It’s either not enough concession stands were built, or they simply are operating at a slower rate.

Unlike the previous park, where fans who waited in line to buy concessions could only see the game on TVs, the open concourses at the new stadium does allow for most people to see the action while they wait in line.

However, that details is not exactly satiating the masses.

Matwick said he thinks fans can expect to see improvements in the next month or so. “I think that’s fair,” he said. “We’re looking at it each game.”

And the next time they’ll have a chance to look at that will be on Friday, April 16, when the Rangers return to Globe Life Field for a three-game series with Baltimore Orioles.

But there is good news in one area. The lines for the bathrooms do move quick, so there’s that.