Penn State adding local flair to food and drink options at Beaver Stadium. What’s new?

Penn State’s football season begins Saturday night and that means the concourses of Beaver Stadium will be flooded with fans. This year, there are plenty of new things to know before heading to the game.

That starts with new food options for fans who have grown used to the same staples in the concessions — chicken tender baskets, of course, leading the way.

This year, plenty of those new options will have a local feel to them. Doan’s Bones, We Are Inn and a long list of other Pennsylvania concessions will be now available throughout the stadium, with an intent to make the stadium feel more like the region in which its located, according to Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft.

“We have so many great vendors, food and otherwise, so I think it’s a great opportunity to showcase them,” Kraft told the Centre Daily Times. “We want a variety. We want to continue to enhance what we’re offering to our fans. A lot of the brands are brands that people around here are accustomed to and know. So we’re really trying to lean into that. And we’ll continue to evaluate what we can add and how we can continue to create more offerings for the fans.”

The following are the new concessions and where they’ll be located in the stadium:

• Caliente Pizza – east and northwest concourse (2 locations)

• Wing Kitchen – west and northeast concourse (2 locations)

• Chickie and Pete’s – west and northeast concourse (2 locations)

• We Are Inn – south and northwest concourse (2 locations

• Doan’s Bones – southeast concourse

• Adam and Nancy’s Paninis – northeast concourse

• Scott’s Roasting – north concourse

• Philly Pretzel – southwest concourse

• Gluten Free Stand – southwest concourse

Changes with alcohol sales

After Kraft and his athletic department added alcohol sales to Beaver Stadium last season, they’ve decided to localize those as well. Rusty Rail Brewing Company, based in Mifflinburg, will sell a hazy IPA in the stadium called The Fans. That goes along with an American lager offering from New Trail Brewing Company called State Light.

The decision for Rusty Rail to begin selling inside the venue was an easy one for the company’s president, Rich Schraeder.

“We were super excited,” Schraeder told the CDT. “We were really pumped up. We’ve done some beer in different venues before. ... But this one was especially exciting because of it being so close to home and that connection to all the Penn State fans and alumni. If you drive through Mifflinburg during Penn State football season, you’re going to see Penn State signage everywhere and people supporting that team.”

The continuation of alcohol sales comes after the athletic department shut them down at times during games last season because there were logistical issues. Lines for alcohol interfered with lines for bathrooms and created a mess at times on the stadium’s concourses, which were too narrow to handle additional sales points.

Now, Kraft and his department have come with a better plan to streamline those sales and make sure there’s less interference in that regard.

“In certain concourses we’re going to be selling beer out of the brick and mortar concession stands,” Kraft said. “For example, on the east side — that concourse space is too small and it just wasn’t working. Now we think we can streamline that process to hopefully make it easier. ... We’re gonna have the walk-through kind of stands in the main area, the grab and go’s, that we had last year. Those were really successful. But looking at the brick and mortars on the east and the tightness of that concourse, we think we’ve got a solution by utilizing the concession stands themselves.”

New family-friendly features

The concessions and alcohol lines are not the only changes that will be made to the game day experience at the stadium. Kraft said he made an effort to make everything more inclusive for families.

Family-friendly gates have been added in two locations at Gate F and the ADA Gate. Those gates will allow entry for those with children 12 years old and younger and allows for clear diaper or tote bags sized 12” x 6” x 12” or smaller to enter the stadium. Children under the age of two will be allowed to enter with a lap ticket, where the child must sit on their parent or guardian’s lap. Those tickets will only cost $10 and can be bought at Gate B or Gate E. Adjacent to Gate D there will be a Kids Zone that will include games, a turf field and activities but will require a game ticket for entry.

Those, and other additions, were a priority for Kraft, who said he thought of his own children and their experiences when coming up with these changes.

“I think (our younger fans) are really important,” he said. “I want our younger fan base to continue to grow and have the experience that so many have. I see my own kids when they walk in that building. I think it’s important that you don’t dismiss the families that are coming. That’s how traditions are handed down over time. It’s going to the game with your grandparents, going at a young age, I’ve heard so many of those stories. ... We want to continue to create family zones so that it’s a better experience for everybody. We’re trying things now and we’ll continue to grow on what we’re doing.”