Aramark's deal at M&T Bank Stadium had four years remaininggetty images
Levy Restaurants will replace Aramark Sports & Entertainment as the exclusive concessionaire at M&T Bank Stadium in time for the 2024 season, the Ravens confirmed today. Aramark’s deal had four years left on it, but the transition will be timed to coincide with the first steps of the Ravens’ $600M renovation plan, team President Sashi Brown said.
SBJ first reported earlier this month that Levy has won an RFP contested by Aramark, Levy and Delaware North, though timing details were initially unclear.
“The program we’ll put together with Levy will be a big driver to bringing the new architecture to life,” Brown said. “We understand that increasingly the stadium experience, the fans’ expectations, has evolved, and what we want to deliver to Ravens fans has evolved.”
The first phase of the renovations includes the ultra-premium BlackWing suites and club behind the Ravens’ sideline, and the GateHouse, a multi-level beer hall on the stadium’s eastern exterior. Both include new kitchen space and will require eight-figure capital expenditures from a concessionaire, sources said, which led the team to explore a new long-term deal and a fresh start.
Neither the team nor Aramark would address how the current deal was being wound down to make way for Levy.
“It is a long time to have left on the deal especially when it’s a change that’s not based on something like performance or anything else,” said Alison Birdwell, President and CEO of Aramark Sports + Entertainment. “I’m not at liberty to share any details but we are working with the Ravens to establish go-forward. So, I’ll leave it there for now.”
