Cheap Eats

The Reds are going with a dollar menu at Great American Ballpark this year:

It might seem just like a fast-food restaurant when you walk into Great American Ball Park for a Reds game this season.

The Cincinnati Reds’ concessionaire is launching a value menu, offering a few food and drink items for a dollar.

“We realize the need to create more value,” said Don Dierig, general manager for Sportservice at Great American.

Fans will be able to pay a buck for any of six items: hot dog, soda, peanuts, popcorn, ice cream or Redlegs Chew candy, Dierig said. The items are smaller than the standard that sell for $3.50 or so. For example, the hot dog is “one size smaller” than the standard dog, Dierig said. It’s one-tenth of a pound, vs. the standard size that’s one-sixth of a pound and sells for $4.50 at the stadium.

I’ve been beaten up around here in the past for screwing up on math, so tell me if I mess this up, but the way I figure it, the Reds will be charging 78% less than the original price for a hot dog that is 40% smaller than the typical size. That’s a real deal, so unless they limit the number of Value Dogs per person, they may eliminate the market for their full priced dogs. If they do limit the number, however, it may create a Value Dog black market.

So I guess what I’m saying is, there will be uncontrolled chaos at Great American Ballpark this summer.