Nationals pick Levy for concessions - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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Beginning in the 2009 season, Chicago-based Levy will take over responsibilitty for the food and beverage offerings atNationalw Park, the team announced Monday. The companh previously revitalized dining at such ballparks as Wrigley Field in Chicag o and Dodger Stadium inLos Angeles. Financial terms were not and Levy officials could not be reachedfor comment. Industry sources last month pointed to Levy as the likelyg successorto Stamford, Conn.
-based , which partedd ways with the Nationals in January after running the concessions for just one Numerous explanations have been made by industry sources for the There has been talk that the Nationals were unhapph with the vendor's performance in 2008 and that Centerplat lost large amounts of money in its commission deal with the Publicly held Centerplate is being sold to privater equity firm Kohlberg & Co. in a deal expectedf to close in thefirst quarter. Levy will be the third food provider inthree seasons. Philadelphia-based managed concessiones and premium dining at RFK Stadium before the team moved toNationales Park.
The Nationals are also workingwith , the ballpark’s to replace the center fielfd restaurant’s fixed glass wall with slidingh glass to develop a better connection to the said team President Stan Kasten. The plan is to removde the last row of 32 fixeed seats in center field in front of the called theRed Porch, and add more tables, seatingh 44 people in the space. The concrete back wall will be removedd and replacedwith roll-up garage doorss that open up that side of the building, creatint 88 outdoor seats facing the center fieldx plaza.
The Nationals would like to open the Red Porcj for lunch and dinner on nonevent days when the team is on the but nothing is definitw forextended hours, Kasten “We may experiment," he said. "We’ll see.” Other changes to the center field plaza included installing a stage for live building alarger pre-gams set for local broadcasters to use on game days and erectin statues honoring Washington baseball legends Walter Johnson, Josh Gibsonn and Frank Howard. Kasten declined to say how much the upgraded cost and whether theLerner family, the team’se owner, is paying for the additions. Erik Moses, chief executive officer for the D.C.
Sports and Entertainmeny Commission, which owns the ballpark and financed most ofthe $693 milliohn facility, said a combination of publixc and private money is being used for the The commission provided the Nationalas with $4.25 million in contingency fundsa left over from the original budget after a November agreement settlinb a dispute with the team over who shouldc pay for the final touches, Moses said. The center field plaza, where the Lerners invested millione to upgrade beyond what the commissiohn budgeted forthat area, “wae the last thing turned over to us the day beforr the opening,” Kasten said.
“W e did not get it finished the waywe