Although the Mud Hens sell almost 200,000 hot dogs each season, the organization is not about to rest on its laurels when it comes to eating options at Fifth Third Field — not without spicing up the sausage-on-a sliced-bun recipe a little, anyway.
The Mud Hens are rolling out six new items in the concession stands at the ballpark this year, including the Mexican Hen dog.
The brainchild of 13abc meteorologist Jay Berschback, the Mexican version of the American standby is essentially a heaping pile of nachos on a bun. It’s a hot dog topped with nacho cheese sauce, chili, diced onions, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream.
Craig Nelson, assistant general manager of food and beverage at Fifth Third Field, said the dog was the winner of a “Create Your own dog Night,” where local celebrities chose from more than 30 toppings — including unlikely options such as guacamole, baked beans and bacon — to create their dogs, which were then put to a vote. Berschback’s south-of-the border creation was the winner.
Another new sandwich this year will be the We Are Ribs pulled chicken sandwich, from We Are Ribs Catering on Wenz Road in Toledo. The sandwich features slow-smoked chicken, hand-pulled and mixed with We Are Ribs’ award-winning barbecue sauce, served on a Kaiser bun.
Those looking to vary their side-dish options will be interested in checking out the new garlic fries.
“They’re the French fries we’ve been serving at the park with a garlic sauce we added for a new option,” Nelson said. “It’s been popular at other ballparks. Fries are a popular item already at the ballpark, so this is just a variation on one of our more popular items.”
For when it’s time to cool down after a few innings in the sun, Fifth Third Field is adding six new flavors to its already stellar lineup of Toft’s Ice Cream. Available in pints, the new offerings are: Cherry Amaretto Fudge, Butter Pecan, Cookie dough, Mint Chocolate Chip, Blueberry Waffle Cone and Black Raspberry Bugaboo Fudge.
“Our number one dessert item in the ballpark is hand-dipped ice cream and ice cream sundaes,” Nelson said. “We now have 14 flavors of ice cream at the park.”
The third most popular item (hot dogs and popcorn take the first two spots) at Fifth Third Field is the giant pretzel, so the Mud Hens are adding pretzel braids to complement the traditional offering. It’s a 7-ounce braided piece of dough, buttered and topped with salt or tossed in cinnamon sugar or Parmesan cheese and garlic. Cheese sauce, marinara and sweet cream cheese sauce are available for dipping.
Those with a sweet tooth in need of a fix will want to dig into the Mini Apple Pie Bites, which are deep-fried pieces of apple tossed in cinnamon sugar. To sweeten the already sinful deal, hot fudge for dipping and vanilla ice cream for a topping will be available.
The new offerings aren’t limited to food, however. The team is in talks with Toledo’s own Maumee Bay Brewing Company to develop a special beer for the Mud Hens faithful this season, possibly in time for opening day. While details and the name of the brew are still being worked on, Nelson said the beverage will be a summery, German-style beer perfect for warm afternoons and evenings at the ballpark.
Nelson said the club always has a running list of new food options, which it develops from going to trade shows or browsing Facebook and the Internet to see what other ballparks are having success with. The desires and eating habits of Mud Hens fans drive the culinary direction of dining services at the park.
“We’re seeing a lot more fans wanting to come down early and want more of a meal, more of a sandwich with a side,” Nelson said. “We try to pick items with that in mind. One of our philosophies, and it’s worked well for us, is we like to have a lot of choices. That’s what people enjoy. They don’t want to have only one kind of this, one kind of that. What we’ve heard from fans is they like to have choices in picking their menu items.”
For more information, visit www.mudhens.com and click on Food & Beverage.
