(AKRON, OHIO) April 4, 2023 – The Akron RubberDucks announce the addition of five new items to the Extreme Food Menu and new Canal Park procedures for the 2023 season.
Buffalo Chicken Nachos are a pound of nachos. A bed of tortilla chips covered with buffalo chicken dip, bacon bits, jalapeno, green onion, black olives and a ranch drizzle make up this new creation.
All Around the World Dog is three unique jumbo overtopped hot dogs in one order. The first hot dog to make up the extreme creation is a Buffalo Chicken Mac Dog, which is a jumbo hot dog topped with Mac n Cheese, buffalo chicken dip, green onion and a ranch drizzle. The second hot dog is a Kimchi Dog, which is a jumbo hot dog topped with cabbage shredded kimchi, chili sriracha sauce, cucumber and mayonnaise. The third hot dog is a Banh Mi Dog, which is a jumbo hot dog topped with shredded carrots, jalapeno, radish, cucumber, cilantro and cusabi dressing.
Emmett’s Big Bangin’ BBQ Brisket presented by ESPN Cleveland is a half-pound sandwich. This next level offering is comprised of pulled brisket topped with BBQ sauce, cabbage slaw, fried onions, cheddar cheese in a bun with a bag of Lays Chips. This culinary creation is dubbed after Emmett Golden, co-host of the Next Level on ESPN Cleveland, and available at the Bier Garten concession stand down the first baseline at Canal Park.
These new extreme items join the returning fan favorite 98.1 KDD Screamer. This five-pound sundae served in a RubberDucks batting helmet is 21 scoops of Smith’s Premium ice cream on top of a brownie base and finished off with chocolate syrup, bananas, whipped cream, sprinkles and maraschino cherries. The 98.1 KDD Screamer is one of the three original Extreme Food Menu items debuting in 2011.
Other returning items to the Extreme Foods lineup are Not Your Routine Poutine, Three Dog Night, Pineapple TeriyAkron Bowl and Nice 2 Meat U Burger. Not Your Routine Poutine was first introduced in 2015 and is a 10 oz portion of French Fries topped with gravy, cheese curds, pulled pork, green onions and bacon bits. Three Dog Night was first introduced in 2011 and is the baseball version of the turducken with a hot dog stuffed inside of a bratwurst then wrapped inside of a kielbasa topped with sauerkraut and Stadium Mustard on a hoagie roll. Pineapple TeriyAkron Bowl was first introduced in 2014 is a half pineapple hollowed out and filled with a mixture of white rice, grilled chicken, diced pineapple and Thai chili garlic sauce topped with a teriyaki glaze. Nice 2 Meat U Burger was first unveiled in 2011 is a two-pound burger. It is an elegant tower of two 8 oz steakhouse seasoned certified angus beef burgers, two beef franks, crispy bacon, grilled onions and American cheese on a toasted kaiser bun.
“The Extreme Food Menu adds a little bit of kick to RubberDucks games and is doing a little bit of traveling with this season’s delicious new additions,” RubberDucks President and General Manager Jim Pfander said. “The Extreme Food Menu began in 2011 and has become synonymous with the Akron RubberDucks ballpark experience, and we can’t wait for the fans to tempt their tastebuds with the new and classic items available at Canal Park.”
To honor Akron, the RubberDucks will be adding JoJo’s (Akron’s name for fried potato wedges and honored in 2022 with its own promotional night) and Sauerkraut Balls (native to Akron, these deep fried balls of sauerkraut, pork and customary dipping sauce will have its own promotional night on Friday, August 18) to the everyday concession menu as well as the new Smash Burger, which is two 4 oz burgers topped with American cheese, onions, fruit fig jam and mayonnaise in a bun.
Another outlandish beverage the RubberDucks will introduce in 2023 is the Extreme Bloody Mary, which is a 16 oz plastic Mason Jar filled with Bloody Mary mix, vodka, stalk of celery, slice of candied bacon, olives and lime. The Extreme Bloody Mary is also available at the Cutwater Tiki Bar in right field.
The RubberDucks will be adding two new procedures for the 2023 season that will improve efficiencies and speed up service time. The first of these procedures is a shift to digital ticketing. Digital ticketing allows fans the ability to have more control over their tickets by being able to go online and select games, forward to friends or recall tickets. Digital tickets allow a quicker and easier entry into Canal Park. By adding the ticket to their Apple or Google wallet, fans can easily hold their phone next to the scanner and then enter the game. For any questions about digital tickets or help navigating digital tickets visit our digital ticketing help webpage.
The second new procedure for the 2023 season is Canal Park is going cashless. This change will make transactions at Canal Park more efficient. Fans that bring cash to Canal Park can use the reverse ATM next to Akron-Canton Airport Guest Services to convert cash quickly and easily into a card that can be used anywhere. There will be a few exceptions to the cashless policy to help best serve fans of all ages. Kid-programmed days like: Education Days (May 16 and 23) and Big Splash Day (July 18) will be hybrid days where Canal Park will accept cash or card, and the Fun Zone will accept cash or card at every game throughout the season.
“We are always looking to improve fan experience,” Pfander said. “We did a lot of research and visited the best sports venues in the business over the past few years. With the move to digital ticketing and a cashless ballpark, we are making transactions at Canal Park faster and easier so fans can spend more time enjoying all the affordable family fun we have planned this season.”
Thanks to the tremendous partnership with the City of Akron and Mayor Dan Horrigan, Canal Park will have a new playing surface for the first time since the 2016 season. This upgrade continues the RubberDucks and City of Akron’s dedication to making Canal Park the best ballpark in Northeast Ohio.
The RubberDucks open Canal Park for the 2023 season on Thursday, April 6, against the Erie SeaWolves. Season tickets, ticket packages and single game tickets are on sale now by calling 855-97-QUACK or visiting akronrubberducks.com.
The Akron RubberDucks are the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The RubberDucks season at Canal Park begins on Thursday, April 6 against the Erie SeaWolves at 6:35 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 330-253-5151 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, or visit akronrubberducks.com/. For more information about the team, please call 330-253-5151, visit the website at akronrubberducks.com, Facebook page facebook.com/AkronRubberDucks, or on Twitter @AkronRubberDuck, and Instagram @akronrubberducks.