Sherae Honeycutt

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Original Post

Opening Day is just a week away, and if the return of baseball doesn’t get you excited, Kauffman Stadium’s new food might.

On Thursday,  the Royals unveiled their new menu for this season.

A lot of last year’s favorites are coming back, like the street tacos and the brisket-totchos, but this year there are some new, interesting eats like the Diamond Club’s “Catch” A’puri.

“It’s pretty much a fondue boat,” Aramark Executive Chef John Woychick said. “So you can pull it apart and dip into it. So it’s not just a mass of melted cheese. It’s actually gooey, and it will lift up, and you can share it with the table.”

They’re also offering the Taiwanese treat bubble tea in mango coconut and strawberry chai flavors.

“It’s really, really refreshing,” Woychick said. “We had some people who’ve never had it before try it this morning say, ‘What is this? It’s really amazing.’ Anybody who’s more up on trends will know exactly what it is and go for it.”

However, with all the new items on their menu, Aramark decided this year the most important food was also the most basic. So Woychick spent months perfecting their new Ballpen Burger.

“It’s very throwback,” he said. “It’s very simple, but we actually have secret seasoning that’s simple. But I’m not telling anybody what it is. It just takes it to another level. You can’t go wrong. Lots of tests went into it of creating that perfect burger. I think it was a three month trial of just to find the right bun.”

You can get the Bullpen Burger with a single to triple patty and a milkshake and classic dog.

Some other new options are a homemade ricotta strawberry spinach salad with a Kombucha vinaigrette. You can also build your own burrito bowl with chicken, beef or pork carnitas.

Aramark’s new partnership with Chickie’s and Pete’s will offer spicy Crabfries and boneless buffalo wings. The Diamond Club will also offer a house-made meatball sub topped with mozzarella.

“Being a baseball fan, I think having a young team out on the field, we’re going to see the real baseball fans out this year, and they’re really going to really embrace what we have on the field and in the concession stands and restaurants,” Woychick said.

So make sure to come to Kauffman hungry for some baseball — and some good food.

For an inside look and individual pictures of all the new items, check out Sherae’s takeover on FOX4’s Instagram story.