THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 15, 1996 TAG: 9605140097
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
GREET JIMMY BUFFETT with a margarita.
Toast the Virginia Symphony with a glass of wine, and pass the cheese, please.
No matter what your mood, there will be food and drink to match at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater. And plenty of it.
Two concession stands with 24 points of sale, three kiosks with eight stations each, plus numerous carts will be ready to serve you.
Familiar snacks like popcorn and hot dogs will be available at all shows, says Nick Biello, vice president of Ogden Entertainment Services in Cheverly, Md., which operates the amphitheater concessions.
``But if Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli were to come, we might put in an Italian menu,'' Biello says, ``and maybe serve champagne by the glass.''
Or margaritas for Jimmy Buffet or wine and cheese for the symphony, he adds.
``On the other hand, if you have a children's show, you also have to react,'' Biello went on. ``You might suspend liquor sales. Instead of a frozen cocktail, you might serve a frozen drink without alcohol.''
Full meals will not be served, but the concession stands will be equipped with grills for cooking hamburgers, chicken and other substantial meats. ``At this point, we're not talking about dinners,'' Biello says, ``but more upscale concession food.''
The amphitheater hadn't released its menu earlier this week, but we copied the menu from a concession-stand sign. Here are some examples (full menu, page ):
Hamburger, $3.50. French fries, $2.50-4.50. Popcorn, $3. Soda, $2.50-3.50. Beer, $4. Wine, $3.50.
Concert-goers may recognize the names of local businesses at push carts. For example, Beach Bully Open-Pit Bar B Que in Virginia Beach and Norfolk's Jack & Jill Ice Cream are among the locals you may find.
``We also are in the process of negotiating with a local pizza franchise,'' Biello says.
Your neighbor or co-worker could be serving up that grilled chicken or those french fries as well. Volunteers from local non-profit groups may help out at the concession stands and take home a portion of the profits to fund their projects.
You can't bring food or drinks to the concert, but that isn't unusual.
The business is ``cash-intensive,'' Biello says, and concessionaires have a large investment to recoup.
Also, there are the liability laws to consider, Biello says.
To prevent an enthusiastic concert-goer from tossing a bottle or can onto the stage or into the crowd, everything will be served in paper or plastic, even champagne.
In addition to the Virginia Beach Amphitheater, Ogden operates concessions at 25 other amphitheaters across the nation and at Norfolk's Scope.
But if you cover up the Ogden logo, you would never know the same firm was running them all, Biello says. The food, workers' uniforms and stands are designed to match the decor of each arena.
That means the paper plates, cups, napkins and fixtures will blend with the amphitheater's teal and red color scheme. And the food will be designed to feed the spirits of Virginia Beach concert-goers.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH AMPHITHEATER by CNB