The Pittsburgh Penguins are testing the latest innovation in food locker delivery systems at PPG Paints Arena as part of a collaboration with Aramark, the arena’s exclusive food and beverage concessionaire, and Cargill, provider of food pickup system Chekt.
The new self-service concept, which launched at PPG Paints Arena in late February 2022, allows fans to select and order food and beverage items from an exclusive menu directly at their seats and pick up from one of 24 dual-chamber, temperature-controlled food lockers located at the Ford Food Garage in Section 115. This location, adjacent to the Ford Lounge, not only allows all arena guests the ability to order from a new, curated menu featuring everything from truffle buffalo chicken tenders to beer and canned cocktails, but also serves as an added amenity to Ford Lounge patrons.
“As consumer preferences continue to evolve – leaning towards faster, on-demand, and contactless self-service models – we are excited to offer hockey fans at PPG Paints Arena the latest in mobile ordering innovation,” said Alicia Woznicki, vice president of design and development, Aramark Sports and Entertainment.
Using Cargill’s Chekt system and Tapin2’s mobile order fulfillment solution, which connects the Penguins Mobile App to the lockers with a simple SMS-based notification system, concession items will be placed into the locker’s hot or ambient temperature compartments, depending on the food or beverage item, ensuring fans can enjoy their order fresh and at their convenience.
“The Penguins are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance and improve our fans’ experience at PPG Paints Arena through our partnership with Aramark,” said Kevin Acklin, chief operating officer and general counsel, Pittsburgh Penguins. “Our new Ford Lounge mobile lockers allow for food and drink orders to be conveniently placed on your phone using our Penguins app technology and picked up at a convenient time so fans don’t miss any on-ice action.”
Here’s how the process works:
- Using the Penguins app, fans will locate the Ford Food Garage tile and click to view the exclusive menu of food and beverage items.
- Once they’ve added items to their virtual cart and they’re ready to place an order, fans pay through the app and receive confirmation via SMS.
- When the order is ready, fans receive a text instructing them to retrieve their food. When they arrive, fans simply reply "here" via SMS, and the locker containing their order lights up and unlocks.
“By pairing our scale and connections across the food supply chain with consumer insights and understanding of food service, Cargill is in a position to build new disruptive digital solutions by the industry, for the industry,” said Eric Parkin, digital business leader, Cargill. “Chekt lockers and software is one example of how we’re meeting those specific needs.”
