Fans of Michigan football will have big and tasty new food to cheer on the Wolverines this season at the Big House and other University of Michigan sports venues in Ann Arbor.
On Monday, Aug. 24, Levy, the new food and beverage partner at Michigan Stadium, as well as Crisler Center, Yost Ice Arena and other Michigan sports venues, unveiled more than a dozen new chef-created menu options across concessions, club and suite level seating.
A big change-up is that Hungry Howie’s Pizza replaces Buddy’s Pizza as the pizza provider this season at the stadium, Michael Jordan, Levy Restaurants' vice president of hospitality and strategy at the University of Michigan, said on Monday.
And while there are lots of new food options, Jordan said they’ve invested
in new operations such as new equipment, new point of sale, and new technology.
“We came in, invested into the building to try to make the operation better, faster, more efficient for our staff, make their jobs easier, which ultimately leads to guests getting better quality food, food faster back to the game to cheer on the team,” Jordan said.
Fraser’s Fairway Packing Co., a longtime Eastern Market meat purveyor known also for serving restaurants, chefs and hospitality partners, is also new this year. Founded in 1956 in Detroit, Fairway Packing is providing its custom-blend burgers throughout stadium concessions and club level seating. Crisler Center and Yost Arena will also serve Fairway’s burgers.
Emmet Baratta, CEO of the family-owned Fairway Packing, said in a news release that its team is “incredibly proud” to serve its burgers at Michigan Stadium.
“We’ve spent decades building our reputation around quality, consistency and taking care of our partners,” Baratta said. “To bring a product our team makes right here in Michigan to one of the most iconic venues in sports is extremely special.”
What’s new
A host of new food options include plenty of beef, from burgers to brisket to sliced-to-order roast beef sandwiches with cheddar and horseradish aioli, loaded big baked potatoes and shareable nachos in a replica Michigan Stadium container.
A highlight, Levy’s executive chef Pancho Resendiz told the Free Press, is that they are partnering with Fairway Packing not only for its burgers, but a new “action element” you won’t see at almost any other stadium in America.
“We are hand carving some whole meats from Fairway, and there will be carving stations and slicing and making and making sandwiches in the general concession area,” Resendiz said.
Concession highlights
- Jalapeno Popper Dog: A favorite among the media, this is a Dearborn all-beef hot dog with Cheddar whipped cream cheese, bacon and charred jalapeno relish.
- The Deli Stack Burger: This is a double smash burger with Swiss cheese, shaved pastrami, dill pickle chips, and wholegrain mustard aioli on a toasted pretzel bun.
- Loaded baked potato: A big potato offered two topping options. There’s beef chili with Cheddar cheese, sour cream, crispy onions and scallions. The elote has roasted corn, chili lime aioli, cotija cheese and cilantro.
- Empanadas: These are crispy hand-held options with a choice of beef drizzled with chipotle aioli and scallions, chicken with jalapeno ranch and cilantro and apple cinnamon with cinnamon sugar and salted caramel drizzle.
Club-level highlights
- Woodson Bourbon BBQ Bacon Burger: Fairway Packing Co. Angus beef smash patties are topped with Woodson Bourbon-glazed thick bacon. Finishing off the burger are toppings of cheddar cheese, fried onions, house pickles and barbecue aioli. It’s served with waffle fries.
- Block “M” Pretzel: A pretzel in the shape of a big “M”. It’s served with Zingerman’s pimento cheese and spicy mustard for dipping.
- Brisket Burnt Ends Mac & Cheese: Creamy mac and cheese meet tender pieces of brisket topped with pickled red onions and sliced jalapeños.
- Zingerman’s Pimento Cheese Chicken Sandwich: Hand-breaded chicken tenders topped with Zingerman’s pimento cheese and house pickles served on toasted brioche and served with waffle fries.
The Michigan Wolverines’ first matchup at Michigan Stadium is 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 against Western Michigan.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Buddy's out, Hungry Howie's in at Michigan Stadium this fall
