CLEVELAND, Ohio – Walking into Progressive Field with my own fried chicken, peanuts and Cracker Jacks, it felt like I was sneaking in contraband. Surely, staff wouldn’t let me bring an entire dinner with me into a Guardians’ game.
I thought security would give me a hard time. I even had a screenshot of the food policy ready on my phone. But the gate attendant only had two words for me.
“Ooh, chicken!”
That ended the dullest smuggling story ever told. It turns out that it is totally OK to bring outside food into Progressive Field. And you can bring your own chicken, Chipotle, pizza, and snacks instead of buying $5 bottles of water and hot dogs at the park.
To my surprise the same is true for Cleveland Browns Stadium, but I’ve never seen anyone bring food to a Browns game. But outside food is a strict no-no at Cavs and Monster games. More on that later.
The Guardians have the most relaxed outside food policy of Cleveland’s three major sports teams (and Cleveland Monsters). The website only says: “Fans may bring outside food, subject to inspection from Security Staff prior to entry.”
That leaves lots of wiggle room.
For some people this policy is common knowledge. But even as a lifelong Clevelander I had no idea. It seems like the people sitting near me didn’t either.
“Where did you get that?” one woman asked. Other people just watched as I ate fried chicken behind home plate. Admittedly, they may have stared because I didn’t bring napkins — leaving my face a little greasy.
Guardians’ spokesperson Curtis Danburg said the idea behind the policy is flexibility, giving people freedom to bring in outside food whether it’s because of food allergies or a need to save money.
“It’s about trying to remove as many barriers to somebody coming to the ballpark as possible,” Danburg said.
There are some rules:
Fans can bring in soft-sided coolers, which includes lunch boxes. But it doesn’t include the ridged coolers you’d bring to a picnic. You can only bring in small bags, with the official limit being 16x16x8 inches. There are exceptions, like diaper bags.
Only water is allowed. You can either bring one sealed water bottle or an empty plastic refillable bottle. No glass.
Otherwise, it’s wide open.
A pizza in a pizza box? Yes. A fast-food bag holding McDonalds or Wendy’s? Yes. Hot dogs wrapped in tin foil are allowed, as are potato chips.
Do you want to bring in a salad? You can bring it and plastic silverware along with it. I’m not sure why I even asked about salads at a ballpark — but now we know.
Danburg said the stadium has come a long way with items for people with certain food requirements, like gluten-free hot dogs.
And I admit, the stadium food is not that expensive.
A Barrio taco at Progressive Field is $7.50, not too far off from the “real Barrio.” Neither is an $11 Happy Dog hot dog or a $12 bowl from Ohio City Burrito.
But if it isn’t Dollar Dog Night, $7.50 for a hot dog is hard to swallow. So is $4.75 for a bottle of water, or $5 for peanuts.
I swung by Giant Eagle before the game and got an eight-piece chicken dinner, three boxes of Cracker Jacks and a big bag of peanuts for $13.
I kept it all in a reusable grocery bag. Security looked through it and sent me on my way.
Nothing stops you from bringing in a burrito, or an Edison’s pizza. I didn’t get a clear answer on ice cream — assuming it fits in a small soft-sided cooler. It may melt, but I’m willing to take that risk.
Saving-You-Money columnist Sean McDonnell eating fried chicken at a Guardians baseball game.Sean McDonnell, Cleveland.com
Other stadiums, arenas
Cleveland Browns Stadium and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse both have outside food polices, one is more strict than the other.
When it comes to bringing food to Browns games, the team’s website just says “Yes. As long as the food is factory sealed or in a gallon sized clear bag.” Outside beverages of any kind are prohibited.
I asked for more details, and Browns spokesperson Jordyn White said guests can bring in small food items, and that they should be brought in a clear plastic bag that NFL’s clear bag policy, which limits bags to 12x12x6 inches.
That policy would mean no pizza boxes and no boxes of fried chicken. But you can fit a lot in a bag that size.
At Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — home to the Cavaliers and Monsters — outside food and beverages are not permitted. You cannot even bring in an empty cup to fill with water or a sealed water bottle.
“Exceptions are made for medical reasons, baby food and reasonable children’s snacks (crackers, raisins, juice boxes, etc.),” the website said.
While some have known about outside food at Progressive Field for a long time, I wish I knew about it sooner. It’s great that the Guardians allow you to do this, and I guess I’ll have to try this at Cleveland Browns Stadium next.
Saving You Money is cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer’s column about saving money. We want to know how we can help you save money. Send your questions and comments to smcdonnell@cleveland.com.
Read past columns at cleveland.com/topic/saving-you-money/.
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