Okland Construction served as the architect and contractor, respectively, for the project, which included two new vomitories from the club into the seating bowl.
Fox worked with the Cardinals on Morgan Athletic Club and the Casitas last year, an experience that went well enough for the team to involve him earlier in this year’s premium renovation project. The relationship between the Cardinals and Fox is a collaboration and not a sponsorship — though Fox’s Global Ambassador Hotel sponsored the Morgan Athletic Club — and Fox is involved as a consultant. His portfolio of restaurant brands, including Culinary Dropout, North Italia, and Flower Child, has been augmented in recent years by a growing hospitality business focused on higher-end hotel, club and bar concepts called Author & Edit. Because the Cardinals don’t have a third-party concessionaire partner — the Cardinals own their F&B company while ASM Global operates the stadium — they can collaborate with a restaurateur like Fox more easily.
“He and his team are actively involved in building this and designing this but then on game days, his staff is involved. It’s not just a name only,” Walls said.
The Cardinals and the stadium’s owner/operator, the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority, have spent a combined $300M over five seasons updating the stadium, preferring to do smaller projects each year instead of one overarching renovation. That includes a new WiFi and sound systems, and ribbon boards.
“Constantly making sure it feels fresh and new,” said Walls, “and that’s an every year investment, not just one-off projects.”
The constant drip of improvements and new seating products is paying off. The Cardinals added 50 new menu items and five new local brands to its concessions offering last year, which the team thinks contributed to a No. 7 ranking in the NFL’s Voice of the Fan surveys. They ranked third in the NFL last year in new season ticket sales, and have sold 7,000 more new season tickets this year, on pace to lead the league. It’s the most season tickets sold at this point of an offseason since State Farm Stadium opened in 2006. Additionally, the Cardinals’ season ticket renewal rate of 90% is its highest in a decade.
