Toronto Maple Leafs correspondent David Alter has a “side job” of sorts as a critic of the NHL’s 32 teams’ media meals and press box offerings.
Awful Announcing asked Alter to rank all 32 teams’ food offerings, and Alter suggests that the media meal at Little Caesars Arena is the NHL’s best by a far margin:
1. Detroit Red Wings
If the Los Angeles Kings are No. 2, they are a distant No. 2, because nobody in the NHL comes close to delivering what the Detroit Red Wings’ hospitality staff serves to media and support staff at Little Caesars Arena. The fact that I have to pay $13 and still have this ranked at the absolute top speaks volumes about the quality and quantity of this meal.
You walk into the dining area, pay, and pick up your plate before quickly realizing you’re going to need a second one. You start with a salad bar featuring every option you could ask for. Then, you move to the soup of the day; I especially loved that they had a tomato bisque with grilled cheese as an option. From there, you hit the hot food station, where you can choose pork loin or meatloaf with gravy, alongside pesto penne pasta. That would suffice as a complete meal at most arenas.
But you keep going, and then they hit you with a live carving station. I indulged in the herb-crusted hanger steak. Are we done? Absolutely not. You can grab a Coney Island hot dog, or you can keep moving to where they have several different varieties of Little Caesars pizza toppings available (I counted six different options, including Detroit-style). Little Caesars chicken wings are available in copious amounts alongside French fries. It’s insanely good and insanely large.
A lot of equipment staff members from visiting teams eat the exact same meal made available to media, and it was best described to me as the “best kid’s birthday party you will ever go to.” I’m getting hungry just typing this.
On top of that, they have an ice cream sundae bar, cookies, sodas, coffees, and teas. When you head up to the press box, they have the same drink choices, plus an even larger assortment of candy and chips. It really is the best, and nobody else comes close.
The Detroit media meal, provided by Delaware North, is exactly the kind of media dining experience every sports venue should aspire to create. It’s incredible, and I feel privileged to enjoy it when I visit the building twice a year.
Continue reading for a very fun trip around the NHL…
And hey, at this point, the Wings need to take any compliments they can get, and whether it’s Little Caesars Arena or the Joe, the food has always been good.