Star athletes from all over the world are playing at the T20 Cricket World Cup, but the line to get food may be the fiercest competition of all at Eisenhower Park. Concessions stand queues were in the 30-minute range during Wednesday's match at the East Meadow stadium and patrons grew desperate enough to skip to the front to try to make deals with employees. Much of this had to do with the fact that they had run out of the venue's most popular item, veggie samosas.
Although Ireland was at play, the majority of the crowd was sporting blue and orange jerseys for India. The tournament's most anticipated match, India vs. Pakistan on Sunday, is expected to bring 34,000 fans to the temporary stadium.
Concessions are being handled by Legends Hospitality, the brand that also manages food for Yankee Stadium, plus large-scale venues in Dallas and Madrid. In addition to stands serving halal foods, there's about a dozen food trucks selling tacos, burgers and coffee and chai, since the eight matches often start at 10:30 a.m.
Most of the vendors are either from Long Island or the tristate region. Legend's VP of culinary operations Gretchen Beaumarchais acknowledged the challenge of serving tens of thousands of international customers in a makeshift stadium with minimal infrastructure. Dishes are being prepared in mobile kitchen trailers erected throughout the property.
The menu was designed with global sports fans in mind, from dishes like tikka masala, fish and chips, kofta kebab and an a.
