LOCAL FARE: Vivint Smart Home Arena's upgrade brings in unique dining options.

• Author: Coon, John
• Position: Focus

Upgrading Vivint Smart Home Arena went beyond installing thousands of new cushioned seats and rooftop solar panels. The $125 million renovation undertaken during the summer of 2017 also opened the door for fans to enjoy an enhanced dining experience.

A completely redesigned main concourse highlights the arena renovations. It features a 12,000-square-foot atrium with a 76-foot long video screen, a porch that gives fans a full view of the lower bowl and a new Toyota Club that wraps around two-thirds of the arena and offers gathering space for 1,700 guests.

Mingled with these new features are more than 30 restaurants and food vendors. Vivint Smart Home Arena put an unusual twist on these culinary offerings by partnering with local Utah restaurants to give sports fans and concert attendees a wider menu to select from.

Four restaurants occupy each corner of the main concourse: R&R Barbecue, Maxwell's, El Chubasco and Cubby's. Other popular local dining options such as Hires Big H, J Dawgs, Cup Bop and Zao Asian can also be found on the concourse.

"You can get some of the best restaurants in town at the arena now," says Jim Olsen, Vivint Smart Home Arena president.

ENLARGING THE MENU

Creating a quality dining experience was always a critical ingredient in the recipe for Vivint Smart Home Arena renovations. It started with figuring out which local restaurants would be the best fit for the tastes of arena guests.

Nailing down what would appeal to a majority involved liberal doses of time and research. Vivint Smart Home Arena hosts more than 100 events each year that draw approximately 1.8 million visitors. The demographic isn't the same for each event. Fans attending a Utah Jazz basketball game may want different dining options than fans taking in a Katy Perry concert.

Olsen says the arena engaged in a two-step process for targeting the restaurants that would be the best fit. They identified what types of food people wanted when they came to sporting event or concert. Then they made a determination on which local restaurants best fit those categories.

"We did a lot of research but we also went out and did our own food tasting," Olsen says. "Testing some things out and getting a feel for what we liked and what worked. The ones that are in the arena are the ones that rose to the top."

Once it settled on the right options, Vivint Smart Home Arena entered into multiyear deals with all the restaurants. These contracts range from three to five years and...