Arizona Diamondbacks fans have a new option this season.
Chase Field in Phoenix now includes a 675-seat all-you-can-eat section located down the left-field line on the Insight Diamond Level.
But here's the million-dollar question: Is it a good deal?
The seats cost $30 for non-premier games and $35 for the 15 premier games — a $5 increase over the cost of tickets in the section last season.
What do you get for the extra $5? Your fill of hot dogs ($2.75 each), popcorn ($3.25), peanuts ($4.50), Frito Lay or Corazonas chips, Pepsi soft drinks ($3.25) and Aquafina bottled water ($3.75) from the time gates open until the end of the seventh inning.
That's a lot of value. Eat a hot dog and a soda and you've already gotten your $5 worth.
People are also reading…
The D-backs aren't the first team to try the all-you-can-eat gimmick. The Dodgers opened their all-you-can-eat right field pavilion in 2007 and charge fans $25 for non-premier games and $40 for premier games. But while the Dodgers' all-you-can-eat prices are similar to what Arizona is charging, consider that the view from the D-backs' seats is better. In fact, seats in the Dodgers left field pavilion (which is identical to the right field pavilion) cost only $11-$13. So fans in L.A. are paying an extra $14-$27 to eat all they can eat.
The Braves also have an all-you-can-eat section. In fact, they have two. The all-you-can-eat outfield seats retail for $40-$60, while the all-you-can-eat Golden Casino Moon pavilion is $65-$80. Why so expensive? In the Golden Casino Moon seats, all-you-can-eat includes beer. Rooting for the D-backs is easy (and cheap)
According to Team Marketing Report, the average price of a ticket to a 2009 D-backs game is $14.31, the lowest in baseball for the third consecutive season.
This season the D-backs also have by far the cheapest Fan Cost Index, or FCI, among MLB clubs — $114.24. The Fan Cost Index is a representative look at the cost for a family of four to attend a MLB game that looks at the price of four average tickets, two beers, four soft drinks, four hot dogs, parking for one car, two programs and two adult-sized caps.
The next lowest FCI belongs to the Pittsburgh Pirates at $135.06. The 2009 MLB average is $197.17.
If you go
• You can buy tickets for seats in the all-you-can-eat section for $30 or $35 online at diamondbacks.mlb.com
