Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com July 31, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 3 By Matthew Broderick Special to the Hartford Business Journal W hen Miguel Colan opened Hartford- based Rockin' Chicken 13 months ago, he knew it would have its challenges. "The restaurant business is a tough business," he said. But Colan, whose Franklin Avenue restaurant specializes in rotisserie chicken cooked over charcoal, has grown his customer base in an unlikely place: the ballpark. Colan's restaurant was one of eight select- ed by the Hartford Yard Goats to participate in the stadium's Neighborhood Flavors Cart, an initiative designed to create exposure for Hartford-based restaurants and food trucks, while diversifying the ballpark's fare beyond the traditional staples of hotdogs, peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Through mid-season, the program has largely been a homerun for both fans and participating restaurateurs. "We wanted to have the best ballpark in the [Double-A Eastern] league and having different types of food at every game was part of that," said Steve Given, Yard Goats' director of busi- ness development, who noted this year's inau- gural group of participating restaurants ranges from soul food and Puerto Rican dishes to gourmet grilled cheese and fruit smoothies and mixed drinks. "We want our fans to have a good sampling [of food] throughout the season." As part of the program, each restaurant gets nearly 10 games during the team's 70 home games at Dunkin' Donuts Park. Clover Marsh, owner of Quick Bites, which serves Jamaican-style cuisine normally prepared on her food truck, has had an opportunity to work seven games so far. She says the best part of the experience has been the exposure to new customers — and their feedback. "I get a lot of compliments on my food," Marsh said. "It's just nice to know that people like it." While Marsh says her customer base at games can vary depending on the night of the week, on average she estimates she serves near- ly 130 people per game at the stadium. She has flyers to promote her food truck's usual location at Hartford's Bushnell Park and has seen some carry over business — and increased recogni- tion from her nights at the ballpark. While participating restaurants, accord- ing to the Yard Goats' Given, can earn between $200-$1,500 on a game night, Marsh says she tries to be economical in her offer- ings because a portion of profits for the night is shared with the Yard Goats as a condition of the program. "I try to keep what I prepare — like jerk chicken or jerk pork — simple and cost-effective," she says, in part because of the revenue sharing and partly because the food cart made available to restaurants does not allow for more advanced food preparation. Continued Home Cooking Yard Goats creating exposure, business for Hartford restaurants Rockin' Chicken employees are shown operating out of the Hartford Neighborhood Flavors food kiosk at Dunkin' Donuts Park, which allows local restaurants to serve food at Yard Goats games. 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES SERVICE SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For over 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. We are experts in: Facilities Services Preventive Maintenance Programs Onsite Operations & Maintenance P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D

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