Mercedes-Benz Stadium to keep famously low concession prices for Super Bowl

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be sticking with its renowned low prices at concession stands for Super Bowl LIII, Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay said, according to ESPN's Vaughn McClure.

The Falcons' $1.5-billion home includes "Fan First Menu Pricing" that lists hot dogs at just $2, a slice of pizza for $3, and beer for $5. The 12-item menu features lower prices than any other major professional sports venue in the United States.

McKay says raising those prices for the marquee event was never considered.

"We said this in our negotiations with the SEC, the college football championship, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four ... what we basically said is every customer that comes through that door is our customer,'' McKay said. "So we want to treat all those customers the same and give them the same experience in food and beverage.

"What was interesting with the SEC negotiations, (late) commissioner Michael Slive kept telling me, 'Hey, I want a provision in this contract that talks about the pricing and prohibits you from being able to raise the prices for our game.' And I said, 'Commissioner, we want the same provision.' It was interesting that we had a common goal yet two different mindsets. So we put that in the bids for all the major events, including the World Cup.'''

McKay says average spending per customer went up 16 percent between the Falcons' final year at the Georgia Dome through the first season at the new stadium, despite a 55 percent drop in prices.

The venue will be stocked with 75,000 bottles of water ($2), and 55,000 hot dogs available for the projected 75,000 fans in attendance. There will be 680 points of sale throughout the stadium that include at least one item from the fan-first menu to help alleviate the increased congestion.

"It does you no good to charge $2 for a hot dog if it takes an hour to get it,'' McKay said.