Wow, was I impressed with student turnout. Did not see that coming.

Wow, was I disappointed with concessions/game operations. Definitely saw that coming.

One of the great "benefits" of OBC membership is access to the "End Zone Experience." In case you're wondering what that is, in 2021 it's a complete lack of signage or direction. If you do somehow discover that you're allowed to use the viewing area of the Academic Center, you are provided with...zilch. There was a woman uncorking some wine but otherwise ZERO beverages -- no soda, beer or water for sale. When I asked a GA about it, he said, "Our vendor didn't show up. We'll figure it out in the next few weeks." Here's an idea: Get the 3-4 GAs to put down their phones, grab some coolers or tubs, fill them with ice and water/soft drinks...and start gathering cash for the department.

I understand that the department has to follow the university's COVID protocols, but the current concessions setup is a huge failure. If there were 20K in attendance last night, it's fair to assume 12K never even attempted to buy a drink, hot dog or other item due to the 30- to 40-minute lines. That's a lot of lost revenue and a lot of dehydrated fans.

I would have expected the department to use the large, open-air plaza beneath the academic center for concession sales. Nope - totally empty. Julie Cromer and Co. -- PLEASE, at the very least, put several beverage stations in this area so fans can grab a Pepsi or water from bins of ice and then pay a cashier. I would happily have paid $8 for a water last night rather than have to miss an entire quarter waiting in line beneath the stands. This was a huge fail. If you don't fix this problem next week and the temp hovers around 80 degrees, you'll need some extra ambulances for heat stroke victims.

The plaza area in front of the academic center had all sorts of activities and food vendors a couple of years ago. This year, virtually none.

Whoever is running the scoreboard apparently decided to skip the step of updating down and distance for long stretches of the second half.

Ms. Cromer seems to feel her role is well above the nitty-gritty of ensuring an acceptable fan experience. I expect better.

That was the only upside to the evening. BTW, Dairy Queen's posted hours on Columbus Road are 11am-10pm. Lights were out at 9:45 last night...

Totally agree. The lines were unbelievable. It's like everyone knew there was a football game last night...except concessions. Is Jackie O's no longer doing Ohio Athletics events? That bit of local flavor was a huge boost to what otherwise qualifies as a High School band booster concession experience.

What a miserable experience outside of just finally being back at a football game.

ZERO heads up they were honoring Frank pre-game. C'mon.

Then the absolutely embarrassment of the concessions. I had about 15 friends come along to this game and it was really tough to explain "it's normally not this bad"

I'd love to know what deal with Jackie O's? Did they pull out? Was that an OU decision?

Either way ... why no beer/water/soda stand in end zone concourse?!?!? Inexplicable.

What an epic fail. You get a huge crowd for the first time in years and the impression you make was miserable.

And I'm not even talking about what transpired on the field. Don't get me started on that ... will only make me more depressed.

Excited to be back at Peden ... but man what terrible customer experience. Really hope someone from Athletic department reads these comments and they make some serious changes for next week and the <10k crowd that'll probably attend

One more thing before I have to get on with putting away the tailgating gear. A decent entrepreneur could see that a local brewery stand (any one of the three) next to a burrito buggy stand (wouldn't have to be the real buggy, could be a replica or the little one) on the Sook concourse would be a huge draw. An easy way to really improve the experience and put an Athens stamp on it.

And to think I passed on a perfectly good Chomolungma thinking I'd just get one in Peden....

Let me add this little tidbit as well. I was one of the lucky few to get 3 soft drinks prior to the game starting. It wasn't a smooth transaction though. After waiting in line for 15 minutes or so as I get near the front of the line they announce "cash only" as they can't access the internet. (Typical se Ohio problem). Then as they hand me my drinks they remove the bottle caps. I asked why they were doing that and was told they have to keep all caps so we don't throw them on the field. WTF??? Where do they get this stuff?
I agree with many others on here about the appearance of the field and Peden. The overall appearance of the stadium was dirty...field included. You'd think someone locally would have been happy to powerwash the bleachers for a minimum fee or even donate time to do it. The field looked terrible in person...even worse on TV.
Finally, the recognition for Frank was an embarrassment. Why not do it between quarters or at a time when full attention is given to him and not when folks are still rushing to their seats and bands are clearing the field? He deserved better.

Talk about lack of game day experience. Why doesn’t the band stay on the field for the team entering or get to their seat before the game starts. No fight song as kick off is approaching? Then the whole issue of all you’re going over the loudspeakers while the band is trying to play. The whole thing was stupid.

Not serving closed bottles is standard operating procedure in all stadiums. Maybe should get out some more b

First time it has happened to me in all of my years at Peden. Was at TQL stadium in Cincy last month and wasn't an issue there either.

Same. Most campus employment jobs seemed to be word of mouth or "if you knew a guy.."


Really discouraging to read all of these comments and experiences. With an AD who came from an SEC program you would think that the standards would have been raised.

Do they still have churches, non profits volunteers etc. working the concessions?

Even with limited cash and labor it still seems like it shouldn't have been as bad as it was?

Oh and BTW, if Union Street Diner can install Xlerator hand driers, Peden Stadium has no excuse.