Expanded offerings respond to fan feedback while creating new revenue opportunities for Tennessee Tech
By: Heather Thomas
(UCBJ) – When Tennessee Tech University opens the new West Side of Tucker Stadium, Golden Eagle fans will experience far more than a new place to watch football. They will step into a completely reimagined game day.
With sold-out luxury suites, premium club seating, expanded concessions, six food trucks, beloved Cookeville favorites, nationally recognized dining brands and elevated beverage choices, Tennessee Tech is creating an entertainment and hospitality experience designed to match the excitement building around Golden Eagle football.
The university’s longtime dining partner, Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, will offer alcoholic beverages in select areas of the stadium, including liquor, mixed drinks and wine in the suite and club levels of the new West Side. Beer, cider and seltzer are also planned for other areas of Tucker Stadium, with final service details still being determined.
The expanded offerings respond to fan feedback while creating new revenue opportunities for Tennessee Tech, its athletic programs and student-athletes. Together, they signal a bold new era for Tennessee Tech Athletics, one centered on competition, community, hospitality and an unforgettable fan experience.
“We’re excited to give Golden Eagle fans an authentic, southern game-day experience in the new Tucker Stadium,” said Tennessee Tech Director of Athletics Casey Fox. “We know that the team, led by Coach Wilder, is going to be at their very best. The team is getting a lot of national publicity with the program they have built. Now, we’re making sure every other element of the fan experience falls into place too.”
“The energy in the stadium on Aug. 29 is going to be electric, and we can’t wait to share this moment with our Upper Cumberland community,” he said.
Building a Complete Game-Day Experience
The transformation of Tucker Stadium is about more than upgraded seating and modern facilities. Tennessee Tech is creating a destination where fans can gather, dine, entertain guests, support local businesses and enjoy the energy surrounding Golden Eagle football.
The expanded concessions program will provide one of the most diverse food and beverage selections Tennessee Tech fans have experienced, with six food trucks, a second-level concession booth and a Domino’s Pizza location on the East Side.
The East Side of Tucker Stadium will feature six food trucks:
- A Taste of Tad, serving wings
- WAWAS Teas, offering assorted flavored teas
- Southern Swirl, featuring nonalcoholic dirty sodas
- Get Smoked BBQ
- The Birdfeeder, serving hamburgers, hot dogs and other football favorites
- Southern Ice, offering Italian ice
The new West Side will feature a concession booth serving hot dogs, nachos, bratwurst, fries, chicken sandwiches, popcorn and other stadium favorites. A walk-in market will offer snacks, beer, spritzers, soda, water, chips and other convenient grab-and-go selections.
Fans will also find an impressive lineup of local favorites and nationally recognized brands along the West Side concourse, including:
- Cream City Ice Cream & Coffee House
- Bojangles
- Domino’s
- Southern Ice
- Auntie Anne’s Pretzels
- Crumbl Cookies
The variety gives fans more choices and helps Tennessee Tech create the kind of complete entertainment and hospitality experience increasingly expected at modern athletic venues.
Rather than simply arriving for kickoff, Golden Eagle fans will have more reasons to come early, explore the stadium, enjoy a meal and remain engaged throughout the game.
That extended engagement also creates an economic opportunity for the university. More dining choices and convenient purchasing options can increase concession activity while helping Tennessee Tech capture more of the spending generated by each home game.
Local and Regional Partnerships
One of the most anticipated additions will be a Tucker Stadium outpost of Cream City Ice Cream & Coffee House.
The partnership brings one of Cookeville’s most recognizable businesses into Tennessee Tech’s new game-day environment while reinforcing the university’s local and regional connections. Wines from DelMonaco Winery will be available in the suite and club levels of the new West Side, while TriStar Beverage of Cookeville and Cherokee Distributing in Algood will support the university’s beer, cider and seltzer offerings.
“Cream City is a Cookeville institution, and we are thankful to owners and Tennessee Tech alumni Chris and Karen Savage for partnering with us to bring this local staple to the new Tucker Stadium,” Fox said.
Together, these partnerships and expanded concessions give the stadium experience a distinctive Upper Cumberland flavor while showcasing regional businesses to fans, alumni and corporate guests.
Elevating Premium Hospitality
The expanded food and beverage experience will be especially significant in Tucker Stadium’s premium seating areas.
The new West Side includes 14 sold-out luxury suites, club seating and climate-controlled hospitality spaces designed for alumni, donors, corporate partners and fans seeking an elevated game day. Liquor, mixed drinks and wine will be available for purchase exclusively in the suite and club levels, adding another amenity to the premium experience.
Chartwells also intends to offer beer, cider and seltzer in other areas of the stadium, with final locations and service details still being determined.
For businesses, the suites offer more than premium football seating. Combined with expanded dining, beverage service, climate-controlled gathering spaces and premium views of the field, they create an environment for entertaining customers, recognizing employees, cultivating prospective clients and strengthening community relationships.
That experience can help Tennessee Tech maintain strong renewal demand, deepen relationships with corporate partners and attract additional investment in Golden Eagle Athletics.
Turning Fan Experience Into Opportunity
Expanded concessions introduce new revenue opportunities for Tennessee Tech. Alcoholic beverages add a higher-value category to the stadium’s concession mix, while the increased number of dining options gives fans more opportunities to make purchases during each game.
Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, Tennessee Tech University and Tennessee Tech Athletics have a revenue-sharing agreement in place. Revenue generated through the expanded sales will support the university, its athletic programs and student-athletes.
The university has not publicly disclosed the specific percentage allocated to each party or released a first-year revenue projection. The financial benefit, however, extends beyond individual concession purchases. A stronger hospitality experience can increase the value of premium seating, encourage fans to arrive earlier and create more opportunities for corporate partnerships and sponsorships. It can also strengthen Tennessee Tech’s ability to attract alumni, donors and business leaders to campus.
College athletic programs are no longer competing only with other stadiums. They are competing with restaurants, streaming services, large-screen televisions and the convenience of watching a game from home.
Tennessee Tech’s answer is to create an experience that cannot be replicated from a living room. The new Tucker Stadium will combine live football, premium seating, expanded dining, local businesses, national brands and a vibrant social atmosphere into one destination.
Expanded concessions program
Extending the Experience Beyond Football
Chartwells’ alcoholic beverage license also opens possibilities beyond Tennessee Tech’s home football schedule. The license allows Chartwells to provide alcoholic beverage service at non-football events held at Tucker Stadium when requested by those using the facility. It also permits service at corporate receptions, alumni events and other functions across campus.
Tennessee Tech officials said the university will take a responsible and conservative approach as it considers future opportunities. From a hospitality and business perspective, the potential is significant.
The suites, club areas and premium gathering spaces could host corporate receptions, donor events, alumni celebrations, private rentals and university functions throughout the year. Expanded catering and beverage capabilities could position the stadium as a distinctive event venue—one offering views of the field, strong university branding and an atmosphere unavailable at a traditional meeting facility.
Year-round use could help Tennessee Tech generate a greater return from its stadium investment while bringing additional visitors, events and economic activity to campus.
Hospitality With Responsibility
As Tennessee Tech expands its game-day offerings, university leaders say the family-friendly atmosphere associated with Golden Eagle football will remain central to the experience.
“We are committed to our family-friendly game-day atmosphere at Tennessee Tech,” Fox said. “As a reputable national concessions vendor, Chartwells is experienced in offering expanded food options and alcohol at stadiums across the country, which is what many Tech fans have asked for as we improve the value of the game-day experience.”
“A Tech football game will continue to be an enjoyable event that the community and campus can be proud and comfortable attending,” he added.
A coordinated safety plan led by Chief Safety Officer Bob Crabtree and University Police Chief Fred Nichols will focus on responsible service, fan safety and efficient stadium operations. Chartwells employees involved in alcohol service will complete TIPS and ServSafe certification, while trained ID checkers will verify ages and issue wristbands before purchases. Alcohol sales will be limited to designated areas and times, with additional staffing from University Police and private security.
New entry procedures will include a strictly enforced clear-bag policy to improve safety and speed entry, along with a no-reentry policy. Together, these measures are designed to preserve a safe, welcoming and family-friendly game-day environment.
A Destination for Golden Eagle Fans
The new Tucker Stadium arrives at a defining moment for Tennessee Tech Athletics as the Golden Eagles enter the Southern Conference, the football program gains national attention and demand for premium seating continues to grow.
Upgraded seating, luxury suites, club hospitality, expanded concessions, local partnerships and new beverage options position Tucker Stadium as one of the region’s most exciting game-day destinations. The impact may also extend throughout Cookeville as fans and visiting teams support local hotels, restaurants, retailers and entertainment venues.
Tennessee Tech is creating more than a new side of a football stadium. It is building a destination where football, food, hospitality, business and community come together.
When the Golden Eagles take the field Aug. 29, fans will experience more than the beginning of a new season. They will witness the beginning of a new era at Tucker Stadium.
Learn more about the stadium and purchase tickets at ttusportstickets.com.
Photo via Tech.
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