Spectators at the 2022 US Open bought food and drinks at the tennis center grounds. Rachel Askinasi/Insider I went to the US Open tennis tournament to check out both the food and the scene. I documented the cost of my own meals and drinks as well as different menu items I didn’t order.
From $24 chicken tenders to an $8. 50 scoop of ice cream, some prices seemed outrageous. The US Open tennis tournament started on August 23 and goes until September 12, and I went to check out opening day.
Spectators walking around the grounds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderWhile tennis is the main event, many people also spend time wandering around trying out eats and sips from various food and beverage vendors. There were long lines for things like alcohol and ice cream.
Rachel Askinasi/InsiderYou can read more about what it’s like to attend the US Open here. As someone who has been to the tournament many times before, I knew that the food would be expensive during my trip this year. But some prices blew me away.
Prices of alcohol and even small snacks were shocking. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderYou can read about my experience-based list of mistakes to avoid at the US Open here. For lunch, I got what the salesperson told me was the most popular item of the day at Fieldtrip, a vendor by award-winning chef JJ Johnson.
My salmon bowl was delicious, and cost $20. A salmon bowl from Fieldtrip at the US Open. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderAs I sat to eat my lunch, other spectators looking for seats came to join me at my outdoor table.
One had ordered this buffalo chicken melt for $19. 50 from Melt Shop. A buffalo chicken melt from Melt Shop at the US Open.
Rachel Askinasi/InsiderTwo others at the table got salads for $13 and $15, and one topped hers with chicken for an additional $6. A salad topped with chicken from Fieldtrip at the US Open. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderI was also at the stadium for dinner, so I landed on a $16 order of chicken tenders and fries, which I saw a lot of people walking around with all day.
A lot of people I saw had ordered the chicken tenders and waffle fries. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderMy order came as a basket with mostly waffle fries, which were tasty, but the small pieces of chicken totaled to around three complete tenders, and I felt like that was not enough to sustain someone like me after a long day. I was disappointed by the portion size of the chicken.
Rachel Askinasi/InsiderThere was another more expensive option for chicken tenders that I skipped myself: A $24, three-tender order from Fuku. Chicken tenders and waffle fries from Fuku. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderAs I walked around the grounds, I saw a lot of people were also eating the $18 personal margherita pizza from San Matteo .
. . A four-slice personal pizza at the US Open.
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and the $10 hot dog and $15 cheeseburger from Prime Burger. Two hot dogs and a cheeseburger at the US Open. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderThere were also some seemingly less popular items I saw like these açaí bowls, which ranged in price from $17.
50 for a small to $25 for a large. Açaí bowls at the US Open served in plastic cups. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderWalking through the food village, I saw some more hungry guests with $14 veggie bowls from Fieldtrip .
. . Veggie bowls from Fieldtrip at the US Open.
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$22 rice bowls and $11 dumplings from Korilla Korean Barbecue . . .
Korean barbecue bowls from Korilla were scattered around on diners’ tables at the US Open. Rachel Askinasi/Insider. .
. and $24 poke bowls from Poke Yachty, where you could add a side of edamame for $10. Customers paid upward of $22 for poke bowls at the US Open.
Rachel Askinasi/InsiderI also saw several tables in the food village topped with $21 pastrami sandwiches from Kosher Grill. A hot pastrami sandwich from Kosher Grill at the US Open. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderOne couple I saw sitting on a grassy area showed me their $16 chickpea wrap from Gourmet Garage that they shared because they “needed sustenance” after standing in the sun all day.
Half of a chickpea wrap from Gourmet Garage at the US Open. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderThere were a lot of lobster rolls floating around the grounds, but this duo got theirs for $31 from The Crabby Shack, along with a $16 Nashville Hot Fish sandwich and $9 Old Bay-seasoned fries. A lobster roll, fish sandwich, and fries from The Crabby Shack at the US Open.
Rachel Askinasi/InsiderIn addition to the food vendors in the main areas, there was a stand-alone vendor positioned by Grandstand stadium from chef Josh Capon called Fly Fish. The menu features $31 oysters, $24 shrimp cocktail, and a $31 lobster roll among others. Oysters from Fly Fish at the US Open.
Rachel Askinasi/InsiderWhile lines were long everywhere, the most consistent and longest of them all was the line for VanLeeuwen ice cream, where customers paid $8. 50 for a single scoop, $10. 50 for a double, and $1.
50 to get it in a waffle cone. People were waiting for 20 minutes when I walked past the line mid-day. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderGetting beverages to go with your food will also cost you.
A bottle of water costs $6 or $8 depending on which size you want. Water bottles at the US Open are even more expensive than I’ve seen them at the airport. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderIf you want a boozier libation, you can spend $22 on a honey deuce (the tournament’s signature cocktail), or $18 for a glass of sparkling wine.
Guests hold up their honey deuce (left) and glass of sparkling wine (right). Rachel Askinasi/InsiderYou can read my full review of the honey deuce here. Other drink options include $17 glasses of wine, $14.
50 beer, $7. 50 bottles of soda, and $17 cocktails. Drinks are also expensive at the US Open.
Rachel Askinasi/InsiderWhile much of the food is what I would deem overly expensive, some of it — like my salmon bowl — is worth the price tag. I loved my salmon bowl from Fieldtrip. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderThere are plenty of options, but if you’re not in the mood to spend big, you can bring your own food or snacks to the grounds.
Just make sure you follow the bag rules. I saw people with coolers and their own food bags at the US Open this year. Rachel Askinasi/InsiderYou can find the US Open’s grounds rules on the event’s website.
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From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/us-open-tennis-tournament-how-much-food-costs-2022-9
