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Bugs were found at concession stands at both the Smoothie King Center and the Superdome in 2016, according to a report by ESPN’s Outside the Lines that analyzed health department violations from 2016-17.

In April 2016, health inspectors found cockroaches, dirty food contact surfaces, mislabeled containers, dirty floors and multiple other violations at the Smoothie King Center.



In a follow-up inspection at the Smoothie King Center in August 2017, inspectors found containers of bananas that contained a “filthy, putrid or decomposed substance.”

The Smoothie King Center was the ninth-worst NBA facility in terms of health violations. Of the 49 food service outlets at the Smoothie King Center that were inspected, 25 of them had high-level violations.

High-level violations pose potential threats for foodborne illness.

The violations at the Superdome were less critical.

In June 2016, inspectors found dead bugs in a popcorn stand. The stand hadn’t been cleaned since the last event at the stadium. In June 2017, inspectors wrote that several freezers needed cleaning.

The Superdome was in the 14th-best NFL facility for cleanliness. Of the 34 food service outlets at the Superdome that were inspected, 13 had high-level violations.

Out of the 107 professional stadiums with accessible data, the Superdome came in at No. 59 and the Smoothie King Center came in at No. 80.

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jeanpierre

jeanpierre

BY NICK UNDERHILL | nunderhill@theadvocate.com Dec 14, 2018 - 6:04 pm


The Smoothie King Center and Superdome are seen from an aerial view in New Orleans, La., Thursday, April 19, 2018.
Advocate staff photo by MAX BECHERER


A study conducted by ESPN on food-safety violations at sports venues could have gone better for the New Orleans stadiums.

The study found that Centerplate, the company contracted by SMG to handle concessions at the Superdome and Smoothie King Center, committed several health-code violations.

The teams do not have control over any aspect of the food service or pricing at either site. SMG, the manager of the buildings, hires Centerplate to handle the food service.

A source close to the Saints and Pelicans was not pleased with the results of the study.

ESPN reviewed more than 16,000 food-safety inspection reports of professional sports venues from 2016 and 2017. The report also calculated the average number of high-level violations per inspection at each site.

The issues were more significant at the Smoothie King Center, which was found to be one of the greater offenders in the NBA. The venue had a violation rate of 52.3 percent, which was the ninth-highest mark in the league.

At one location in April 2016, inspectors found dirty surfaces, roaches, improperly labeled containers, among other things. During a follow-up inspection in 2017, a case of bananas was said to “consist in whole or in part of a filthy, putrid or decomposed substance.”

The Superdome was in the middle of the pack with a score of 38.24 percent. Some of the violations included finding dead bugs in a popcorn stand and freezers that needed cleaning.

The Saints and Pelicans have invested heavily in improving the game-day experience at both venues, and last year an NFL study found the Superdome one of the top sites for fan satisfaction.

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

jeanpierre

I'll have to go waaaay back and find the links, but...

I remember my Dad (from Texas, Tom Landry Cowboys fan) gigging the Saints fans in our family post-loss to the 49ers during the Mora/Dome Patrol Days...

My Father was a voracious reader (before internet) and had a near eidetic memory with amazing recall.

One day he shared with us after reading a few stories during the Edwin Edwards debacle about some amazing revelations that came to light re: 49ers Owner Eddie DeBartolo...

For those that are too young or too old to remember, for years, the Superdome served King Cotton Hot Dogs, and that contract was locked down among other certain Superdome items...

Dad showed us where DeBartolo, 49ers owner, owned contracts in Our Superdome!!! Also the leasing in the New Orleans Centre, next door to the Dome, was managed by DeBartolo organizations...

This absolutely floored me for a few years, though I followed football via emerging fantasy football, my team fandom was shaken until DeBartolo was run out and Benson was given most of those contracts...

Some of you older guys may remember this but it was Crazy Stuff...

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

stickman

I didn't realize DeBartolo owned contracts in the Dome. The way the NFL works though, it doesn't surprise me.

AsylumGuido

DeBartolo also owned Louisiana Downs here in Bossier City. I worked for him in food service for a couple of Summers while going to college.

Rugby Saint II

How much is the cockroach special?