Fans seated in the grandstands at Bears games will no longer have to miss on-the-field action to grab a cold beer because 70 to 80 vendors will roam the stands in the new Soldier Field.
The board of the Chicago Park District on Wednesday approved a few items to prepare the stadium for the first NFL game there on Sept. 29, including arrangements for alcohol sales, parking fees and traffic control services.
As for beer sales, the spread-out, flat design of the old Soldier Field did not allow vendors to navigate the aisles and sell beer and other food, but the wider aisles and smaller sections of seats in the new stadium provide the space, Park District Supt. David Doig said.
“The ability to get vendors up and down the stands is much improved,” Doig said.
Per rules of the NFL, beer sales will cease when the game clock shows five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Also on Wednesday, the park board hiked parking rates for lots surrounding the Museum Campus and Soldier Field.
With the exception of the South Parking Lot, where the fee will be $8 per day, parking for a single car will cost $12 per day, up from the previous daily cost of $10 at most of the lots. Early-bird discounts will now be $9, while the evening discounted rate will be $7 per car.
In other action, the board approved an agreement with the city to assume authority for traffic control services in areas outside Soldier Field.