Brian Manning has had his share of ballpark hot dogs. He’s a baseball fan, and he’s made a career of food concessions in sports venues.
A few months ago, the Yonkers, N.Y., native arrived at Canal Park in downtown Akron, where he is food and beverage director for the Akron RubberDucks minor-league baseball team. Manning’s most recent gig was as a concessions general manager for Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., the home of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team.
“I’ve always been a sports fan and I’ve always been intrigued with the food side,” said Manning, 28, who graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati with a degree in sport management and a minor in business. “I wanted to get into sports and this [career] kind of gave me a good blend of two of my favorite things, which are sports and food.”
Manning has worked in food service at four sports venues, including one other baseball stadium. His first job after graduating from Xavier was as a concessions manager for food service giant Aramark at the former Shea Stadium in Queens.
Last year, Manning saw an online posting for the Akron RubberDucks as he was planning to relocate from New York to Northeast Ohio. His girlfriend, Becky Smith, and her daughter had moved to the area.
Manning started with the franchise last October. He said it didn’t take long to decide to hire on with the RubberDucks, who recently changed their name from the Akron Aeros.
“It’s a great organization. I could tell right away it is a very young, energetic organization,” he said.
Franchise owner Ken Babby, 34, is going into his second year. He arrived in October 2012.
Last year, attendance rose by 12 percent to more than 295,000 as Babby oversaw new food choices, fireworks promotions and the installation of a giant, $1.65 million video scoreboard.
Manning embarked on his career in 2006, taking the job at Shea Stadium after getting his degree from Xavier earlier that year.
In 2007, Manning left Shea to return to Ohio to work as a director of concessions/suites and clubs at Cintas at Xavier.
Then in 2012, he went back to New York to take the job at Barclays Center. Shea was demolished in 2008 for parking for Citi Field, current home of the New York Mets.
In Akron, Manning is planning to work with other RubberDucks staffers to introduce new menu items — while keeping old favorites. He’s likely to add to the buzz-creating “Extreme Eats” menu, which includes a 5-pound sundae in a batting helmet.
His favorite ballpark eats? He says while he enjoys trying new items, he’s a traditionalist at heart. “I always enjoy a good hot dog or a slice of pizza.”
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
