MANCHESTER, NH – After an exhaustive, snow-soaked winter, Mother Nature teased us with spring this week, and with the return of spring comes the annual resurrection of America’s game.
During the off-season, the front office staff for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats has been busy implementing significant changes to improve the fan experience at Delta Dental Stadium.
Over the course of last year, the Fisher Cats surveyed fans about how they could improve their experience. “The overwhelming feedback from fans was that our food and beverages needed to change and improve,” said Fisher Cats General Manager Taylor Fisher. “And I heard them, loud and clear.”
In partnership with the team’s ownership group, Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), the Fisher Cats have invested $200,000 to enhance the hospitality and concessions operations at the stadium.
The organization has also hired Brad McClennan to join the front office staff as the new Food and Beverage Director, Erin Young as the Premium and Catering Manager, and a new chef, Jonathan Phillips.
McClennan, who comes to the Fisher Cats after three years working with the Fredericksburg Nationals and 30 years of experience in the sports’ hospitality industry, said he looks forward to overhauling the way that fans experience food and beverages at the games.
Some of the changes will include rebranded and repainted concession stands, which will all be renamed around a New Hampshire theme, as well as numerous upgrades to the equipment.
The concession stands will also add new digital menus, and more diversity in the ordering options, which will include a $5 and under “value” menu, as well as more premium and higher quality products.
The 2026 season will additionally see the return of the beer bats, for both the Fisher Cats and their alternative identity, The Space Potatoes, as well as offering popcorn, chicken tenders and ice cream served in plastic batting helmets.
The Fisher Cats recently signed a 10-year extension of their partnership with Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, and this season, the concessions will include fountain sodas, alongside the traditional bottled soft drinks and a souvenir cups purchase option.
“Coca-Cola has been our partner since Day One, and they are some of the best partners we have,” Fisher said. “They have invested so much in the relationship with the team. They get it.”
Along with the upgrades to the concessions, The Fisher Cats are also adding a unique pregame experience that will include live local music before each home game, which is a DBH initiative for all of the company’s 48 minor league teams, and a new “Hot Dog Happy Hour,” an idea hatched by the team’s newly-appointed Assistant General Manager Andrew Marais.
The organization has partnered with Barrel One Collective, which consists of some of New England’s oldest craft breweries, including New Hampshire’s Smuttynose Brewery, which has been brewing beer on the Seacoast since 1994.
The events will be held outdoors beside the Samuel Adams Brewhouse near the entrance to the stadium and the rebranded Cold Shoals Beach Bar, and the live music will be performed on the Smuttynose Stage.
The live performances and the “Hot Dog Happy Hour” will begin when gates open 90 minutes before each home game and end half an hour before the first pitch, running from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on games starting at 6:03 p.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the 1:05 p.m. matinees.
“Hot Dog Happy Hour” will also include discounted food and beverages, and other special promotions.
“When we opened the gates last season, it felt like we were just opening the gates. The goal is to encourage fans to come out earlier and enjoy the vibe,” Fisher said.
The Fisher Cats are also increasing the postgame fireworks shows put on by Atlas Fireworks. Last season, there were eight fireworks shows, and this season, it jumps to 19 nights, with fireworks occurring after every Friday night game starting on Opening Day then every Saturday night from June until the end of the season.
As for the reason the organization has placed such an emphasis on the fan experience, Fisher points to another survey conducted by Diamond Baseball Holdings last year revealing that 40 percent of people attending the games did not identify themselves as baseball fans.
“We’re looking to become an entertainment venue that happens to have a baseball team that plays here,” said Fisher. “It’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re trying really hard to make sweeping changes across the board so that people understand that it is different now, and it is up to us [the organization] to back that up.”
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats will open the season on April 3 when they welcome the Binghamton Rumble Ponies to Delta Dental Stadium.