Couple things to know about me - 1) Love hockey, 2) Love beer, and 3) love hanging out with good people who love items #1 and #2. We have our season tickets to the Atlanta Thrashers (I’m still trying to come up with a good nickname) and manage to make it to a game a couple times a month. Every now and then, you get a bone thrown your way. This past monday was the Thrashers v. Lightning at Phillips, and our wonderful friend Meg (thanks meg!) invited us to the luxury box to enjoy the festivities. Easy decision, scrap our tickets and rub elbows with Atlanta’s elite (if you know me at all you know how hard it is to type that while I am laughing hysterically). If you have ever been to Phillips, its got a giant railroad track (metaphorically speaking) running right down the middle. I’ll explain - one side is almost all luxury suites. Many levels of them. And a full club level (the Horizon Club) with food, beverages, etc… I’m sure you could get an oil change and massage if you so desired. On the other side is seats. yep, just seats. So, you basically get to look across the tracks and watch the “other side” either enjoy themselves or look at you in loathe & envy.
Anyway, we get all excited (going to the box!), get up there, and no beer. No food. As a matter of fact, we are in the box all by ourselves. Buzz kill. Oh well. One can dream, right? Time to order some beer and food. 6-pack of Heineken, $28.00. Plus tip. Now, I know when I go to a bar, I’m shelling out $5 a pint. I can just walk in off the street, no admission, and order one up. But I’m not already paying $200K just for the right to use it. We’re talking about a 400% markup of beer. Really? The crazy part about this is that beers in the “have-not” section cost $6.75. What’s your option, just sit there and suck on the ice out the ice machine? Some delicious tap water? Now, the real kicker - food. My favorite item on the menu, shrimp cocktail. $96 for 3o pieces. Yummy. That is the smallest increment you could order this delicious mini-searoach. Isn’t some of this getting a little out of hand? I know they don’t expect small groups or individuals to sit in the suites, but is it really that easy to fleece a company on entertainment dollars? But when it comes down to it, who did the catering company have to grease in order to get the foodservice contract? I’m sure there was some money exchanging hands. Everybodies getting rich. And we’re just helping line their pockets.
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