As the Mariners gets ready for Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, so do hundreds of staffers at Safeco Field.
From the concession stand workers to the plumbers to the electricians, everyone plays a part.
“There are three electricians, two plumbers, some HVAC techs that take care of heating and cooling of the building, and a handful of general maintenance techs that handle everything from a seatback to building a display like we have back here in the Hall of Fame,” Safeco Field Electrician Josh Dreyer said. “This building takes a beating; you have 20 to 40,000 people coming through. Every day, we walk through it, especially electricians, plumbers, and HVAC techs. We walk through the suite spaces, the club levels, and we’re looking for any issues that can take a beating.”
Dreyer also helps run the light show that is played when the team takes the field or when the closer comes into the ballgame.
In the kitchen, Taylor Park is the Executive Chef at Safeco Field. He’s preparing to cook for 47,000 people on Opening Night.
“You just try to get diversity here. So, we have Din Tai Fung, we have Ethan Stowell’s Dynamite Chicken here, along with Ethan Stowell’s Ballard Pizza,” Park said.
And those are just a few of the options. From burgers to doughnuts to health food, the menu at dozens of concession stands ranges from healthy to not so healthy.
Whenever possible, they try to shop locally.
“We try to use Washington beef whenever possible, Carleton Farms pork whenever possible, and try to keep it somewhere within the Pacific Northwest in general, so you have that locality, you have that seasonality,” Park said. “We’re planning on serving close to 47,500 potentially so it should be standing room only, we’re expecting a sold-out crowd, we hope to have all the fans come in, create those memories with the kids, and hopefully everybody has a great time.”
