Bryant-Denny Stadium –– our beloved battle ground and home of the Alabama Crimson Tide. This grid iron is the home, love and sight of many great Saturdays in the fall. It’s towering and massive definition stands high in the air and creates a beautiful silhouette across the Tuscaloosa skyline. It houses some of the finest memories and players the game has to offer. It is known around the nation as being one of the most well regarded facilities in college football and it is also one of the most feared places by our opponents.

I am always excited to be able to attend games at Bryant-Denny. Who wouldn’t be? After all, it is the home of the NCAA’s number one team. All this said and barring how much we love our field of play, after homecoming weekend, I noticed some much needed areas of improvement.

Before I get into some points of concern, you have to realize what a symbol of the game this place truly is. Bryant-Denny, in its name alone, bears the semblance of true greatness. It carries a title of distinction and prominence. People come from around the country, Tide fan or not, just to see this facility and gain the experience that is Alabama Football. So if we are renowned for our football and the bright lights that illuminate the field which stand high atop of our most revered beacon in Tuscaloosa, should we not make it the best experience for all who visit?

Our placement of concessions is done well. They are located just where you need them to be. But location is only half the battle. I appreciate the fact that the University allows different institutions to man and run these stands. For example, many are operated by little league baseball and football organizations, some are ran by high school students of various facets, etc. This is all well and good for local business and experiences for residents. However, when serving the over 100,000 patrons of a sold out game, said concessions seem to get consistently bogged down. 

I understand that it is busy and that number is quite large to service, but the menus (which we will address soon) are not vast in items and do not require much preparation. Consequentially, filling a souvenir cup of Coke, grabbing an already concocted tub of cheesy nachos then placing it in the window for the customer should not take a long time. The cashier can already have it rung up and be finishing the transaction in the time it takes to serve up the golden covered tortillas and ice cold Saban 10 Year Anniversary beverage holder. The delay in service causes massive backups that spill all the way to the back wall of the walk ways. 

This, in turn, blocks the entire space in which fans must travel to get anywhere in the stadium. At some points, you are literally in the shirt of the person next to you while trying to pass the line and find a bathroom. Kids get elbowed in the head, people get bumped and pushed and no one looks forward to smelling the deodorant (or lack thereof) as they excuse their way through the traffic jam. Tear it down and build larger passages? No. Simply speed up the service behind the screens. Pick it up a notch and perform like the players on the grass. Serve that hot dog like the champion you are. You are representing the M.O. of the excellence that is Bryant-Denny.

I mentioned the menu previously. I eluded to its size not complicating the decision-making process of the diner or creating a problem wrangling up numerous items for the server. In light of not creating an overload, perhaps staggering the stands in alternating fashion of product lines would offer a bigger selection without overburdening the staff with an excess number of menu items. Stand 1 serves the normal nachos, hot dogs and Cokes. Stand 2 serves popcorn, pizza slice and specialty drinks (sweet tea, energy drinks, lemonade). Do not think for one second that corporations are not drooling to get their product lines into Bryant-Denny. They would jump at the chance, and I would bet that Red Bull and Monster would have an epic battle in the bidding war to see who got the contract each season. And we should offer these selections. We ARE Alabama. We have a world class facility and should exude the honor in our name through our stadium dining experience.

Lastly, there are small vendors peppered along the back sides of the wall across from the concession stands. When you cannot get to the windows, you may be able to get to these guys instead…unless you don’t have cash. It is 2016. There are several devices like the Square that allow consumers to use their debit and credit cards to make purchases. Why is any mercantile service still cash only? It literally loses the stadium money because the customer sure doesn’t want to go back and try to stand in the mile long line that they just had to fight through simply to get to the vendors in the rear. Accept cards and throw a few ice coffees and energy drinks in those refrigerators behind the table or Dippin Dots to liven up the variety for our guests.

We have a wonderful place to host great games and watch football. We are not in dire need of any major changes that make huge differences to the fans, but being a world-class university of such esteem, we can step up our service and selection. Speed it up and eliminate the fire hazards of blocking the hallways. Take cards and lighten the load on the concessions stands, and finally, broaden our horizons to give a slightly more vast food and drink assortment. Who really wants to deprive an already highly motivated caffeine infused team fanatic of another energy beverage, then make them bulldoze their way through an overcrowded hallway on their way to find an ATM for the cash they need because the back vendor doesn’t take their card as payment for their fifth iced mocha?

Kale Jenkins is a graduate student studying nursing. His column runs biweekly.