U.S. Bank Stadium is getting nearly 40 new food and drink options

Fans heading to U.S. Bank Stadium this season will have nearly 40 new food and drink options to choose from, including several local businesses making their debut at the home of the Minnesota Vikings.

Aramark, which operates the stadium's food and beverage program, brought in social media influencers to sample some of the new offerings and help introduce them to a wider audience.

"You can't lose sight of the fact that food and beverage has become such an important part of all our sports experiences, and so constantly we are trying to elevate, we're trying to grow the program," said Jenifer Freeman, Midwest district manager for Aramark.

At Thursday's media tasting event, influencers filmed and took photos to help spread the word to future hungry fans.
"Having the influencers here today is huge for us because it really reaches people that we might not be able to reach just within our own little circle," Freeman said.

"A lot of the brands we have here I myself found on social media," Freeman said.

Marissa Voss, a sports content creator, was among those sampling the new food and drinks and sharing them with her followers.

"It helps the brand, it helps all of the people who are small businesses here, who are maybe big businesses, and it really shows a light and gives them a personality and avenue," Voss said.

One of the new offerings comes from Tender Lovin Chix, which is adding a smash burger to its menu for their second year at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"We're known for our chicken and fries, but now it's our new smash burger comin'," said Marques Johnson, owner of Tender Lovin Chix.

The burger is available at Section 121 under the name "Smash or Pass."

"If you don't like it pass it, if you like it smash it," Johnson said with a laugh.

Sweet Habits, a dirty soda brand owned by Megan Retzlaff, will make its U.S. Bank Stadium debut this year.

"It's going to be amazing, we're really looking forward to it," Retzlaff said.

Retzlaff said having a presence inside the stadium has been a gamechanger.

"This was on the top of my goal list for this business, so I'm absolutely honored to be here and to have two stands and to be able to represent our brand here is incredible," Retzlaff said.

For some vendors, expanding into a stadium represents a major step forward from their beginnings as small businesses. 

Tonja Kjaer, owner of Curds and Cakes, has seen tremendous growth since her business's humble beginnings. 

"We started out at county fairs with concession trailers and then we created Curds and Cakes to go into the stadium world," Kjaer said.

The business now has four locations inside U.S. Bank Stadium, along with 82 staff members and eight managers. She also operates stands in several other stadiums.

"It's a dream come true," Kjaer said.