...Food Item At The Verizon Center You Might Want To Reconsider. Or BYOF*.Before Ted Leonsis could even get out of the gate running properly as the new owner of the Verizon Center and Washington Wizards, he is facing some not so tasty reports about the food environment at the beloved Verizon Center.
ESPN is reporting that the Verizon Center has the worst health code violations in the U.S. among stadium food vendors.
(That may explain the repeated "If only you knew what you were eating" stare I got on one server's face.)
The report found every - not two, or three - but every food vendor inside the home (a.k.a. Verizon Center) of the Capitals, Wizards, Mystics and Georgetown University basketball to be in violation of health codes, and also reports at least 10 vendors had mice droppings in food preparation areas.
Yuk!
Responding to report, Monumental Sports and Entertainment's Ted Leonsis said he was surprised of the findings and he and his team "continue to make improvements".
Leonsis goes on to say, "From what I understand, the ESPN report stems from incidents in 2009. These professional inspections are conducted several times throughout the year, are unannounced and are public record. When and if issues arise, we will take appropriate action, and from what I understand we have done exactly that in the past. Please be assured that we take the complaints of our customers extremely seriously, and quality and cleanliness are paramount."
I'd venture to say 'monumental' even.
Apparently Verizon Center vendors weren't the only culprits. The report found 25 percent of vendors at Nationals Park to be in violation of health codes as well. Wait! You're telling me the food at D.C.'s sports stadiums aren't even fit for a U.S. President? (He's pictured here having a brewsky at a Wizards game, has attended a GTown basketball game, and thrown the first pitch at a Nats game).
Not to suggest that our President's beverage was tainted, but honestly.
If I could borrow a few words from a popular song... And it's one, two, three mice terds and you're out - at the old ball game!
That may not have been nice to say, but neither is having to wonder if you could get food poisoning at a ball park while watching your favorite sports team.
In conclusion, to all those who couldn't afford the excessively high prices of those french fries, pizzas, burgers and hot dogs at D.C.'s sports stadiums, you may just to take comfort in knowing that perhaps it was good that you couldn't.
*Bring Your Own Food
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