By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
Meet Paco Gomez, the Las Vegas Lights FC’s secret weapon.
Gomez doesn’t play goaltender or forward.
As Centerplate concessionaire GM at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Gomez used his food truck and food industry contacts to create a tailgate food experience before Saturday night’s Las Vegas Lights’ preseason game with the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps when just over 6,000 fans visited Cashman Field.
Gomez, a soccer fan who wants to see the first-year Lights do well as Cashman Field, figures the best way to win fans over is through their stomachs and taste buds. That’s why he has assembled a diverse food line-up outside Cashman’s gates of six food trucks and two serving stations selling everything from Brazilian steak sandwiches (Picanha Steak Truck) to Big Daddy’s BBQ to Tortas
“To build fan loyalty, it starts with a fun experience when you come to the soccer match . . . Our mentality is to create an experience for people who will support the team,” said Gomez, a 30-year food veteran in the food service business. “Even if we lose money tonight, we won’t pull anything.”
Jose Valencia, owner of Big Daddy’s BBQ who was recruited by Gomez to work the Lights games, said soccer fans come to the soccer match expecting a tasty pre-game meal.
“In Mexico, people expect before they go inside to watch the game,” Valencia said.
The outdoor food court worked with the Zappos party zone where drinks were sold and music was played by a DJ in front of Cashman Field.
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At last week’s inaugural preseason game when the Lights sold out Cashman with more than 10,000 fans, hot dogs and burgers were the big sellers inside the venue while BBQ was the most popular outside the venue in the food area, Gomez said.
He took photographs of the crowd to analyze the demographics for food planning and said about 70 percent of the fans were Hispanic and 30 percent were white.
Gomez also wants to receive reactions and feedback so he can shape better food options for the fans.
At Saturday night’s game, the food truck lineup included Truk-n-yaki (Asian fusion), Picanha Steak Truck, Tacofest, Sausagefest, 50 Shades Tastier (offering healthy food options) and Big Daddy’s BBQ.
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Attendance was way down from last Saturday’s sellout crowd, hitting 6,049 tonight.
The Lights lost, 3-2, to the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps. But the expansion United Soccer League club showed promise and energy in the second half, tying the score, 2-2, after trailing, 2-0, at the half.
The Lights play game three of its three-game preseason schedule with a match 8 p.m. at Cashman Field next Saturday Feb. 24. The 34-game United Soccer League regular season begins March 17, while the regular season home-opener is March 24 when Reno 1868 FC visits Cashman.
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