Hockey fans, known for sipping their cup of joe during games, are now being told they can't bring outside java into Sydney’s Centre 200.
The arena recently implemented a policy not allowing any food or beverage inside the building during a ticketed event. Fans of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles were the first to be tested when the team held their home opener.
It was a decision that worried the organization.
“Initially we weren't sure if our fans were aware of it, so we immediately went to Facebook,” says Screaming Eagles business manager Peter MacDonald. “I think we nearly had 400 shares on a post that was just a photo of the sign."
Management at Centre 200 say a consultant recommended the change to comply with similar venues in Atlantic Canada. They also believe it will boost revenue for the building.
“I mean, come on. Go to the Bell Centre, go to ACC, Scotiabank in Toronto, Halifax. You can't bring outside food into the building,” says Centre 200 manager Paul MacDonald. “People say, ‘I don't go to Halifax.’ So that's fine, but it's a policy that's not new to anybody. It's new to Sydney and Cape Breton.”
Many Cape Bretoners voiced their frustrations on social media after being told to leave their coffee outside when arriving at the game Friday. Others were simply caught off guard with the new policy.
Centre 200 says its open to putting a Tim Horton's in the rink, if they come forward.
“If Tim Horton's came to us with a proposal, I know I would look at it,” Paul MacDonald says. “As of now they haven't, and with the fact they have a building 25 feet or 30 feet from ours, I don't think that would happen.”
MacDonald says for years they've been losing money at the concessions stands, and says they had no other choice but to make the decision.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
