Foodservice

DC e-sports/entertainment venue selects Aramark for foodservice

Image courtesy of Aramark Corp.

January 27, 2022

Monumental Sports & Entertainment, a sports and entertainment facility operator, has selected Aramark to operate a restaurant and bar for its "District E Powered by Ticketmaster," a nearly 14,000-square-foot live-event theater offering a 365-day-a-year series of immersive experiences in e-sports, music, event programming and community events, along with pre- and post-event activations for fans attending Capitals and Wizards games or events in Washington, D.C., according to a press release.

This space will entertain hundreds for events and is located adjacent to Capital One Arena at Gallery Place in downtown Washington D.C.

The venue will also create a competition and training venue for the MSE e-sports franchises which it owns, operates and invests in, including Wizards District Gaming and Caps Gaming — part of the multipurpose facility is MedStar Wizards District Gaming Studio — as well as serving as a catalyst to foster the amateur gaming community. Additionally, it will establish an East Coast satellite office for global e-sports powerhouse Team Liquid.

Three of the main components of the space include: 1) an e-sports competition studio: a 150-plus person venue to host over 200 events per year; 2) a restaurant and bar operated by Aramark; and 3) an e-sports practice center: a private team practice facility with streaming pods for Wizards District Gaming, Caps Gaming, Team Liquid and more.

"As Aramark's first foray into the rapidly-growing esports space, this is an exciting opportunity to showcase our expertise in food and beverage innovation to e-sports fans while also creating jobs and further building Aramark's presence in the Greater Washington Metropolitan region," Alison Birdwell, president and CEO of Aramark Sports and Entertainment, said in the press release.