Penn State may have found a new revenue stream.
The university is exploring selling alcohol on the concourse in Beaver Stadium this season, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told the Centre Daily Times. The current plan is to have sales for the team’s second home game of the year — against Central Michigan on Sept. 24 — with it serving as a test run.
The decision comes just under a month after new athletic director Pat Kraft said the athletic department needed to find further ways to monetize the venue.
“We’ve got to find other ways to use it,” Kraft said at Big Ten Media Days. “That building should be used more than seven days, in my opinion. And we have to find ways to do that. We’ve got to provide ourselves the opportunity to really generate more revenue off of it.”
Customers would be limited to two drink purchases and the university would use an outside vendor for the sales.
Currently, alcohol sales are only permitted in enclosed suites and boxes at Beaver Stadium.
If the test run goes well, the university plans to continue selling alcohol at the stadium, as well as at the Bryce Jordan Center for athletic events.
A Penn State spokesperson said the sale of alcohol in Beaver Stadium has been under consideration, but the university will need further approval before proceeding.
“The expansion of the sale of alcohol in Beaver Stadium has been under consideration and we have been putting plans in place for this possibility,” the spokesperson said. “The University will need to secure Board of Trustees and other necessary approvals before proceeding.”
When asked if State College Borough had been in discussions with the university about potential alcohol sales, borough spokesperson Kayla Lafferty initially said she’d look into the matter but did not provide an answer prior to publication.
