Ballpark Goes Vegan

Texas Rangers add trendiest food group of all to ballpark concessions

Texas Rangers vegan ballpark concessions

These Texas Rangers ballpark treats are super trendy.

Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers

For the 2016 season, the Texas Rangers concessions department adds one of the hottest food trends of the year. A new vegan cart will be installed at Globe Life Park in Arlington, serving a menu of ballpark snacks dedicated to fans who are hungry for something other than meat.

Stationed in Section 16, which ardent fans might know is located near the third-base line, the cart will feature a full menu of vegan options such as Southwest black bean burger, vegan nachos, vegan hot dog, vegan jerky, vegan chili, and a vegan spinach wrap.

A spokesman for Delaware North, the stadium's concession company, confirmed that the vegan cart would be part of the stadium's new dining package for 2016. A full menu appears on VeggieHappy, a website that tracks vegan offerings at major league baseball stadiums, which describes the cart's lineup as "a variety of popular ballpark fare and other healthy options that do not contain any animal by-products."

The stadium offers other items in its regular concession areas that are vegan though not specifically sold as such. There's a vegan hot dog, fruit, salad, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pistachios, French fry cup, Cajun fries, sweet potato fries, side winder fries, and pretzels.

But the new cart will serve as a convenient one-stop destination.

Although the heavy lifting was done by Delaware North, the ballpark's concessionaire, the driver has been Veggie Texas Ranger Fans, a Facebook page set up by Twalla Grant, a Rangers fan who follows a plant-based diet.

"When I started going to games during the 2014 season, I heard there was a vegan hot dog, but I couldn't find it anywhere in the stadium," Grant says. "No one knew where it was."

She settled for some peanuts, but the episode fueled a determination to uncover the mystery of the missing vegan hot dog. She eventually befriended the stadium's concessions team in her mission to get vegan options on the menu.

"I'd text them photos of French fries, and every time another ballpark would get something new, like when San Francisco AT&T Park got vegan nachos, I'd email and say, 'Really?'" she says.

The concessions team heard her requests and responded, even going to the trouble of procuring special vegan buns from Whole Foods Market. Grant became an unofficial QC agent, checking on the status of the hot dogs whenever she attended games.

Her campaigning paid off, with more vegan items than she ever expected. She'll hopes to sample them when she attends the exhibition games on April 1 and 2, where she'll be cheering from "nosebleed first base line," her preferred seats.

"I like the idea that the vegan items will be available to anyone," Grant says.

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Downtown News

Mom-and-pop Italian grocery in downtown Dallas closes after a year

Ari's

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A buzzy grocery store in downtown Dallas has closed: Ari’s Pantry, the small local chain specializing in Italian groceries and to-go foods, has closed its location in the heart of the Central Business District at 1800 Main St.#124.

A statement from the owners called it "a difficult decision." The closure is effective July 15.

"We are truly grateful for the welcome Ari's Pantry received from the downtown Dallas community. You have supported our business and shared in our passion for Italian food and hospitality. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our Downtown Dallas location effective today," their post said.

The closure comes a little over a year since they opened in May 2025.

Downtown was the third location for the small mom-and-pop market, which debuted in Winnetka Heights in December 2023 to fulfill owner Ari Lowenstein's passion for all things Italy, with pastas, gourmet goods, dried foods, produce, plus meals for dining in or to go.

They opened a second location in Trinity Groves in 2024, which is currently marked on their website as "closed for the summer," although it does not list a re-opening date. Lowenstein was unavailable for comment.

The downtown location was originally a joint venture between Lowenstein and Alan Kearney, a downtown enthusiast who owns businesses nearby such as The Crafty Irishman and Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub, as well as Cannon's Corner Irish Pub in Oak Cliff. However, Kearney withdrew from the store after it opened.

To accommodate the needs of downtown workers and residents, Lowenstein added a coffee shop and gelato stand. It was open for coffee at 7 am and until 9 pm, with a dining area where customers could have wine and cheese.

The location at 1800 Main St. seems to be in a favorable spot, surrounded by residential buildings and hotels such as the AC Hotel and Statler Dallas. Who has not spent a night in a hotel and longed for a market nearby with snacks and wine? It's also across the street from Neiman Marcus, whose imminent closure in September has provoked some pearl-clutching about the prosperity of downtown. But the downtown population does not always support local businesses.

Ari's was not the first to find the location challenging: It was previously occupied by the well-mounted Berkley's Market, which closed in 2024 after six years in the space.

The owners stated that they would "continue focusing on our locations in Coppell and Bishop Arts as we look ahead to the next chapters of Ari's Pantry," before thanking "every customer who stopped in for coffee, lunch or gelato, picked up dinner, discovered a new favorite ingredient."

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