INGLEWOOD, Calif. – SoFi Stadium is nearly ready to host Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.
The state-of-the-art facility in Inglewood, California, is one of the newest stadiums in the NFL and is home to the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The stadium opened in 2020, but to no fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fans finally packed in the venue this season, and loud support was heard from Rams, Chargers and even San Francisco 49ers players during the year.
SUPER BOWL 2022: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
The Los Angeles area is hosting the Super Bowl for the first time in 29 years.
(Fox News/Ryan Gaydos)
SoFi Stadium is the first Los Angeles-area venue to host the Super Bowl in 29 years. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena was the last NFL title game held in Los Angeles County, and that took place in 1993 between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.
When fans first walk into the building, they are first greeted by a gigantic video board that hovers over the field. While the seating goes all the way up into the 500 levels, fans can clearly see the field from all angles without any real obstructions.
“I can’t find a bad seat in this stadium. It is great. When you’re all the way up, on that 500 level looking down especially for games and shows here, it’s a really fantastic view. It’s a great stadium, not a bad seat here,” Jon Barker, the head of Live Event Operations for the NFL, told Fox News Digital.
While the grounds crew was still working on getting the Super Bowl LVI logos painted on the field, Barker remarked on the quick turnaround the stadium had to go through.
A look toward the seats from the field level at SoFi Stadium.
(Fox News/Ryan Gaydos)
The Rams beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship just days prior to crews began to get things in motion for the stadium. But things were coming together at the blink of an eye.
“First of all, you got a stadium that’s brand new, and you know, they don’t come out of the ground and operate perfectly,” Barker told reporters who lined up for a glimpse of the stadium ahead of the game. “So, there’s a lot of learnings from all of us as we start to bring massive events here. And certainly, the NFC championship Game put us in a tight schedule, but we knew that there was a possibility.
“We knew that there was a really good chance the Rams could be hosting here. A lot of things have to happen, and those things happen. But we were ready for it because we knew it could be a possibility. We had a schedule in place, and as soon as the game was over, everybody moved out. We started moving.”
A view of SoFi Stadium field in Inglewood, California.
(Fox News/Ryan Gaydos)
Aside from watching the Rams and Bengals duking it out on the field, fans will be able to choose from a variety of options at the concession stands.
Legends’ food menu will feature everything from hot dogs to tsunami tots to pizza to brownies for fans to chow down on while watching the big game from their seats or on the concourse.
John Brenning, an executive chef at SoFi Stadium, told Fox News Digital the offerings were stadium food but taken to “another level.”
“It’s eclectic, it’s fun, it’s different,” he said of the offerings. “We do a lot of scratch cooking in the building. We spent weeks and months tirelessly sourcing the right product, the right hot dog, the right sausage, the right pizza crust, all of our ingredients. Taking a real restaurant approach to the building to source the food and then to prepare it and execute it.”
Some of the food offerings SoFi Stadium has on its menu.
(Fox News/Ryan Gaydos)
Brenning said one of the fan favorites on the menu was their hot dog.
“It’s hard to not say the hot dog. But for me, personally, I think it’s the chicken sandwich or the tsunami tots that we have out of our stand.”
The chicken sandwich and tsunami tots are among the favorites.
(Fox News/Ryan Gaydos)
Brenning really gave a nod to the staff working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure everything is up to the highest standards for those who are coming into SoFi Stadium.
“I have to say, hands down, the team that we have here, it’s the best culinary team I’ve worked with in my 27 years in the business. Hands-down, times 1,000, the most talented group of people.”
Of course, don’t forget the wine.
The Legends’ wine program will feature tastings from California’s vineyards, specifically Santa Barbara. About 90% of the wines featured inside the stadium come from the Golden State, with about 65% specifically from Santa Barbara.
“Santa Barbara County is a diverse and dynamic wine region that goes head-to-head in quality and artisanal craftsmanship with any wine region in the world,” Legends’ VP of Special Projects Ryan Tawwater said in a press release. “While 65% of the wines we selected are from Santa Barbara County, the wine list we curated features more than 21 different grape varieties from Santa Barbara County.”
Some of the wine offerings at SoFi Stadium.
(Fox News/Ryan Gaydos)
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SoFi Stadium can host 70,000 fans on a normal game day and could expand to over 100,000 for events like the Super Bowl. It’s unclear whether there will be that many packed inside the stadium, but the venue is ready for almost anything coming its way by Sunday afternoon.
