It has become a staple of every major event, and the London Olympics are no different.
While sports spectators are creating lasting memories, they are also usually paying eye-opening prices for beverages. This summer, a beer at the London Olympics will cost $11.10 a pint, while a small serving of London 2012 wine will set you back $7.37, according to a sample menu unveiled by the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The venues will also be offering a sampling of traditional British fare, from fish and chips ($12.29) to porridge ($3.38) to “freshly carved Dingley Dell hog roasted Red Tractor pork, served in Oxfordshire cross hatched bread roll with mixed leaf salad and assorted accompaniments” for $9.98. For those looking for non-alcoholic beverages, a bottle of Coca-Cola will run you $3.53 while a bottle of water will cost $2.46.
The announcement of the beer prices caused some grumbling online ("Just to add to the indignity," pointed out the New York Times, "the only beer sold at the events will be a Heineken, a Dutch beer"), but organizers claim that they are no more exorbitant than they are at other major events. London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton told The Telegraph of London that organizers have “gone to great lengths’’ to find “high quality, tasty food that celebrates the best of Britain,’’ and that the prices were “more than comparable’’ to the costs at other major sporting events.
More than 14 million meals will be served during the games across 40 locations, with more than 800 spectator concessions featuring 150 different dishes, according to the LOCOG. The focus was on a family of four being able to afford a meal for under $61.
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