FARMINGTON – For many, having a spot close to home plate for the Connie Mack World Series would mean being able to see every dramatic win, great pitching displays and championship moments.
For Eva Armenta-Ketchell, and much of her staff working the concession stand at Ricketts Park, they have rarely seen a championship moment, and sometimes, have no idea what’s going on less than 500 feet from the grandstands behind home plate.
Armenta-Ketchell, who owns and operates Fat Boys Deli in Farmington and also owns Real Estate Investments of New Mexico, vaguely recalls the last game she actually watched from the stands.
“I watched the end of the 2019 World Series, when Chase Silseth was pitching for Midland,” Armenta-Ketchell said between games during pool play competition Saturday at Ricketts Park. “And that’s the only time. I watched two innings because we have to be on if there’s an “if” game, and then we rush back in here and try to get it all together again.”
Running the concession stands at a sporting event requires a number of things aside from proper food, drinks and a welcoming staff.
It requires an incredible amount of attention to detail, a working and updated knowledge of the refreshments being offered and people dedicated to the daily challenge.
“The hardest thing to make for us isn’t the sandwiches or the frito-pies. We do those all the time, but the hardest thing for us is the coffee,” Armenta-Ketchell said. “And who thinks of coffee when it’s so hot? We have a little coffee machine, but when you’re in a rush, and one person wants coffee, that’s a switch.”
Armenta-Ketchell estimates she has a staff of nearly 40 people working the concession booth at Ricketts, whether it be during the Connie Mack World Series or during the high school baseball season.
“A lot of them can’t hang, so we have to switch them out,” said Armenta-Ketchell’s sister Breanna Hatch, who also supervises the kitchen and concession stand at Ricketts Park. “We’re here all day morning to night, and we don’t know when we’re getting out of here. As a matter of fact, we don’t even know when it’s raining until everybody’s coming down the stairs.”
Having that many people in a kitchen that measures about 1200 square feet means it is necessary to avoid the outside drama of the games or the teams playing.
“Because our first couple of years we did get involved in some of the drama of who was playing and who wasn’t,” Armenta-Ketchell said. “We’d go to the meetings, and I realized it just made make me start thinking more and keeping me up. So we stay in our four walls.”
Armenta says the most satisfying moments of her time working the concession booth comes from having people just for a good lunch.
“It happens all the time,” Armenta-Ketchell said. “Today, this lady came just for the food. Grabbed two to-go boxes, and she said, ‘I’m here just for the food,’ and left. She didn’t even stay for the game.”
Armenta-Ketchell says by the time the tournament comes to an end, the entire operation winds up about break-even financially for her and her staff . The concessions stand operates as well during the high school baseball season, which doesn’t see nearly the same traffic as what’s on hand during the World Series.
“If we were only doing Connie Mack, it would probably be a profit. But because we run the whole season, it’s basically catching us up from the season,” Armenta-Ketchell said. “There’s a lot of training, we have a lot of overhead because they need the training, and it takes them a while.”
Whether her customers are fans of a particular team or a particular player is no concern for Armenta-Ketchell. She is happiest when her customers come back for more, especially after learning she received high praise from social media influencer Nader Prater, who attended the Connie Mack World Series to see his son play in the event.
“It’s actually okay that I don’t know,” Armenta-Ketchell said. “It’s less stressful that I don’t know who I’m serving. Last year we had that guy that did the hot dog videos. We had absolutely no clue that guy was in the house. I’m so glad it was a good one.”