At every sporting event for the University of Nevada, Reno, fans have an array of concession stand foods to choose from. Football and basketball have the largest menus, while soccer and other sports have less foods to choose from.

Hotdogs, hamburgers, pretzels, chips, sodas and candy are the most common items sold. Football also has vendors come to sell their own food. There are stands that sell Budlight, kettle corn, wine and other alcoholic beverages, along with gourmet tater tots and fries. These finger foods and drinks are great for sitting during the hour-plus long games.

An image of the snack bar menu and a picture up close of people ordering from the small shack. Inside you can see the lights, food machines and the workers.

Isaac Hoops/The Nevada Sagebrush
People line up at one of the university’s many vendors and snack bars.

But what menu item gives the best bang for your buck?

Nothing. Everything is so overpriced, and the serving sizes are not equivalent to the cost.  If I had to choose, the pretzel and gourmet tater tots are the best food to get. For a drink, a soda or an alcoholic beverage is the best choice.

The pretzel is a thick boiled dough that comes with your choice of dip. The dip is usually  cheese or  mustard. The gourmet tater tots are smothered in the buyer’s choice of toppings and sauces. The garlic parmesan tater tots at football games can be smelled from many seats away, making everyone’s mouths water for some of that delicious garlic. Both of these foods are high in carbs and fats which fill you up quickly. Paying ridiculously high prices only pay off if the food is going to keep you full.

An alcoholic beverage or soda is high in calories. These high calories can produce fat to keep you full. Sodas are usually more expensive than water, so it makes sense to have to pay more. It also has flavor which tricks the brain into thinking it is food and makes you feel full. Alcohol is also expensive, but the reward is getting drunk in an entertaining setting, a common experience for most football game attendees.

What you shouldn’t spend your money on is the rest of the menu. A hotdog can be eaten in three bites. The hamburger is flat. A bag of chips is half air and half crushed pieces. Candy leaves people parched, so that only results in more money being spent on drinks to wash the sweetness down. And the water bottles are too small to even keep you full.

Eat those extra calories of the pretzel or tater tots. Drink a soda or beer. Your stomach will be full and happy during the game, and your wallet will thank you for your cost-effectiveness.

Kelsey Middleton can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @kelsmiddleunr.