Feeding the fairways: Inside the PGA Championship’s culinary machine
This won’t be your typical experience at a concession stand.
All tickets to the PGA Championship are inclusive. Spectators can make unlimited visits to any of the five markets at Quail Hollow Golf Club, where all food and non-alcoholic beverages are available with no point of sale.
In an effort to eliminate friction, fans can pick up one entrée, side and drink during each trip and return as many times as they like.
“The PGA Championship is one of the top three events in golf,” executive chef Ed Milan said. “This is one of the largest builds that anybody does. We have satellite kitchens, and everything is cooked fresh in those kitchens. This is a much bigger operation than most events.”
What’s on the menu at the PGA Championship in Charlotte?
There are various Carolina ties in this week’s culinary experience.
After both crispy chicken and sausage egg and cheese biscuits are available in the morning, the grab-and-go markets will have a variety of options throughout the day. Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches and country sausage with cheddar are the main offerings, along with Doritos, Lays, Rice Krispies Treats and cookies among the sides.
Pepsi products and Gatorade are inside the refrigerators — and fans don’t necessarily have to find a market to stay hydrated. There are numerous self-serve Aquafina water stations positioned all over the sprawling golf course.
Milan and his team are also creating several barbecue sauces of their own. There will be a locally-inspired Cheerwine, bourbon, Eastern Carolina and standard barbecue sauces. They recently prepared 75 gallons of the Eastern Carolina barbecue sauce in one day.
‘Everybody on-site this year has the exclusive ticket’
This will be the third PGA Championship with unlimited food and beverage options.
First introduced for the final four days of the 2022 event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this model has been refined over the past four years. Charlotte is expected to have its most streamlined version of the experience yet, after evaluating the process over the past two majors in Rochester, N.Y., and Louisville.
The kitchens are powered by 135 tractor trailers — nearly triple what it takes to run a Taylor Swift stadium show.
More than 1,000 people are involved with the food and beverage experience, which is expected to go through 15,000 cases of beer, 5,600 bottles of vodka and 3,200 bottles of bourbon throughout the week. Cocktails start at $16.50, beer at $14.50, wine is $13.50 and seltzers are $15.50.
“Simply: You walk in, grab whatever product you would like,” Eric Babcook, Patina Group general manager for PGA of America championships, said of the process. “Grab your entrée, grab your salty snack — and simply walk out. There’s no interaction except for ‘Welcome to the PGA Championship.’ Everybody on-site this year has the exclusive ticket.”
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
