Best New Technology: Napa Technology At Provisions MRKT, TD Garden (2025 Excellence In Concessions Awards)

As grab-and-go food and beverage options become the standard in U.S. arenas, it can be difficult for venue operators to maintain an elevated experience through such offerings.

Thankfully, the TD Garden in Boston and its owner Delaware North, which also handles the venue’s hospitality offerings, found the right partner to strike that perfect balance of expedited service and premium feel with Napa Technology. The Nevada-based hospitality company developed a wine dispenser that would go on the wall and give fans the option of an efficient and speedier pour.

“Wine is something that we do have a lot of requests for, but it’s not in any environment that allows guests to come up in a grab-and-go concessions environment,” says Eric Rivers, general manager for Delaware North Sportservice at TD Garden, home of the NBA’s Boston Celtics and NHL’s Bruins. “We thought this was a really good opportunity for that.”

Delaware North, whose chairman, Jeremy Jacobs, owns the Bruins, was in the process of revamping its concessions last year and wanted to accommodate the premium ticketholders who often request wine. They turned to Napa Technology, which previously worked with the TD Garden on postseason premium activations, to develop a large dispenser showcasing the wine bottles that would be attached to the wall and dispense an exact amount (usually two ounces), all while keeping it aesthetically pleasing.

The wine wall debuted last November in the Provisions MRKT on level 5 for Boston Garden Society guests. Though it is an upscale grab-and-go shop, there is a human element that makes it feel premium.

“You want to present it as an option. If they want to be fast, they have the ability to be fast,” Rivers says. “If they want interaction, that should be available to them. And that might just be attendants letting them know with a friendly glow that they’re there if they’re needed. … I find customers like it both ways and I think that’s important. So, even as technology has evolved, we’ve tried not to make each location reliant on technology.”

The dispensers have been a hit with premium ticketholders, and Delaware North isn’t limiting it to only wine. Rivers said Napa Technology’s machines also work with bourbon, a spirit that wasn’t previously considered by venue officials.

“That’s really what I’m excited about as we open this season,” Rivers says. “That capability is really going to let this fly off shelves, I think.”

The innovation from Napa Technology has altered the restaurants’ offerings on that floor because of its popularity. It’s even opened Rivers’ horizons as he considers other innovative vendors, including one from Sweden selling premium candy.

“People are coming and not just for the game anymore,” Rivers says. “We’re competing with what’s going on outside the Garden, too. … We’re constantly looking to add more experiences because that’s the demand. We want them to leave the Garden to remember the experience, not just who scored the game-winning goal.”