Hugh Gallagher, 74, a major figure in the evolution of upscale food service at arenas and stadiums, passed away unexpectedly Sept. 23 in Los Angeles. He spent a major part of his career working for Aramark and was more recently in charge of food service at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, his role from 2016-2021.
Since 2021, he consulted on food service at minor league ballparks and stadiums and for special events.
“He liked to say he sold beer and hot dogs for a living,” said Beth Gallagher, his wife of nearly 30 years. “But in truth, he was so into the evolution of the industry.” For him, it really started with Camden Yards in Baltimore, the first stadium where they oversaw the shifting dynamics to suites, club level seats, and premium restaurants at ballparks. That buildout was special to Hugh Gallagher, and he took a lot of that experience with him to Dodger Stadium when he began working for the new owners of Major League Baseball’s Dodgers.
“He just wanted to create venues that had lives beyond whatever sporting event was there,” Beth Gallagher said. “He wanted to push how everyone looked at food service.”
His career began with Aramark Corp. in Philadelphia in 1973. He became president of sports and entertainment for the giant concessions company. He oversaw the opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore in 1992. That’s where he dove into the shift to premium food service versus belly-up concessions stands, all serving the same thing.
Their daughter Caoilinn, Gaelic for Keelin, which she also uses, was born in Atlanta. Caoilinn, like her parents, is “in the business,” though not on the food side. She works for the Augusta GreenJackets, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, in North Augusta, S.C. Beth is currently in the hospitality industry as well, working for Marriott Hotels at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif.
On her Facebook page, Caoilinn posted, in part:
“I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, but that was inevitable when your dad was Hugh Gallagher. My dad was my best friend, my partner in crime, and truly my favorite person in the universe. He was the embodiment of put your head down and work to get to where and what you want. The best storyteller with the most insane stories, spanning his entire life, from running around Lewes Beach and South Florida and Philadelphia, growing up to an incredible career in the sports and entertainment industry. He shook hands with presidents, golfed with legends, and never met a person he couldn’t make smile. He taught me to love life, no matter what it throws at you … He tried (and succeeded) to raise the most Philly kid possible in Southern California, so of course I’ll end this how he would want with a very heartfelt, Go Birds. <3“
Many veteran venue managers will remember “Uncle Hughie’s” golf games during IAVM. Beth remembers how he created the golf tournament for clients and vendors, finding plenty of partners to help defray costs. “Everyone had a blast. It was and wasn’t competitive golf. There would be prizes for all sorts of different things,” she recalled.
Chris Bigelow, retired, The Bigelow Companies, still remembers the first day he met Hugh Gallagher, “when ARA transferred me to the Spectrum in the fall of 1975. I was his commissary manager, and he asked if I could help him move into his new house. To thank me, he took me out to his favorite watering hole for shots of Irish whiskey. That would not be the last drink we shared together.”
Bigelow lauded the work ethic among all Aramark employees, first and foremost Gallagher. “The Spectrum was the busiest arena in the U.S., because unlike larger cities like New York or L.A., there were no competing venues in Philadelphia. We had events seven days a week with doubleheaders (76ers and Flyers) every weekend. Joe Frazier was at his height, sponsoring weekly boxing matches and, of course, all the concerts and family shows, just to make sure we never had a day off,” Bigelow recalled in an email.
He noted that Gallagher was “a hell of an operator, but also the consummate entertainer. Every party he hosted or attended was legendary. When a poker game would break out, we could always count on Hugh and his team to populate the tables. At one IAAM District meeting (now Regionals) in Philadelphia, he was adamant I couldn’t leave before my flight the next morning, because I kept winning and he wanted to share the wealth.”
Beth remembers how he turned things around. “You know, when it came to food service, you always made everything in the back of the stand, and he insisted they do it on the front side so people could see it. At Camden Yards, that’s where it changed. He said, ‘People need to see and smell the food.’ He was instrumental in helping that change in design.”
Bigelow also lauded the golf tournament, The Uncle Hughie Open, at every IAVM conference, always at a first-class course. Beth remembered the times Gallagher’s friend and partner, MLB player Boog Powell, would be on the golf cart at the golf course, mixing Bloody Marys for the players.
Powell was also a big part of the remake of Camden Yards, establishing his own Boog’s BBQ concession. “He was quite a loved player, tall, statuesque, and loving barbecue,” Beth said of Hugh’s partner and friend. That was one of Hugh Gallagher’s gifts: creating teams and finding partnerships.
He was also among the first to champion volunteer concession workers, lining up groups that could use the work as a fundraiser, benefiting both the stadium and the community.
The Gallaghers moved to Los Angeles more than 20 years ago. In 2006, he began working at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena and Hollywood Park Racetrack as general manager of Food Service. In 2016, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as Director of Food and Beverage. He also spent a couple of years consulting on in-seat ordering systems and working on food and merchandise delivery systems to people’s homes when the pandemic shut down stadiums.
Hugh Gallagher attended Brandywine College in Wilmington, Delaware, and studied Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Management.
He is survived by his wife and daughter.
