Fabian Ffrench
Fabian Ffrench, Rogers Place's executive chef, shows off a helmet filled with "YEG Nachos" on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026.
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When Rogers Place opened a decade ago, Fabian Ffrench worked as a sous chef in a concession stand. He had just come to Edmonton after working food service for the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Vikings,
Ten years later, he’s now Rogers Place’s executive chef, overseeing the most ambitious overhaul in the arena’s history. And, a big part of that is running it back with some classic menu items, and introducing a $10 value menu, as more and more fans need to stretch their dollars in these times of high inflation and economic uncertainty.
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In all, 82 new menu items are being introduced. Of those, 26 will be available in concessions, while the others are earmarked for premium food areas, like the mezzanine.
Coming back to the menu are classics like soft-serve ice cream and the perogy dog. The bison burger and boneless wings are back.
But Ffrench’s favourite? A take on poutine that’s likely to make any Quebec purist gasp.
“My favourite item is our new cheddar poutine,” said Ffrench. “So, we get our cheddar cheese dust, and then we toss that and make that a Canadian poutine, and that’s what we serve as our anniversary poutine in our arena.”
Of course, there is no arena experience without a hotdog. And, the perogy-laden tube streak was maybe the highlight of Monday’s menu preview event at Rogers Place. And, Ffrench could not escape this massive culinary question — does ketchup belong on a hotdog. Just as purists might gasp at his cheddar poutine, hotdog absolutists might take issue with his take on ketchup. There are hotdog spots in the States that will literally kick you out if you try and slather ketchup on top of the wiener.
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“For me personally, ketchup does belong on a hotdog,” laughed Ffrench. “It’s a condiment that I personally love. I love ketchup on everything, on my fries, on my chicken tenders, on my whatever it is. Ketchup is a part of my personal diet. But for our hotdogs, we do a great job when it comes to decorating. Today, you’re going to see we put a perogy on top of our hotdogs. We put chili on them. We spice it up. We have mac and cheese that we do as well. We try to take our passion, our creativity, and make it into one.”
Closeup of a hotdog during the 10th anniversary menu reveal at Rogers Place on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Steven Sandor/Postmedia Photo by Steven Sandor /Postmedia
Sharnell Hordo, the vice-president of hospitality for Rogers Place, said holding the line on prices and adding value to the menu was vital for this season.
“We understand that value is very important to our fans and it is 100 per cent part of how we look at our pricing structure,” she said. “One of the ways this year that we’re thanking our fans is through that $10 decade deal menu. So you’re able to get a burger for $10, nachos and cheese for $10, a combo for a full-size Nathan’s hot dog and a beer for $10, and then we’re able to keep prices the same from previous season. So beer is the same price as it was last season. So when you’re coming to Rogers Place, you’re not seeing an increase of prices across the board.”
No matter where fans sit, they can use an app to order items from concession stands, and then go pick them up without waiting in line.
While the line is being held on concessions, ticket prices are at their highest price point yet; an individual ticket for seats near centre ice, close to the glass are priced at $480.45 on Ticketmaster; an individual ticket in the corner of the upper tier costs $151.75.
ssandor@postmedia.com
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