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XXXL-sized buffets with lobster, Wagyu beef, sushi, luxury versions of hot dogs, burgers or burritos and every other trinket imaginable. There is also wine, beer, whiskey at the bar, as well as specially made drinks such as the “Sin City Sour” and expensive champagne.
What is served to the illustrious circle of approximately 6,000 VIPs during the Super Bowl in the 144 boxes and in the exclusive “Premium Club” leaves no culinary wish unfulfilled. But if the VIPs still have one wish unfulfilled, it can be ordered in Swiss German: Samantha Banz (29) from Aargau is general manager of the entire food and beverage area in the VIP sector at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Blick reached Banz on the phone a few days before the mega-event. “The planning for the Super Bowl has been going on for about nine months, initially of course in addition to all the other events in the stadium. “But since the Raiders last game on January 7, we have been working full steam ahead, just for the Super Bowl,” she said.
Her studies in Las Vegas initially made no sense
A Swiss woman in the middle of the American football craze. Banz has lived in Las Vegas for ten years. «After university I thought about returning to Switzerland. But now Vegas has become my second home.” She completed the 5th grade in Oberrohrdorf AG and then moved with her Swiss mother Sonja first to Portland and then to Las Vegas. At university she specialized her management studies in major events.
“I was then repeatedly asked what I actually wanted to do with it. Because events like that didn’t exist in Vegas,” Banz says with a smile. But her choice is so promising that she is now even working on the Super Bowl on her doorstep – there is no other sports show event in the world.
Las Vegas has transformed from a casino city to a city of major concerts and sporting events in record time. “It’s amazing how everything has grown,” says Banz enthusiastically. Shortly before she graduates from college, the T-Mobile Arena, where the Golden Knights NHL team will play from now on, will open. For the first time, a team from one of the major sports competitions is present. “Then the pandemic happened and Vegas was a ghost town. But since then, more people have been coming.”
The source of the special requests remains confidential
Banz initially works at the hockey hall, then briefly at the famous Bellagio Hotel – then she ends up at Allegiant Stadium, where her employer Levy Restaurants runs “Silver and Black Hospitality”, i.e. she cooks in the VIP area at all events in the stadium served.
“But in order to work on the Super Bowl in our stadium, we had to apply,” Banz says. And the approximately 400 employees in the VIP area, including her mother Sonja Rogers-Banz, who works as a guest relations officer in one of the lodges, were only hired for the big game after a background check.
In recent days, more and more special requests from VIPs have been trickling in. For example, a specific brand of whisky. Special menu requests. Exclusive ingredients. Whose wishes come from? Banz doesn’t know: “We receive the guest lists anonymously.” But one thing is clear: superstar Taylor Swift and halftime show acts Usher and DJ Tiesto will also eat and drink somewhere in the VIP area.
Banz won’t notice much of it: “I’m running around non-stop,” she says, laughing. With one exception: “I consciously take a short break at all events to just enjoy what is happening.”
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
