Tim Restall, President of the Hartford Yard Goats, spoke at Western New England University February 19 in the “For the Love of the Games” program presented by the Center for International Sport Business and sponsored by the University Alumni Association.
Students heard from Restall about his unconventional path to become president of the Yard Goats, working in a family amusement park in New Hampshire and serving as a food and beverage manager, and later as a general manager of an event catering and hospitality services company. Restall talked about leading the transformation of the New Britain Rock Cats to the Hartford Yard Goats in 2016 and overseeing the construction of the team's home field, Dunkin' Donuts Park in 2017.
Restall also talked about the challenge to constantly come up with new ideas for fan engagement because "minor league baseball is all about the game-day experience." Among the Yard Goats' unique offerings are menu items including Restall's favorite, The Glazed and Grazed, consisting of a chicken sandwich with two Dunkin' glazed donuts as the bun. Interestingly, Restall told the students that Dunkin' Donuts Park was the first in all of baseball to ban peanuts and Cracker Jack because of the concern for children with peanut allergies. To make his point, Restall polled the audience of some 150 students, the vast majority of whom said they had or knew someone with allergic reactions to peanuts.
Restall was the CISB's 33rd speaker in the CISB's popular program that has featured the likes of IOC Vice President Dick Pound, MLB Manager Bobby Valentine, NY Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Carolina Panthers President Danny Morrison, NCAA Vice President Dan Dutcher, ESPN Baseball Analyst Buster Olney, U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Coach Katey Stone, and many more.
