SOUTH BEND – With only two days until Opening Day, the South Bend Cubs have announced several new food options for 2016.

“Many fans complimented the quality of our food, especially choice of hot dog, last season,” said Team President Joe Hart. “A common suggestion though was to increase the variety and introduce new items to the menu. Our focus has always been and will always be the quality of our food. However we are introducing some new items, include some unique creations by Executive Chef Josh Farmer.”

“Quality is a never ending commitment for us,” said Farmer. “You constantly have to look at what you are putting out, ways it can be better, easier to produce and how can it be better for the guest to enjoy. We feel the new additions to our menu cover all of those areas.”

One of those new creations is the Deep Fried Mac and Cheese Sandwich; macaroni mixed with house made beer cheese, topped with crispy bacon, another layer of American cheese, Tabasco marinated tomatoes on Texas Toast, and then deep-fried to perfection. Or try the new Porknado; a waffle cone layered with hickory smoked pulled pork and the home made mac and cheese, freshly made coleslaw and topped with barbeque sauce.

Other new items include a 7-ounce pork tenderloin sandwich, poutine (french fries with cheese curds, topped with brown gravy) and a mobile hot dog cart that will walk around the stadium so you are never too far away from the best tasting hot dog in baseball, as voted by the Baseball Writers of America, the Fenway Frank, distributed by Kayem Foods.

In order to reduce wait times at the concession stands, a new kitchen has been added next to the Budweiser Picnic Garden and Sweet & Franx stands have been converted into another Flashpoint Grill. But fans should not worry; the South Bend Cubs have added the Chicago Dog, Mac & Cheese Dog and the Porker to two of the four concession stands.

To satisfy every fan’s sweet tooth, try the expanded dessert menu. A soft serve ice cream machine has been added to each side of the concourse. Also available is shaved flavored ice from Kona Ice and due to the overwhelming number of requests, funnel cakes will now be served at Four Winds Field. Finally, the new Studebaker Special has also been added; a glazed donut, topped with cream cheese frosting, two strips of bacon, strawberry jalapeño jam and candied jalapeños.

If you are looking for healthier options, replace your regular burger with a turkey burger, only available at Burgertopia. Also available are freshly made veggie wraps and salads. New healthier options to the Salsa stand are cilantro rice, Elote (Mexican Street Corn), cumin braised black beans, carnita-styled pulled pork and Achiote-Marinated Grilled Chicken.

Finally, if you are 21 years and older, visit the new Round Bar located behind home plate. The former Pine Tar Pub features exclusive beverages from Round Barn Brewery including their famous Wine Sangria. Also, visit the expanded Tiki Hut, now with 12 different beers on tap.

“We are incredibly proud of our expanded menu items,” said Hart. “While there may not have been a lot of physical construction around the stadium this off-season, we did put a lot of time and effort into providing the best culinary options for our fans this year.”