Blessings of Angels

Paul Clinton

Tom Amberger can’t help but smile when he sees the Anaheim Angels’

World Series logo on a Wienerschnitzel drink cup.

He’s now riding a winner, something that couldn’t be said back in

1999 when the hot-dog chain, owned by Newport Beach-based Galardi

Group Inc, began serving food at Edison Field.

“It really has helped in terms of our brand awareness,” said

Amberger, the Galardi Group’s marketing director. “It has helped

customers have an awareness of Wienerschnitzel.”

In addition to the hot dog giant, a handful of other Newport-Mesa

businesses have signed deals to provide services to the Angels, a

team now defending its title on the field.

Be it Fetzer wine or a safety net for fans who drive to the games,

local companies are selling their goods and services and reaping the

benefits of their association with a champion.

“I think that’s why they’re in it,” said Richard McClemmy, the

director of advertising sales. “In sports, you have up years and down

years, and some years, you have superstar years. ... [This year] is

going to be big for the club and big for our sponsors.”

A hot audience

Wienerschnitzel is perhaps the highest profile Newport-Mesa

company that sells its food at Edison Field. The company expects a

solid year again, as the Angels remain near the top of baseball’s

attendance list.

Last year, more than 1.2 million Wienerschnitzel dogs were sold to

2.3 million visitors. Through 21 home games, the team is averaging

37,189 visitors per game -- up more than 10,000 from a year ago.

From Wienerschnitzel, fans can munch on a Regular Dog, Jumbo Dog,

1/3-pound Grand Slam Dog or an Italian Sausage, Bratwurst or Polish

Sandwich. Corndogs are available in the children’s bag meal, and

chili sauce can be found at a handful of locations around the ball

yard.

Wienerschnitzel also provides hot dogs for the Anaheim Mighty

Ducks, San Diego Padres, San Diego Chargers, Sacramento Kings and

Golden State Warriors.

In April, Wienerschnitzel sold Angel Dogs at its Orange County

fast-foot restaurants for 99 cents a piece, Amberger said. A combo

even included a pair of Halo Sticks. The deal will return in

September.

The company signed its first three-year deal with the Angels after

the 1998 season. The Angels renewed it for another three-year term

before the championship 2002 season.

Also notable, Brown-Forman Beverages Worldwide’s Newport Beach

branch provides a line of Fetzer wines to the Angels. These wines are

available at stand-alone carts dotting the stadium concourse.

Brown-Forman sells the wines to Young’s Market Co., a beverage

distributor that, in turn, provides them to Aramark Corp., who

dispenses them at the park, said Bill Ellerman, Brown-Forman’s

regional marketing manager. Aramark employs all the vendors who sell

food at Edison Field.

A drive to win

The Southern California Auto Club, headquartered in Costa Mesa,

also provides services to the Angels.

The Auto Club handles the travel arrangements for the Angels’

annual fan cruise in January. Devoted fans can book passage on a

cruise from San Pedro to Ensenada.

The Auto Club also provides a truck at each home game to troll the

parking lot for stranded motorists. The truck will jump-start dead

batteries or unhook latches for fans who have locked their keys in

the car.

One local business no longer on the client roster is Clayton

Shurley. The Newport Beach restaurateur, who runs Clayton Shurley’s

Real BBQ, sold barbecue food to the stadium in 2002, but the deal

went sour after the season ended, McClemmy said.

“He’s not in good standing with the club financially,” McClemmy

said. “I’m uncomfortable discussing that.”

“He was a sponsor last year and we terminated our arrangement with

him,” McClemmy added.

When contacted Friday, Shurley defended his business dealings,

saying he walked away from the Angels when McClemmy refused to

renegotiate the contract.

“There were some issues that they didn’t handle,” Shurley said.

“They didn’t see eye to eye, and we pretty much parted ways.”

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

paul.clinton@latimes.com.