WM Phoenix Open Overhauls Tournament Food for 2026, Adding Lobster Rolls, Noodles, and New Kitchens

A shift from standard concessions to broader menus

The WM Phoenix Open, staged at TPC Scottsdale, is expanding its tournament dining strategy ahead of the 2026 edition, with organizers and on-site operators introducing menus that move beyond traditional grab-and-go staples. New offerings highlighted for 2026 include lobster rolls and globally influenced dishes such as pork belly served with lo mein noodles and butter chicken paired with turmeric lentils.

The changes are concentrated around the tournament’s signature amphitheater setting at the 16th hole, where hospitality venues are being reworked alongside food service operations. The tournament is scheduled for Feb. 2–8, 2026, with Monday and Tuesday typically used for non-competition rounds and broader fan access.

Pin Hi Club and upgraded 16th-hole hospitality

Among the additions is the Pin Hi Club, a new hospitality venue positioned at green level on the left side of the 16th green. The tournament has described it as a luxury club environment with an expanded culinary program. Announced food elements for premium areas include seafood towers, tray-passed items, and other menu formats aimed at serving guests quickly while maintaining higher-end presentation.

Separately, Skybox 16—one of the event’s flagship corporate hospitality products—is positioned as a food-and-beverage destination as well as a viewing platform. Tournament materials describe all-inclusive breakfast and lunch buffets with bar service within its hospitality packages, with pricing structured at the premium corporate tier.

Operations built for speed, volume, and Arizona conditions

Feeding large daily crowds at an outdoor desert venue requires menus that can be produced at scale, transported safely, and served efficiently under heat exposure and time pressure. For 2026, the on-site catering operation has detailed a move toward more fully built-out kitchen capacity at the 16th-hole complex, with multiple operating kitchens intended to support fresher preparation closer to service time.

At the same time, the menu direction suggests a balancing act: dishes need to hold up in hand, move through lines quickly, and remain compatible with event-wide packaging and waste-handling requirements.

How sustainability requirements shape what ends up on the menu

The WM Phoenix Open has long marketed itself as a large-scale “zero waste” sporting event, using an operations model built around landfill diversion through recycling, composting, donation, reuse and waste-to-energy streams. Independent third-party verification and long-running sustainability certifications have been central to that positioning.

Food and beverage decisions are tightly linked to that framework. Serviceware choices, packaging limits, and the practicality of sorting waste at high volume can determine which items are feasible. Past tournament sustainability reporting has emphasized compostable and recyclable materials across concessions and hospitality, and the 2026 food expansion is being implemented within those constraints.

• New premium offerings include lobster rolls and seafood-forward service in select hospitality areas.
• Broader flavor profiles are being introduced with dishes such as noodle-based mains and South Asian-inspired plates.
• Additional kitchen capacity near the 16th hole is intended to support higher-throughput, fresher preparation.
• Packaging and disposal rules tied to landfill diversion continue to influence what can be served at scale.

The 2026 food program signals an operational shift: expanding variety while keeping pace with the tournament’s volume, speed, and sustainability requirements.