Bludso’s Brings Barbecue Credentials to LA’s New Soccer Stadium

The inaugural season for the Los Angeles Football Club hasn’t even officially gotten underway at the new Banc of California Stadium near USC, but the excitement’s already building. News broke late last month of the first official concessions tenant (Beer Belly) for the property, but now comes another big name: Bludso’s.

Owner Kevin Bludso made a name for himself selling Texas-style smoked meats from a walk-up space in Compton over the years, ultimately expanding into the Bludso’s empire with dots all over the map. There’s Bludso’s Bar & Que on La Brea, run by the namesake pitmaster along with Noah Galuten, as well as a Bludso’s outpost at The Proud Bird’s food bazaar space near the airport. There’s even San Antone by Bludso’s BBQ, an offshoot with a prime location down in Melbourne, Australia.

With this Banc of California Stadium project, the Bludso’s team will work to bring quality central Texas barbecue to scale inside a new state-of-the-art facility that opens in less than two months. Right now the menu calls for mostly sandwiches and sides, along with one particular Kevin Bludso specialty: rib tips. That’s no small task, but given the team’s ability to grow from that small Compton storefront into a multi-location barbecue brand, the future certainly seems bright.

As for the Banc of California Stadium, there are still plenty of names left to be announced, along with details on an adjacent building on the same property that will also hold a variety of food options. In the meantime the LA Football Club crew is making the local rounds in anticipation of their first game next month, popping up tonight with swag at Beer Belly in Koreatown. More on future concession restaurant confirmations as they come.

• Beer Belly Confirmed as First Concession Stand for LA Football Club Stadium [ELA]