Inflation has impacted virtually every aspect of the US consumer supply chain, even professional sporting events.
Twitter at @_ZachGriff
This year’s US Open Tennis Championships aren’t immune (you can partially thank Serena Williams’ retirement announcement for that), but ticket costs aren’t the only thing that skyrockets, especially when it comes to a tried-and-true concession.
The famous drink of the tournament is called the Honey Deuce – a Gray Goose vodka-based drink made with raspberry liqueur and lemonade and garnished with honeydew melons that are cutely shaped to look like tennis balls.
What’s not so cute, though, is the $22 price tag – for one cocktail.
Granted, you get to keep the signature cup, but for many tennis fans and tournament goers, the cost is anything but an ace.
Call it the Big Mac Index for Tennis… A honey deuce at the US Open is now $22
That’s more than a whole bottle of vodka in some places! pic.twitter.com/UwqN5Qvhhc
— Zach Griff (@_ZachGriff) 29 August 2022
Rename to “thanks for spending $22 on a honey deuce” pic.twitter.com/qtBs1HV7Bo
— Philip Fama (@tweener_head) August 30, 2022
Excuse me, but a Honey Deuce is now $22?! pic.twitter.com/G4AU7XMByl
— Foot Fault Tennis (on North American hard courts) (@footfaulttennis) August 30, 2022
dude. I worked at the US Open last year and went back yesterday for the fan preview. The official cocktail, the Honey Deuce is $22 (!), and I swear @US open shaved a good 4 ounces off the cup size since last year. They are TINY. #USOpen2022
— The best, no left-beef pizza (@betterred) August 24, 2022
i want to go to the #US open and drink a Honey Deuce that now costs $22
— Michelle Chabra (@MichelleChabra) 29 August 2022
Honey Deuce costs $22
Fed keeps walking pic.twitter.com/zglbk7Iyx4
— Sawmill (@VujaDeMgmt) August 26, 2022
The drink, that debuted in 2007, was originally priced at $18 and rose to $20 in 2019 when approximately 250,000 were sold. Over 1 million Honey Deuces have been sold in the past 15 years.
Bloomberg reported that concessions are up about 10% overall, with local hotels charging more than $519 a night during the first round of the tournament, while others hit as much as $700 a night over the holiday weekend and in the later rounds of the tournament.
Ticket prices for the tournament have also skyrocketed, with the cheapest tickets to the women’s finals starting at $180 and the men’s and women’s doubles final tickets starting at $350 a pop on Stubhub.
The US Open is expected to last until September 12.
