Fiserv Forum Tips Off Bucks Season With New Food And Drink Lineup
Arena leans into viral trends, chef-curated handhelds and playful keepsakes.
Food and beverage spread at Fiserv Forum. Photo by Lauren Hafeman on Oct. 19, 2026.
As the Bucks’ home opener on Friday has been moved from a 7 p.m. to a 3 p.m. tipoff, the Fiserv Forum‘s new food and beverage offerings will also launch a few hours earlier than planned.
Marlene Duke, the senior executive chef of the Fiserv Forum and Deer District, told Urban Milwaukee she is ready and looking forward to the launch, even though it is happening earlier than planned.
“I’m proud of everything we do here,” Duke said. “How can you not be excited working in a sports entertainment venue? It’s a huge accomplishment what my team has done.”
The new menu includes “chef-inspired items, featuring bold flavors and premium ingredients,” Duke said, adding that the “elevated” menu aims to “go beyond traditional arena fare and deliver an even more memorable experience for fans.”
So what’s new? Here are the standouts:
Spicy chicken sandwich: Chicken patty, red chili sauce, pickled cucumbers and jalapeño crisps.
Half-court smash tacos: Ground beef, cheese, signature smash sauce, dill-onion relish, lettuce and flour tortillas. Duke said the tacos are a creative approach to the question, “How do we innovate a burger?”
French onion burger: Two beef patties, cheese, signature sauce, caramelized onions and crispy cheese. Duke identified this creation as her favorite on the list.
Cream City smash burger: Beef patty, cheese, signature sauce, dill pickle, tomato and lettuce.
Brisket elote: Smoked brisket, barbecue sauce, street corn and pickled red onions.
Duke said after reviewing fan surveys from previous seasons, “it was very obvious on our end that we didn’t have enough dessert offerings.” This year, she and her team have increased sugary-sweet choices in the arena by 30 percent.
Campfire funnel fries, which are funnel cake strips topped with marshmallow crème, chocolate sauce, cinnamon sugar and mini marshmallows, are set to debut.
In a new partnership with King’s Hawaiian, churro bites made with fried sweet dough, condensed milk and cinnamon sugar, will launch alongside shareable salted pretzel bites.
Like the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, the Fiserv Forum is jumping on viral trends. It is set to launch two dot cake-inspired cheesecakes and an in-house dirty soda concept called Fizz.
The “Shark Attack” dirty soda features Sprite, blue curaçao, grenadine and whipped cream, while the “Strawberry Breeze” features Sprite, strawberry syrup and creamer. Strawberry and turtle cheesecakes will be served in a tall cup at The Spot in section 104, mimicking the presentation of dot cakes, which are single-serving layered cake desserts that went viral over the summer.
Popcorn, a top-selling item year after year, is getting an upgrade, too. A new basketball-shaped bucket with a miniature hoop and retractable catapult along the bucket’s rim turns enjoying the buttery snack into a basket-scoring mini game. A new beverage cup, featuring a similar spring-to-hoop game, is also set to debut. Both the game bucket and cup are take-home keepsakes meant to remind fans of the Bucks game-day experience.
“We’re excited for our fans to experience everything new that we have, from Taylor Jenkins to our exciting, young, competitive players to all these new food items,” said Dustin Godsey, chief marketing and sales officer at the Bucks, at a press event.
Godsey noted that tickets are still available for Friday’s home opener on the team’s website.
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