Some fans upset with Camping World Kickoff game experience

ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida State’s season-opening game against Louisiana State left some fans with a sour taste.

The reason, for some, was not the final score but what they felt was a lack of fan experience.

Rayce Foskett was one of more than 60,000 fans at the game. He called his time at Camping World Stadium "a pretty terrible experience" on X. His post has more than 140,000 views.

"[It’s a] big primetime game," Foskett said. "Top 10 matchup in college football. You’ve got to expect the type of surge that comes with that, and it didn’t really seem like they were prepared."

In his post, Foskett listed out reasons he felt the experience was lacking, including bathroom quality and slow post-game shuttle service.

"It was a mob, and the shuttle service that runs out that’s supposed to help with that they can’t even move," Foskett said.

Foskett also wrote about "frustration" over sold-out concession stands in the 2nd half. He shared his experience.

"Waiting in really long lines for concessions and there’s really nothing outside of popcorn," Foskett said.

Michael Molter snapped a picture of a concession stand where TVs presumably for menus were not on.

"It was kind of confusing walking up there and they go ‘Hey, what do you want?’" Molter said. ‘‘Well, what do you have? I don’t even know what you’re selling right now."

Molter complained the quality of the food he received was not worth the price.

Both Foskett and Molter estimated they paid around $300 for their seats. Each attended the game with a group.

Other fans complained online about concession stands running out of food and even water before the game was over. The criticism drew the attention of Camping World’s CEO.

Marcus Lemonis replied directly to Foskett saying, "As you know, the city of Orlando owns and manages the stadium and we are simply the sponsor."

"I’ve looked through the responses on here and have cataloged them," Lemonis said on X. "I will have the issues addressed. As a sponsor, if people aren’t happy then we’re not happy."

Foskett said he appreciated Lemonis’ response.

"I respect that a lot, and I’d love to see some material change that comes from that," Foskett said.

FOX 35 reached out to the City of Orlando’s head of venues. We received a response from Allen Johnson about the shuttle complaints saying staff did its best to get 60,000 fans out of the stadium at once.

Johnson addressed concession stand inventory by declaring Sunday’s game Camping World Stadium’s "largest food and beverage event ever."

"We had product and some movement issues," Johnson said. "We’ll keep working on that to get it refined for our next big event."

Johnson said the next big event at Camping World Stadium is a sold-out Karol G concert on Sun, Sept. 24.

"We can do better and we will," Johnson said.

Johnson said the stadium needs hefty funding for upgrades to improve the fan experience.

Orange County leaders are considering a plan to pump almost half a billion into stadium renovations with tourist tax dollars.

Sunday’s game alone was predicted to generate 30 million for the local economy.

FOX 35 also reached out to game promoter Florida Citrus Sports. The group said in a statement ‘the fan experience is our top priority."

"We are very proud of the game's impact on our community, but there is room for improvement," Florida Citrus Sports said. "Some experiences can be improved through operational adjustments, while others will be improved when the stadium and campus are fully renovated. Thankfully, that discussion is currently taking place in our community. We intend to work tirelessly with our partners, including the City of Orlando and the stadium vendors, to improve the customer experience well into the future."

Florida Citrus Sports’ customer service team connected with Foskett for his input. Foskett said they had a "detailed discussion" about potential improvements.