Order Up!

Walk up to the Shack on a Saturday and it looks pretty simple. You order. Food comes out. You go watch baseball.

What's happening on the other side of that window is a different story.

Music is on. The team inside is talking and laughing. Volunteers are prepping and staging food items. Constant cleaning is happening while people linger by the tables, catching up, with burgers going in the background.

Simply put, the Shack is the steady heartbeat of Canyonside on game day.

On a full game day Saturday, the Shack opens at 8:00am. That means someone is there by 7:30 — pulling equipment, setting up the canopy and outdoor tables, getting the Dippin' Dots machine in position, and warming everything up before the first family pulls into the parking lot.

By 9am, burgers are already on the griddle. Not (usually) because anyone ordered them, but because when the morning games end and 40 families hit the window at the same time, they want their cheeseburger in under a minute. So the team works to get ahead of it.

That's the whole game at the Shack: anticipation. It runs less like a restaurant and more like a pit crew — everything staged, everything ready, so when it gets busy the system is already running.

And when it gets really busy, it takes on the energy of a kitchen mid-rush. People moving fast, calling out orders, keeping the line moving, working together to stick the landing. They make it look easier than it is.

Most families know the basics: burgers, hot dogs, tots. But the Shack also serves lumpia, weekend specials, chicken tenders, plant-based items, a full candy selection, coffee, Dippin' Dots, slushies, cold drinks, and loads of other stuff.

The slushy machine is actually RPLL-owned equipment (who knew?!) and our vendor just helps with repairs and supplies product for it.

The Dippin' Dots comes out as part of the daily setup routine. Coffee gets going early because there are plenty of RPLL parents who are not functional human beings before 8:30am without it.

The burger patty we use is a deliberate quality decision; not the cheapest option, and definitely not an afterthought. People notice a good burger, and in our case, they come back for it.

On a busy game day, the Shack can bring in some meaningful revenue. On occasion, we even open on Sunday’s to support local baseball tournaments, and all that revenue goes back into the league: equipment, events, programs — things that make RPLL what it is beyond the games themselves.

Every item that moves through the window is tracked. Our point-of-sale system logs exactly how many hot dogs, how many burgers, how many waters, etc. are sold on any given day.

That data drives purchasing; how much to order from vendors each week, how to plan for a tournament weekend, when to restock mid-week.

Shopping happens at minimum twice a week, but definitely more during high-volume stretches, with two or more people making that run together. It's a serious haul.

There's produce prep happening in there. Tomatoes, onions, lettuce are all purchased whole and prepped fresh on-site.

There's knife work happening carefully in a tight space, usually while the window line is moving.

Someone is keeping an eye on the fryer oil. Old oil produces a noticeably worse product, and a worse product means fewer people at the window.

We change the oil on a regular schedule and dispose of it properly — cooled, sealed, hauled out the right way. Not down the drain. Not in the dumpster.

The griddle replaced an open-flame grill a few seasons back; it’s safer for a teenage workforce, doesn't require burning through 3 to 5 propane tanks on a full Saturday, and produces a burger our families enjoy.

Behind the operation are the people running it day-to-day, and this is a transition year for us.

Maritza Gomez and Fernanda Urmeneta took the wheel as our new snack bar coordinators this season, and they're crushing it.

They've taken on a complex operation in stride, kept the standard high, and made it look easy from the outside, which it isn't.

This is also a moment to recognize the crew before them.

Char Mann and Angela Lewis, along with the team they built around them, ran this operation for years and set the bar for what the Shack is today.

So much of the system that works so well — the rhythm, the standards, the systems behind the systems — exists because they spent years making it that way.

We are deeply grateful to them.

Our Sr. Shift Managers Piper and Amy have been around for years and actively train all new team members.

Other Shift Managers — Danica, Camryn, Kai, and the rest of the crew — are the backbone of the operation.

They know it cold. They're cooking, training, troubleshooting, and keeping the energy right when the line goes 15 deep.

They're also the reason a volunteer family can walk in with zero experience and truly be useful inside of 10 minutes.

What we have today in our Snack Shack operation is the result of a system built by people who cared deeply about building it well.

The next time you’re there, send a ‘thank you’ their way, because they’ve earned it.

If you haven't signed up for your snack bar shift yet, now is the time.

A shift manager who knows exactly what to do will point you in the right direction. No experience required.

As one parent put it after their first shift: "I thought it was going to be a chore, or I’d be in the way. It was actually kind of the most fun I've had at the field all season."

👉 Sign up for your snack bar shift here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040945A8A92DA0FC1-62173227-snack#/

Questions about your shift or deposit status? Reach out to [email protected].

Little League Day at Petco Park Sunday, May 10 (Mother’s Day)

Sunday, May 10th is the Little League Day at Petco Park, including the pre-game parade. 

RPLL will have over 600 attendees for this event and we have sold out of all league reserved tickets.  

Event Details:

RPLL Community Day: Lake Elsinore Storm Game — Sunday, May 17

Join us to celebrate “Youth Sports Day” with The Storm!

We've reserved 200 seats for RPLL families at the Lake Elsinore Storm (the Padres' Single-A affiliate) on Sunday, May 17 at 2:05 PM vs. the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Tickets are $20 each and include

A portion of every ticket sold comes back to RPLL.

Get your tickets here: https://www.gofevo.com/event/RPLL

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