It takes serious fuel to power elite athletes — and football players are no exception. Some consume up to 7,000 calories a day, which is nearly triple what the average person eats. Multiply that across an entire roster, and you’re not just feeding a team — you’re coordinating a full-scale performance operation. 

Founded in 2019 by Roy Choi and NFL legend Marshawn Lynch, the Bay Area Panthers have quickly become a Northern California sports staple, bringing the fast-paced energy of Indoor Football League (IFL) action to fans at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. With a family-friendly atmosphere, the Panthers give fans a unique way to get close to the game while supporting athletes living out their professional dreams.

The organization is made up of 15-20 front-office employees during the season and a roster of 35-40 players and coaching staff. In this dynamic environment, logistics are just as critical as game-day execution.

To keep players fueled through training, practices, and travel, the Panthers were manually sourcing meals 2-3 times a day over a six-month season. As team President David Eisenberg explained, “It takes a lot of resources to go around and pick up 10,000 meals.”

Feeding the team took time away from coaches and operations staff

Before DoorDash for Business, the Bay Area Panthers had to account for several important factors in how they fed their team: 

• Volume: More than 10,000 meals had to be manually sourced each season.

• Efficiency: Coaches and staff split between three hubs — Alameda, Morgan Hill, and San Jose — were pulled away from football operations to handle daily food runs.

• Catering limitations: Bulk orders lacked variety and couldn’t match the unique needs of 35-40 players with big appetites.

• Community impact: The team wanted to keep supporting local restaurants in Morgan Hill where they train, but they needed a more efficient way to do it.

The Bay Area Panthers needed a new way to manage team meals

With the goal of keeping keeping complex plays out of meal ordering, David Eisenberg and the Panthers’ operations staff needed a solution that would:

• Reduce time and resources dedicated to sourcing mass meals each season

• Control costs while still offering variety and flexibility for players

• Support local merchants in Morgan Hill

• Enable staff to manage and schedule meals at any hour, reducing the need for daily manual coordination.

After exploring alternatives, the Panthers kept coming back to DoorDash for Business. 

DoorDash for Business provided a flexible, scalable meal solution 

With DoorDash for Business, the Panthers found a meal program that was simple to manage, budget-friendly, and adaptable to their unique needs. Top benefits included:

• Individual ordering at scale: The vast majority of meals were placed individually and according to players' preferences and appetite, with oversight from coaches. 

• Multi-location access: Reliable delivery from a wide variety of local restaurants in San Jose or Morgan Hill.

• Streamlined admin: With consolidated billing, easy onboarding, and responsive support, staff were freed from handling multiple daily meal logistics.

DoorDash for Business let the Panthers focus on football

By implementing DoorDash for Business, the Bay Area Panthers transformed how they feed their team:

• 10,000+ meals delivered efficiently over their six-month football season.

• Time savings for coaches and operations staff, who could focus on their jobs.

• Budget control and flexibility, with players getting variety and customized meals. 

• Stronger community impact, as food spend continued to support local merchants.

Discover more about how DoorDash for Business makes ordering and expensing meals simple and efficient for your team.

Image source: Bay Area Panthers