If you’ve ever been to a spring training game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona you’ve undoubtedly seen him – or at least heard him.
His name is Derrick Moore and he is as big a part of the spring training experience as Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier, Yasiel Puig or any other Dodger player.
Moore is one of several lemonade vendors at the Cactus League’s most beautiful ballpark and it should come as no surprise that he was recently voted the best vendor in Major League Baseball by fans. His schtick is a simple one and it tugs at the hearts of baseball fans from across the country – “Lemonade! Lemonade! Just like grandma made!” – and it works.
“I thought about my grandma and everything she did for me,” Moore told Arizona Republic’s Kayla S. Samoy during an August 2015 interview. “She made me lemonade, she made me other dishes she liked. It was made with love.”
But it isn’t Moore’s month-long spring training gig that earned him the title of #TopMLBVendor, it was his work at Chase Field – home of the Arizona Diamondbacks – where he has worked since the stadium first opened in 1998. He actually works for Levy Restaurants – the same company that operates the concessions at Dodger Stadium.
“For the DBacks to have MLB top vendor … you know … I think that’s good recognition,” said Moore, upon learning that he had been voted the best vendor in all of baseball.
What does Moore do during baseball’s off-season? As you might expect, he works the aisles at US Airways Arena for Phoenix Suns NBA games and at Jobing.com Arena for Arizona Coyotes NHL games. In fact, Moore has been hawking concessions at sporting events for over 30 years.
So if you’re planning to make the annual six-hour pilgrimage across the desert into the Valley of The Sun this spring to take in a few Dodgers (or White Sox) games, keep an eye out – or rather an ear out – for Derrick Moore selling “Yummy … Yummy … Yummy” lemonade.
“You know you want it.”
I listen for this guy every year and would be disappointed if I didn’t hear his “lemonade” chant 🙂
A few years back, I told him I would only buy a lemonade from him if he yelled his trademark slogan into my phone while recording! He did it, and I used it as my ring tone for a while!
That rough gravelly voice is recognizable anywhere. We are disappointed when he isn’t doing the Camelback games. I suspect he will be at fewer games now that he is somewhat of a personality. He will be highly sought after at most ST games. Well at least the ones that Levy has contracts with that is.
He truly does make it enjoyable to listen to him slinging his Lemonade at ballgames!!