Levy Restaurants hasn’t yet announced what’s on the menu for football fans this fall, but one thing’s clear: Attendees at M&T Bank Stadium won’t be able to get a sandwich from Attman’s Deli as they watch the game.

In its first year operating the concessions at Ravens stadium, Chicago-based Levy Restaurants is kicking out one of the few local vendors, much to owner Marc Attman’s disappointment.

“I was a mainstay,” Attman said. “It’s horrible. I’m really upset.”

He said no one from Levy bothered to call him to tell him he wouldn’t have the chance to renew his contract after 10 years at the stadium; he only found out after contacting the company to inquire about plans for the upcoming season.

He has heard a chicken restaurant will replace his stand at the stadium. “I just don’t understand,” Attman said. “Everywhere you turn, there’s another chicken place opening up.” A spokesman for Levy did not answer questions about the deli’s departure or the eatery taking its place but said in a statement, “As is customary in all sports and entertainment venues, vendors and offerings are consistently evaluated, and new concepts and menus are introduced on a yearly basis.”

Attman’s family first opened its iconic Baltimore deli more than 100 years ago. Its East Lombard Street location is a staple of the city’s historic Corned Beef Row; this year, it launched a second location in Harbor Point. Attman’s family first opened its iconic Baltimore deli more than 100 years ago. The deli also has a branch in Potomac that opened in 2020.

While the stadium location wasn’t the biggest moneymaker, Attman said, it was a good opportunity for some of his employees to earn extra money and for volunteers who helped staff it to raise money for a local charity called Caring for Young Minds. Plus, he said, “I like being there for all our customers who don’t come to downtown Baltimore anymore.”

For Attman, the deli’s departure from the stadium doesn’t just mean the end of corned beef sandwiches but the loss of a sense of Baltimore’s history.

The Ravens announced this year that Levy Restaurants would take over the food at the 71,000-seat M&T Bank Stadium, which was built in 1998 and is in the midst of $430 million in upgrades.

At a liquor board hearing July 11, Levy was approved for a new Class B beer, wine and liquor license at the stadium with the addition of live entertainment.

Levy’s replacement of Aramark at Ravens stadium (four years before Aramark’s contract was set to expire) marked just the latest win for the company in Baltimore. Levy is also in charge of concessions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the Convention Center.

Three days after learning of his deli’s departure, Attman said he was still stinging from the news.

“Big business America, that’s what it is,” Attman said. “Multibillion-dollar company, little guy like me, that’s the way it goes.”