SCOTT ANDERSON/Courier-Post Nicole Lynch, 9, of Delran enjoys chicken tenders and fries while watching the Riversharks play at Campbell's Field.

Fielding a winning team may be priority one for Camden Riversharks management, but making sure fans at Campbell's Field are fed well at reasonable prices appears to be a close second.

Food is "definitely part of the experience," said John Brandt, the fledgling minor league baseball team's general manager.

According to Brandt, who comes to the Sharks' front office after overseeing concessions in two other Atlantic League cities, Bridgeport, Conn., and New Haven, Conn., a good deal of planning went into the culinary side of the operation.

While it was a no-brainer hot dogs and beverages would be part of the ballpark's concession package - he estimates hot dogs, beer and soda make up 75 percent of food sales - Brandt and his people were determined to expand the parameters of the standard baseball stadium menu. "The other 25 percent, people will say, `Oh! I haven't had one of those.'"

At Campbell's Field, that might apply to the various grilled sausages, including kielbasa and bratwurst, on sale ($4) at the Pitcher's Mound, one of the park's 10 concession stands. Or it could be said about the $4 meatball sandwiches hawked out of a left-field cart by folks from The Tavern, a popular Camden restaurant.

"I think fans want a variety of food," said Scott Bennett, the team's general manager of food service. "One thing you don't normally see at a ballpark is the `healthy stand.'"

Indeed, the Coaches Box station specializes in healthy, non-traditional fare, including turkey burgers ($3.75), baked potato ($2.50) and vegetable chili ($3.50) advertised as being "direct from our friends at Campbell's."

While the diversity of offerings may be a selling point, what seems to impress fans are the prices, which are lower than those at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Bennett estimates he sells 1,200 Dietz & Watson franks a game for $ 1.50 each, well below the Vet's $2.75 tab.

Neither Brandt, Bennett nor assistant general manager Dave Brady could explain how the team can afford to undersell its big-league counterparts so significantly, but they suggested it may have to do with factors such as labor and lease deals.

Bennett noted, "I do very well selling them for $1.50. If I was losing money, I wouldn't do it."

Brandt added, "We don't have to gouge people."

There's no question the low prices and high quality have been hitting home runs with Riversharks fans.

William White Sr. of Philadelphia marveled at how inexpensively he fed himself, his wife, Juanita, and three sons, William Jr., 6, Christopher, 5, and Michael, 3, at last week's game against the Long Island Ducks.

Their bill of fare included burgers, hot dogs, French fries and soda.

"Seventeen dollars for a family of five is not bad," said White, "and the food is good. I love the burgers here."

Finishing off a jumbo soft pretzel and a white-capped cup of Flying Fish beer, Marty Calpin of Evesham, a self- professed minor-league baseball fan, described the food at Campbell's Field as about the same as most other minor league parks, but added his brew was "super."

Calpin's wife, Lois, had high praise for the concession stand service, which she thought was "very good."

"For $1.50, I thought (the hotdog) was good," said Joe Lynch of Delran, who attended the game with his father-in- law, Mike DiFillipo, daughter, Nicole, and nephew, Dominic, both 9. "The roll was fresh. It's better than the Vet."

Upstairs in the air-conditioned comfort of the exclusive Diamond Club, which features a full-service bar and other amenities for club box and suite ticket-holders, the story was the same.

As the bartender put out baskets of sweet fried onion rings and spicy popcorn chicken nuggets, Eileen McGonigle of Delran sipped a $4.50 rum and Coke.

"I think this is very nice," she said. "They do a good job."

If you goFor more information about the Camden Riversharks, call (856) 963-2600, or go to www.riversharks. com.