Kitchener Memorial Auditorium — Attraction in Kitchener

The arena itself is not bad, we’ve gone to many games at this arena and every single time, we run into the same glaring issues. The concession stands take AT LEAST 25 minutes just to get through a line of maybe 15-20 people. The parking may be free, but it’s an absolute nightmare to try and leave, people are just cutting in and out through lanes, they need some kind of police enforcement to stop people from driving into head off traffic to cut you off and beat your out of the lot. The signage in the concourse is very useless, hard to understand and doesn’t tell you what section is on what side. The staff don’t seem to have any idea on the rules also, we brought a small horn, some plastic hand clappers, a paper clacker, and a cow bell, and I was told by some staff they’re not allowed in any shape or form, but by other staff that “as long as it’s reasonable and not excessive”. Which we only used the horns with the rangers scored, but we were getting heckled by patrons who insisted they were not allowed even though the arena has a BOAT HORN as a goal horn… I love the rink for its history and views of the game, but this arena has to be the poorest designed and operated rink of any major juniors in the league. Also, sitting in the new ‘blue’ area, the audio was nearly unrecognizable, the jumbotron was completely obstructed by the roof beams, and the alternative screen they installed to allow patrons to be able to view the board is located in the center and isn’t very large, so if you’re sitting in a side section, you can’t really see the replays, time clock or 50/50 #’s very well.

The Aud is a barn I want to love, but 30 minutes for a $10 footlong dog (on a 5” bun) and a pop just isn’t a good time, and the 25 minute parking massacre they call “exiting” is just dangerous and by far the worst of any rink in any city we’ve...

This is pretty much one of my favourite places on planet Earth! The atmosphere in "The Aud" on home game nights for the Rangers is always electric. The staff are helpful and courteous.

Having said that, the food services at The Aud are atrocious. First of all, they have had Pizza Pizza as their primary vendor for many years, and their menu is severely limited - pizza, hot dogs and burgers. Their pizza is good but the other items are passable at best.

Recently, we purchased food from a vendor called "Chef's Table", which is located in the upper concourse. They sell "premium footlong (hot) dogs". This food was absolutely gross. The wiener itself is boiled, not grilled so it was water-logged and soggy and not remotely "hot". The pretzel bun was tasty and the toppings were fresh, but buns and toppings do not a hot dog make! We decided to add a bag of chips and a soft drink to each of our two dogs. Their supply of chips was limited (i.e. no plain, just flavoured) and the bottled soft drink was room temperature! Would it kill you to chill your beverages? The bill - $42 for two dogs, two small bags of chips and two warm soft drinks - a complete rip-off!

Listen, Aud higher-ups, you need to up your game on the food services in your venue! For season ticket-holders, we are bored with the same old rubbish year after year. Your prices are completely ridiculous ($11 for a can of beer? You do realize this isn't the Skydome, right?), selection is limited and quality is low.

Our family has decided we will no longer be eating at the Aud. For nearly forty home games each season, this will put some serious bucks back into my pockets, but more importantly,...

Instead of calling this place "the Aud", they should call it "the Amazing Aud". I watched the Titans game over the weekend and it had a great atmosphere! I had an authentic happy experience. It's a more intimate NBA experience. I truly appreciate the local community supporting the team while simultaneously the team reinvesting back into the community. The fact that the players stay after a game to sign autographs for the fans is a lovely touch. This is the dichotomy of Canadian culture: the experience watching the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans basketball game is top notch because you actually can feel the true love and effort put in to host the experience for the fans as you witness the local businesses and organizations genuinely investing in the event and making it as entertaining as possible. The mascot shakes hands with all of the children that attended the game to ensure they are having a great time, local school students were brought in to sing the national anthem, local businesses sponsored prizes for the halftime games, and the host/MC was hilarious as informative of upcoming events. Businesses and organizations promoting various events at the basketball game not just to support the basketball team but to uplift the community as well. It is truly inspiring to experience. All of this while 100% of the players in the team are American during a time period where most Canadians are claiming to be boycotting US related things. What a time...