How to spend $20 at The Masters’ legendary concession stands

The Masters is all about tradition, pageantry, and one of the most iconic settings in all of sports. If there’s anything more beautiful than the rolling hills of Augusta it’s the concessions menu — which remains the greatest triumph in American sports.

Seriously, just look at this thing.

At a time where everyone and everything is trying to squeeze you for every last time, Augusta’s prices still look like something out of the 1980s. Alcohol at a sporting event only costing $5-6 is unheard of. A sandwich for $3? A bag of popcorn most places will set you back twice that. Heck, that’s even before we get to the iconic pimento cheese, which is somehow still only $1.50.

We decided to take a challenge here at SB Nation.com: If each of us had $20 to spend on a full day’s worth of food at The Masters, what would we use it for? In this case we’re looking specifically for a breakfast, lunch, and snacks for a day (including drinks) — coming away satisfied with our purchases. Here’s what we came up with.

Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, Masters Blend Fresh Brewed Coffee ($3.50)
Lunch: Ham & Cheese on Rye, Chips, Fresh Brewed Iced Tea ($6.50)
Snacks: 2x Pimento Cheese Sandwich, Bottled Water, Import Beer ($10)

I’m not a big breakfast guy. I know it’s an important meal, but I loathe eating too much in the morning. Normally I just have something enough to allow me to drink coffee (always black, no sweetener) without it upsetting my stomach. A chicken biscuit lays the foundation with a healthy amount of protein that will hold me over.

Lunch was easy for me. If you give me a menu that includes anything “on rye,” I’m picking it. I love rye bread so much it hurts, and to me it always elevates bread from being a simple sandwich vehicle, to an experience. I’d eat rye sandwiches all the time if my wife and daughter liked it too, but alas I don’t get to eat as much rye bread as I want because I can’t eat a whole loaf in a week. Give me some chips and a nice sweet tea and I’m solid.

Picking the iconic pimento cheese sandwich as a snack feels like cheating — but I’m owning it. One mid-morning, one mid-afternoon and I’m totally golden. The first sandwich comes with a bottle of water for hydration, the second gets me a beer. I’m not sure what they have for “import beer,” but I elected for that over The Masters’ own “Crow’s Nest,” because I’m not a huge fan of wheat beers.

Breakfast: Blueberry Muffin, Chicken Biscuit, Bottled Water ($5.50)
Lunch: Chicken Salad on Brioche, Pimento Cheese Sandwich, Bottled Water ($6.50)
Snacks and drinks: Crow’s Nest, Cookies (2x) ($8.00)

I’m not a coffee guy, so I have to pay a bit more for water in the morning. I pondered fresh mixed fruit instead of the blueberry muffin, but that would put me 50 cents over the limit.

I’ve been eyeing that chicken salad sandwich since I first saw the concession prices. I can’t pass on the course favorite pimento cheese sandwich, so rather than mix in chips or something else, I’ll just have two sandwiches.

And it’s simply to wrap the day with an Augusta brew and some cookies. Easy enough!

Breakfast: Breakfast Sandwich, Blueberry Muffin, Masters Blend Coffee ($6.00)
Lunch: Pimento Cheese Sandwich (X2), Chips, Bottled Water ($6.50)
Snacks and drinks: Crow’s Nest, Mini Moon Pie, Pecan Caramel Popcorn ($7.50)

We’re going to ease into the day a bit, and I feel like trying something named the “Masters Blend Fresh Brewed Coffee” is a must, even though I’m more of an energy drink person.

Lunch has to include the pimento cheese sandwich, and we’re going to go with two of those because, well, at $1.50 I can. And if a Michelin-star chef says that the pimento cheese sandwich at Augusta cannot be improved, well, who am I to argue?

The rest of the day? We’re enjoying the Crow’s Nest, which is Augusta’s wheat ale craft beer. It’s described as tasting similar to Blue Moon, with orange undertones, and that indeed sounds lovely. Plus, you get a green souvenir cup. Who doesn’t love souvenir cups! And while I am not usually a fan of caramel popcorn, I feel like if it’s going to work for me anywhere, Augusta is that place.

Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, Blueberry muffin , bottled water ($5.50)
Lunch: BBQ sandwich, chips, Iced tea ($6.50)
Snacks and drinks: Pecan Caramel Popcorn, Crow’s Nest, Cookies ($8.00)

At a sporting event like The Masters, pacing is important. You’re going to be walking around at all the holes for basically the entire day. You don’t want to gas out in the morning, so for breakfast we load up with a chicken biscuit, blueberry muffin and a bottled water. The morning starts out at 66 degrees in Augusta, but quickly rises to a high of 84 at noon. The trees will provide some shade but with the sun beating down on you, get some water in your system early.

Lunch is where we get active. A BBQ sandwich, chips and an iced tea for under $7 is finding value late in the draft. I debated BBQ sandwich or chicken sandwich for a good while. I love barbecue, and you’re in the south so you know the barbecue won’t be horrendous. However, it doesn’t specify what’s going on the sandwich. Is it pulled pork? Brisket, perhaps? Maybe some chicken? Either way, I’ll take the risk with BBQ, because BBQ is really good. If you’re in the south, iced tea is a formality here, hopefully it’s sweet tea. Then chips to go on the side finishes off lunch. I initially had pimento cheese on this menu, but then I looked up the ingredients. Mayo is a hard pass for me, so we’ll skip on that.

The Crow’s Nest is a wheat ale beer, and I’m not a huge beer at sporting events guy, but it’s special to the Masters and you get a souvenir cup, so it’s 100% worth it. Honestly, all I needed to see was Pecan Caramel and I was in for whatever came after that. You can’t possibly mess up that combination. Then you go cookies, because moon pies are overrated and I feel like people need to know that.

Stayed under $30 with room to possibly add in another beer or beverage based on how the vibes are going.

Breakfast: Chicken Biscuit, Masters Blend Fresh Brewed Coffee ($3.50)
Lunch: Bar-B-Que, Chips, Coke (Pepsi is unacceptable) ($6.50)
Snacks and drinks: Pimento Cheese, Georgia Pecan Caramel Popcorn, Peanuts, Cookies, 2 Bottles of water ($10)

Let’s get this out of the way first, Pepsi is not an acceptable substitute for Coke.

As JP noted, pacing is vital in this process so for me is starts with what I’ve heard is a great chicken biscuit with coffee with cream and sugar. I don’t need to be heavy starting out the day but I do need fuel.

At lunch, I will almost never turn down something barbecue. I’ve ordered ribs at an Italian Restaurant (my wife’s family still brings it up over a decade later) and would do it again. Again, we have a decently long day and I’m planning to hit up the food shack multiple times throughout the day. (Doubtful its a shack at Augusta but I have to go with my experiences). Chips and a coke finish my lunch off properly with a little salty and a little sweet.

Finally, we get to where I really pace the day out right. Two different stops for “snacks” includes a Pimento Cheese sandwich (for $1.50 that’s a snack), popcorn and a water. Almost like another small lunch! Then, it’s peanuts (wouldn’t do those at the same time as popcorn, duh), cookies and water to keep me hydrated later in the day. A little lighter but still some fuel for the amount of walking and standing around you are doing at the event.

Breakfast: Chicken Biscuit, Master’s Blend Fresh Brewed Coffee ($3.50)
Lunch: Egg Salad, Bar-B-Que, Fresh Brewed Iced Tea, Mini Moon Pie ($7.50)
Snack and drinks: Pimento Cheese, Crow’s Nest, Georgia Pecan Caramel Popcorn ($8.00)

I love a good breakfast sandwich, and with the dollar savings plus the opportunity to eat deep-fried food instead of a healthier option, I go chicken biscuit for breakfast. It pairs well with the black coffee and my acid reflux medicine.

If I’m at The Masters for the first time, I’m going to engage with the classics. The egg salad sandwich as part of my lunch is the legacy pick here, but I also want the heartier barbecue sandwich. Moon pies are a favorite dessert of mine, and while I normally prefer regular sizes, mini will have to do. Normally I would do a diet soda here (calories, am I right?), but the iced tea feels like the right pairing at Augusta.

Going with my Masters-themed classics, I add the two other signature items to the rest of my day with a Pimento Cheese and a Crow’s Nest so I have a new beer to add to my Untappd list. I’m not usually a wheat beer guy, but you gotta try it and you get to keep the souvenir cup. I live in New York, so when in Georgia, I get the popcorn for my salty-crunchy sweetness. (Sorry, peanuts.)

I have a dollar left and I drop it in the tip jar. It’s not much, but it’s something. If I paid more than $100 for tickets to get in, not to mention the travel from NY, I probably should tip more than that. I definitely don’t need another Mini Moon Pie at the end of the day. Maybe I should have ordered the other breakfast sandwich instead.