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Chargers fans can’t stomach Centerplate

CEO of the stadium concessionaire was caught on video kicking dog

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View the Video Dog kicking doesn't go over well at Qualcomm Stadium

Ron Hahn had a dilemma.

He was hungry, and the Chargers game that he had driven from Riverside to see was about to begin.

But after watching a the latest viral video -- of Desmond Hague kicking and choking a dog in an elevator in Vancouver -- Hahn felt queasy about buying food from a concession stand inside Qualcomm Stadium.

Hague is chief executive officer of Centerplate, a $6 billion food-service company that has concession-stand contracts for Qualcomm, the San Diego Convention Center and scores of similar venues across the nation.

The thought of putting any money in Hague’s pocket is troubling to Hahn, who has an Australian-German Shepherd mix named Precious at home.

Should San Diego venues continue to use Centerplate for concessions?

Yes 11% (954)

No 89% (7616)

8570 total votes.

“What if it was a kid?” Hahn asked after seeing Hague yank Sade, a mini Doberman pinscher, up by its neck. “Would he do that to a kid?”

“They should not be doing business with people like that,” Hahn said of the San Diego Chargers and Qualcomm Stadium.

Hahn and his wife, Patty, were among the many Chargers fans at a tailgate outside Qualcomm on Thursday night who lost their appetite for Centerplate after the dog-kicking incident -- a sign that Hague could hurt the company’s sales at venues where Centerplate has concession-stand contracts.

Chargers fans Arturo Ramirez and Ephraim Garcia of Escondido were also stunned by the video.

“It’s animal cruelty,” Garcia said. “I think they should take the contract away.”

“If you do that to an innocent dog, you don’t care about life,” Ramirez said. “They should fire him.”

U-T San Diego readers overwhelmingly shared those sentiments in an unscientific online poll that asked whether Qualcomm and the San Diego Convention Center should cancel Centerplate contracts. Nearly 90 percent of voters — more than 5,400 readers — said Centerplate should go.

Hague has pledged to seek therapy, but he could still face criminal charges in British Columbia, where the incident occurred.

For its part, Centerplate has put Hague on probation and ordered him to donate $100,000 to an animal-welfare charity. The company has also volunteered Hague for a 1,000 hours of community service. The company has pledged to oust him if he’s caught harming another animal.

If Hague hangs onto his post, one test for Centerplate will come early next year, when its $17 million a year contract for Qualcomm Stadium expires. The City of San Diego owns the stadium, and Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the city would review the contract closely with the City Attorney’s Office before making a decision about how to proceed.

“We were shocked to learn of the disturbing behavior of Des Hague and have voiced our displeasure and concern to Centerplate’s leadership,” the Chargers’ management said in a statement to the Watchdog. “It’s unfortunate that his actions have tainted the local Centerplate employees who devotedly serve our fans.”

WATCHDOG

The San Francisco Giants and the 49ers made similar public statements denouncing Hague’s actions, and they have not said whether the incident would affect Centerplate’s concession-stand contracts for AT&T Park and Levi’s Stadium, where the teams play.

Centerplate has no immediate contract negotiations on the table with the San Diego Convention Center, where the caterer’s contract runs through 2026.

More than 80,000 people have signed a petition calling on Centerplate to fire Hague, and nearly 140 people have signed a separate MoveOn.org petition calling on the 49ers to find Centerplate in breach of contract if it keeps Hague on as CEO.

Watchdog

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