Opened in 1989, the 15,000 seat Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C., is a generic, soulless arena, no different than similar mid-sized stadiums throughout the United States. Yet it represents a missed opportunity for Louisville's new downtown arena. While Aramark Sports & Entertainment Services, a food-services company, oversees the concessions, a few years ago LJVM added a food court that features local vendors. So instead of having to eat the same hot dogs and pretzels that every stadium in the United States hawks, hungry fans also can sample Winston-Salem's local fare, like Little Richard's BBQ and, my favorite, subs from Hero House. The Louisville Arena Authority hired Centerplate, a competitor of Aramark's, to manage concessions. If Aramark can work with local restaurants, why can't Centerplate? Why not expose all of the out-of-town spectators the new downtown arena is expected to bring to Louisville to some aspects of what makes the city great? For more information: Looking for something to do in Louisville this weekend? Check out these suggestions.