PHILADELPHIA, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With baseball season about to begin, Americans are most looking forward to sharing their ballpark peanuts, Cracker Jack® and hot dogs with actors Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Lawrence, according to the Aramark Baseball Survey.

The survey found 16 percent of U.S. adults would like actor and die-hard Red Sox fan Wahlberg to be their ballpark food pal, while 15 percent would choose to share a meal with Oscar® award-winning actress Lawrence. In the survey, Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), the award-winning food and hospitality partner of nine Major League Baseball stadiums, asked U.S. adults which celebrity they'd like to share a meal with at a baseball game.

If Wahlberg or Lawrence are off filming a movie, fans would not mind grabbing some nachos, chicken fingers or veggie dogs with Jimmy Fallon (12%), Beyonce (11%) or Tina Fey (10%), while taking in a ballgame.

Not surprisingly, Wahlberg and Lawrence fared well among respondents from their own neck of the woods. In the Northeast, Wahlberg, a Boston native, was most popular (19%), while those in the Midwest preferred to catch a game and grab some ballpark grub with Kentucky native, Lawrence (16%).

"Celebrities enjoy eating their favorite ballpark food at baseball games as much as the rest of us. Mark Wahlberg's love of the Red Sox is well-known, so it makes perfect sense that people would want to grab a Fenway Frank and Lobster Roll with him, the next time he's at Fenway Park," said Carl Mittleman, President, Aramark Sports and Entertainment.

The survey also revealed:

• Among women, Mark Wahlberg (14%) and Jimmy Fallon (14%) tied for first place, followed by Jennifer Lawrence (13%) and Kelly Ripa (11%).
• Men would prefer to attend with Mark Wahlberg (18%) and Jennifer Lawrence (18%), followed by Beyonce (14%) and Jerry Seinfeld (12%).
• More women than men (14% vs. 9%) would eat a meal at a game with Jimmy Fallon.
• More men than women (14% vs. 9%) would choose Beyonce as their ballgame companion.
• Jennifer Lawrence (22%) is the most popular among millennials ages 18-29.
• Kelly Ripa (15%) is most popular among adults 50+.

Aramark partners with 12 Major League baseball teams to provide food and beverage, retail and/or facilities services -- Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Oakland A's, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays.

About Aramark Sports and Entertainment
Aramark Sports and Entertainment creates remarkable experiences for guests at over 150 premier sports facilities, convention centers and entertainment venues throughout North America.  With industry-leading insight, Aramark designs innovative hospitality, dining and catering, retail merchandise, and facility service programs that deliver valuable business results.  Learn more at www.aramarkentertainment.com or www.twitter.com/aramarksports.

About Aramark
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) is in the customer service business across food, facilities and uniforms, wherever people work, learn, recover, and play. United by a passion to serve, our more than 270,000 employees deliver experiences that enrich and nourish the lives of millions of people in 22 countries around the world every day.  Aramark is recognized among the Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE and the World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

About The Survey
The Aramark Baseball Survey was conducted by Kelton between February 28th and March 7th, 2014 among 1,002 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and over, using an email invitation and an online survey.  Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results.  In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than  3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.  The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.

Contact:
David Freireich
215-238-4078
freireich-david@aramark.com

Erin Noss
215-409-7403
noss-erin@aramark.com

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131212/PH32713LOGO

SOURCE Aramark