Frank Liberto marketed his modified nachos at Texas Rangers games in 1976.
Liberto, owner of Ricos Products, adapted nachos for stadium service by pairing prepared tortilla chips with a pumpable cheese sauce. The innovation was designed for speed and consistency: concession workers could serve many portions without shredding and melting cheese for each order.
The product debuted at Arlington Stadium, then the home of the Texas Rangers. These stadium nachos differed from Ignacio Anaya’s original 1943 preparation in Piedras Negras, which used fried tortilla pieces, melted cheese, and jalapeño slices. Liberto’s version helped turn nachos into a major American sports-venue snack.
A common mix-up is 1978, when sportscaster Howard Cosell repeatedly mentioned nachos during Monday Night Football, greatly increasing their national visibility. That broadcast exposure came after Liberto’s 1976 stadium launch.