What name was given to Frank Liberto's stadium version of nachos?

Frank Liberto’s stadium version of nachos was called “ballpark nachos.”

Liberto transformed nachos from a restaurant snack into a practical concession-stand food in 1976. His version used prepared tortilla chips and a warm cheese sauce that could be dispensed quickly, rather than relying on freshly melted shredded cheese for every order. That made the dish faster to serve and easier to sell during crowded sporting events.

The name describes both the setting and the innovation: these were nachos designed for a ballpark. Liberto, associated with Ricos Products, helped establish the familiar stadium format of chips, pumpable cheese sauce, and jalapeños. The product was introduced at Texas Rangers games, where it gained a large audience.

A common mix-up is to treat “ballpark nachos” as the original name of nachos themselves. The earlier dish is generally linked to Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, who created “Nachos Especiales” in Piedras Negras, Mexico, in 1943. Liberto’s contribution was the commercially practical stadium adaptation, not the invention of the original snack.