blacksuit
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Total Posts:
3
- Joined: 6/17/2011
- Location: Sterling Heights, MI
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Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/17/11 5:24 PM
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I own a pita wrap restaurant in a small town and was asked by the town if I wanted to be a food vendor in an upcoming summer event. There should be about 10k people there as was last year. I know that if I make the food on site I will need alot of things like a proper stainless steel sink, etc., which I dont want to do. However I am allowed to make the food in my restaurant, package it, then drive it over to my designated spot in the event (i know it will be alot of driving back and forth but I think its much easier setup/tear down). They will give me a spot on the grass and the rest is up to me. The only options I know of are: 1. a concession trailer(too expensive to buy), or 2. a 4 post tent w/o walls, which needs a couple of tables, cloths draping over the bottom of the tables, some decal lettering at the top for signage, a food warmer, an ice bucket for cold drinks, cash register and lights Like sub sandwiches, pitas are alot of work to put together and not efficient when you have a huge lineup. Should I offer meat and cheese only? Then I got thinking I dont have to sell pitas at all if I dont want to. But if I sell other food then what will it be? Hot dogs? If I buy hot dogs and buns I cant return the unused packages. Then what do I do with it? I dont know if I will be the only food vendor there and there may be a hot dog cart there already. And perhaps even a burger stand. Any advice?
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ces1948
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Total Posts:
1212
- Joined: 8/6/2003
- Location: Port St Lucie, Fl
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/17/11 6:54 PM
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I am just going to give you my opinion as a customer. I say only do what you're known for and do best. If I saw you set up only selling hotdogs and I knew you were the local Pita King I would be disappointed I couldn't get your regular product. JMO
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lornaschinske
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Total Posts:
1543
- Joined: 3/4/2009
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/17/11 7:42 PM
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We make sub sandwiches for street vending and events. I didn't really think they were a lot of trouble to do. The first day we flipped our menu over to the subs was for an event. I pre-pack the meat in serving size weights and they are folded into a wax paper sheet then put into a small sandwich size ziplock bag. We offer the choice of whole wheat or white sub rolls (I pre-cut into 6" rolls). We generally toast the rolls and offer the meats either hot or cold. No big deal for us.
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chefbuba
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Total Posts:
1342
- Joined: 6/22/2009
- Location: Near You, WA
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/17/11 8:04 PM
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I'm with ces1948. Do what you are known for. Can you rent a sandwich or pizza table for the event? Are you only making cold pitas? or hot too? Use a bbq for the hot items? There are many successful vendors at festivals that sell out nothing more than a tent with a couple of tables. If you had a 3 or 4 door table, you could make all the pitas you could sell. Ice chests for drinks and your ready to go.
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stubby77
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Total Posts:
483
- Joined: 1/8/2010
- Location: Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/17/11 8:34 PM
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What kind of pitas do you sell (I mean, what do you put in them?) I would think its be cheap and easy to build your own cold table (really good cooler with lots of ice packs and 1/6 pans to hold toppings) and sandwich prep table. Prepare fillings at the shop, put everything into 1/6 pans in a cooler, transport the fillings to the event and then stuff the pitas to order. Have a hot water sink with sanitizer buckets to clean your sandwich table as you go (check out Lorna's hot water setup - its amazingly cheap and easy! You probably wouldn't even need a sink or water pump if you got a cooler with a spigot on it to hold your hot water and put the cooler on a table with a plastic basin below it. Ask your health department, but as long as you're not doing dishes and aren't dumping your gray water on the ground they should let you by with that setup.) I would stick to cold fillings only (easier to control) and do 4-inch 1/6 pans so you have to constantly rotate fresh product out of the main cooler and up to the work table. Just keep everything iced. As long as you're under cover and have proper thermometers and check everything carefully, I think this setup could work well for you. Of course, you may have an over-achieving health inspector who shoots this whole plan out of the water, but since the town invited you that will help grease the wheels.
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6star
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Total Posts:
3914
- Joined: 1/28/2004
- Location: West Peoria, IL
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/17/11 8:49 PM
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When we have our annual Taste of Peoria event, Haddad's restaurant offers their extremely popular cabbage rolls (pre-made at their restaurant and re-warmed at their booth) in addition to their pitas and gyros. Their booth is made up of tables under an open-sided tent.
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blacksuit
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Total Posts:
3
- Joined: 6/17/2011
- Location: Sterling Heights, MI
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Sun, 06/19/11 4:04 PM
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I think you guys are right about selling only my product. I will serve cold drinks in a bucket of ice. I plan to provide a veggie, a chicken and a steak wrap. I can keep the chicken and steak hot in a 110v electric steamer, which I aleady own. But the problem is that if Im preparing the food on site, I would have to have hot and cold water, stainless steel prep table, etc. it'd be way too much work and $$ to get this done. Its a one time event. the health inspector told me I can premake the wraps at my shop and drive them over to the event and I would not need anything there except to keep the premade food either hot or cold (which is fairly easy for me to do). Thoughts? And should I also sell chips, granola bars, etc.?
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blueskyconcessions
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Total Posts:
34
- Joined: 12/31/2009
- Location: midmichigan, MI
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/24/11 11:38 AM
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Hi. I am in Michigan too, and hope i can help. We have a concession trailer now but have also worked out of a tent. Buy or borrow a 10x10 EZ up tent. Put tables across front and down sides as needed. If on grass you need a tarp for flooring. If on pavement you don't. You need a triple wash station, (wash, rinse, sanitize) and a handwashing station (jug with free flowing spicket, bucket to catch water, pump soap, paper towels). As far as preparing your food, premake as much as you can at your restaurant. Hold on site in cooker/warmers. Or if you are preparing there you will need a flat top. I would suggest taking this weekend and whenever else you are free and hit your local festivals and observe every food setup you see and you will get ideas. We still do this, and you can always learn from observing! You will need a temporary health permit. Contact your local health dept, or maybe you know someone there that inspects your restaurant already and tell them what you want to do, that it is new to you, and you want to do it right. they will appreciate that and can help you.
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reese77
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Total Posts:
287
- Joined: 1/7/2011
- Location: Stockbridge, GA
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Fri, 06/24/11 12:19 PM
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Since you guys are taking about tent setups, here was my 10x10 EZ Up with the compatible 3 sided net cover and a banner I had printed up for the front. I rented a propane griddle and had chafing dishes to keep food already cooked on the grill warm. We made sandwiches and had pre packaged sides in a cooler as well as sodas. There were food trucks and concession trailer out there but we made a killing, the only downside was that the butcher did not cut my beef thin enough for a Philly Cheese Steak and I did not tenderize enough so the Philly sandwiches were tough. My wife made the sandwiches, I worked the grill and my niece worked the cash register, we got swamped but managed. There was not 10K people out there but maybe half that. You can definitely work pitas from a 10x10 tent. See pics below.
<message edited by reese77 on Fri, 06/24/11 12:21 PM>
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blacksuit
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Total Posts:
3
- Joined: 6/17/2011
- Location: Sterling Heights, MI
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Re:Food Vendor for Summer Event
Mon, 06/27/11 9:33 PM
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 This is great thanks everone and I will let you know how it goes.
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