blog category: Festival Food Vendors

FestivalNet, Asheville, NC

Food trucks have been around since the early 20th century but evolved into an exciting new venture for foodies and first-time restaurateurs during the mid-2000s. This exciting phenomenon provided an opportunity for budding businesses to operate with low costs while remaining mobile. These capabilities, in turn, reached new customers and profitable locations.

According to SD Food Truck Pros, the food truck industry had an annual growth rate of 7.5% from 2015 to 2020 and is a two-billion-dollar industry. If you’re thinking about joining this community, here are some of our best tips for launching a successful food truck business.

Providing successful food service at festivals & fairs presents various challenges. Having good or unique food at a competitive (fair) price is not enough. Consistently providing quality food items that are not under or overcooked takes significant planning. Knowing how much to buy and prep, as well as maintaining proper refrigeration and heated service temperatures in a temporary environment add more challenge to getting it right every time for hungry patrons!

Looking for a spring event? The historic city of St. Augustine Florida is the home of a wonderful Seafood Festival. This year the event will be held on March 25th and 26th. Both vendors and visitors should check out this exciting Festival. Not only is it a great event, but it supports the charitable work of the Lions Club International.

This event has it all, food festival, crafts show, music, entertainment, and rides, no wonder it draws over 20,000 visitors in just one weekend. 

The Festival will offer a number of children’s, adult, and family events and activities, including axe throwing, face-painting, music, clowns, magic, character meet-and-greets, an interactive fire engine exhibition, arts and crafts, and balloon fun.

There are spots for 100 juried arts and crafts vendors to display their wares at this beautiful park location. There is a February deadline for both craft and food vendors.

Musicians can apply until the schedule is full. Visitors expect to hear Jazz, Latin, Country, Folk, Classic Rock, Motown, and Contemporary, so whatever your style this is an event for you.

As a food truck owner, you embrace the challenge of driving from town to town and setting up shop for the day. Your unique type of business gives you the opportunity to increase your market and gain new customers along the way.

Because you have the ability to interact and serve a diverse group of people, it's best you make sure your marketing plan is on point. In case it needs some work, or if you want more ideas, we put together four food truck marketing tips that are easy to implement.

Upgrading kitchen equipment can be a tough task for food vendors who haven't planned ahead. But, without good equipment your business suffers! So, start planning now and use these tips so that the upgrade won't be so costly.

First, set a budget: Create a budget and a separate bank account which you use only for upgrading kitchen equipment. The budget will tell you how much to set aside every week. While you may not have 100 percent of the money you need when it is time to upgrade, you'll have a big chunk of it.

Becoming a city-certified festival food vendor is enough to turn anyone off the idea of eating giant turkey legs.

"Has anyone ever eaten something and shortly after you feel a gurgling in your stomach?" Daria Kulczycky asks her Summer Festival Food Vendor Sanitation Seminar one afternoon last week at Harold Washington College. The stern, middle-aged woman in a blue turtleneck is attempting to stir some gastrointestinal empathy in her students-myself included.

We will soon join the ranks of 2,200 vendors certified annually by the city to serve fried dough and meats on a stick to the masses at music festivals, neighborhood street fetes, farmers' markets and church fund-raisers. The workshop quickly feels like an episode of MTV's Scared Straight for summer food vendors.