Home depot has plastic chain link in 20 foot sections. We were across from you, and thats what we used. This should tie in to your other questtion about the 10x20 canopy ad why i section off an area "out front". The divider and the chain link keeps people out of your kitchen. You will always have the ballsey ones that think they can wander in and out, but if u make it look like they are coming into your front door, they tend to stay out a little more.
Beofre using the split tent concept, parrothead and I have had people walk under our canopy and start slicing slices off of our breakfast. He jsut wandered right in like he owned the place.
The reason i keep my smoker up on the trailer and use it as a cooking platform, is that it keeps people away from the cooker. They may walk behind it, but will not walk up the ramp. I have seen many a pit get opened by spectators, and I have heard many an argument start from it.
At Grillkings, some lady was trying to take ribs from our turnin selection. I caught several people in our cooler.
If you give out ONE sample, do it VERY discreetly. If someone catches you, prepare for the stampede. I always liken it to feeding seagulls or ducks at a pond. If you throw ONE french fry out, or one piece of bread, the entire population of that critter will come running. Well, give out a chicken thigh to someone while your standing next to the open pit, and before you know it, EVERY person within eyeshot will be walking over. Its friggin pathetic.
At ashbury park after turn-in, I handed a plate of chicken and brisket to my wife while standing on the trailer next to the pit. It was for the kids and her. A rather LARGE woman came over with a dish and said can I have a sample?, her plate was full allready. I politly told her no samples yet and she argued, pointing at my wife... "SHE got a SAMPLE... u just like the Hotties". I told her thats my wife, feeding my kids. She just grunted walked away.. I hope she was embarrassed.
One guy became hostile and pissed becase we wouldnt "GIVE" him any samples. He started yelling "all I got is a f***ing piece of sausage and it sucked."
Ribfest, people from the crowd were complaining becase we were not "allowed" to give out samples.. they would show up at noon expecting a free lunch... in the middle of turn-in, and when denied of that, they would start name calling.
It is at all the competitions, and unless foodTV stops showing the competitiors giving out samples, its not going to go away. Promoters tell them to come SAMPLE real BBQ... some advertise 'sampling'. So people come expecting the free meal. Some venues charge admission to get into the competition area. Spectators expect something for that admission fee and they expect it from us. At one venue, one of the teams politely told a person asking for samples that they can purchase a sampler platter from the vendors, and the person got pissed and got 'attitude'. "WTF did i pay 10 bucks for?"(or whatever the entry fee was) she said?? she was right. The only thing there was BBQ vendors and BBQ competitors. That entry fee lined someones pocket.. and put us(the competitors) on the spot.
One team, right after turnin, put a sign up. SORRY, Out of Samples". I never saw them give any out, but the strategy worked.
Of course, I don't ask and don't look "longingly" at whatever's still out - usually brisket since that's the last meat turned in.
