Here are the answers to your questions:
1-what was the split
teams got $1.00 and the charity or organization got $1.00
How many vendors are asked to pay 50% of their gross sales for the right to sell? The 80/20 split I have seen at events outside of California and Arizona are much more equitable considering who is bearing the brunt of the costs involved in cooking and serving the food.
2-did you have to be inspected by the health dept. and or pay a fee for that
health dept did inspect us and the teams did not have to pay a fee. The HD looked for things like a proper wash station, hotwater, proper PH in bleach watewr, ice chests off the ground, screened in prep area. It did not cost the teams anything, and I believe it was a blanket health permet obtained by the promoter.
The requirements that we've have faced have varied greatly from venue to venue. We've been required to take and pass food service tests, pass health department inspections, purchase screened walls for our booth, etc., etc. It all depends on what the health department in the county where the contest is being held requires and then it depends on what the on-site health department inspector decides you need to do.
3-were you able to sell at all times the event was open
No, we started selling at either a predetermined set time (like noon till 5pm) or as soon as last turn in was done.
This also varies from event to event. We have been asked to have food available on both Friday and Saturday at some events as a condition of participation in vending/PC/ToQ and the announced hours of service on Saturday are rarely enforced as teams will begin the vending process as early as they have food ready, usually right after Chicken turn-ins are done even though the promoter specified that distribution wasn't to begin until after Brisket turn-ins were complete.
4-how big could the samples be
2oz were what we we required to sell.
A 2 oz. sample has been the norm but hardly anyone is actually weighing out their sample size so portions are often in the 1/4 lb. to 1/3 lb. range. We have actually weighed out 2 oz. portions in the past and always get complaints that we're serving much smaller samples than the other teams. Folks begin to feel like they're getting ripped off and that isn't good for anyone. Enforcement of a uniform sample is next to impossible to accomplish so there isn't much you can do but go along with the majority and that means you sell fewer portions than you could have and everyone makes less money than they could have. I've seen this happen time and time again.
5-did you have to be enclosed / screened and have a 3 hole sink / hand sink
You had to have a screened in prep area, a place to keep your meats hot (chaffing dishes), and you had to have 3 sinks. We used (and many other people as well) 3 buss tubs, and a dedicated hot water supply. Coleman Insta Hots work perfectly.
I pretty much covered this earlier but, to reiterate, the local health department is going to be the determining factor in what the actual requirements will be and then you have to deal with what the on-site inspector wants you to do.
6-was it too much work and would you do it again
It is extra work, but the interaction with the crowd is great, and I got some well paying catering gigs out of the deal. The crowds love it, most of the cooks love it. Notley Que was able to make enough extra $$$ on P.C last year to pay for a few entry fees, so that in itself is worth it.
Yes, it's extra work, sometimes a lot of extra work but it can also be very rewarding as we, the teams, rarely get the opportunity to witness people tasting our food and give us their praise. It's also great fun to stand out in front of the booth and "hawk your wares" so to speak. I've had some great times doing PC/ToQ events. As for doing it again, I'll be very hard pressed to ever participate in a PC/ToQ event that has a 50/50 split. At that rate it's a break even venture at best. I would much rather spend that time either relaxing a bit after the hard work of putting together the competition food and then begin the process of breaking down and packing. We often have a long drive home (8 hours or more) the next day and I'd rather be broken down and packed up before the awards ceremony, go to the ceremony and then spend a few hours celebrating and socializing with our friends before leaving for the hotel and getting a good night of sleep.
The concert location is why this works
