Multiple Vendors, How Much Should I plan for?

[ger1027]

Hey everyone. My wife and I own a BBQ trailer and normally sell to individuals and for events. We have been asked to sell at a festival that has at least 4000 people and there will be 3 other vendors. We will be the only BBQ for this festival.

What is a good rule of thumb for planning our sales? I have been told to plan on having enough to serve about a quarter of the whole group and was wondering what y'all thought?

Thanks

[cpw]

The rule of thumb I've read here is half the number the organizers tell you, divided by the number of vendors. So in this case, 500 servings.

[ger1027]

Thank you for the advice!

[mikeleonard81]

I'e been told the same thing. Devide the total by 2 and then by # of other food vendors.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

50% of the people will eat, you will be lucky to get 10% of that. There is a lot more to attracting people to your stand than just setting up. There is a serious marketing game when it comes to vending. Some people get it, the other ones just say there is no money in vending. The bigger the sign the longer the line, the longer the line the better the bbq and so on!

[acguy]

The suggested formulas are as good as any. All promoters exaggerate the attendance by at least 50%. So many other factors on sales come into play. You'll sell less at a free admission vs. paid admission. The menu should have a bit of a variety and include some lower priced options. For some odd reason, a line at your booth attracts more customers than an empty window. The best guideline is prior experience with the same festival.

[ger1027]

This is a paid event and the ticket sales have gone above 2000 families (this is a children's festival). We will have a variety on our menu and special options for deserts and the kids. Thank you all for your advice so far.

[grillfella]

Keep the menu simple and look to sell out