Street Vending?

I've been asked to come be a BBQ street vendor at a local street festival. I'm used to catering so I know how many mouths to feed. This is a total crap shoot. No idea how many will be there, even if the weather is good which in Indiana is also a crap shoot. I don't want to run out of product early but I don't want a mountain of food left which will cut into the bottom line. Anyone done this? Any ideas or tips? Thanks!

Captain Jim

jbrink01 said:

Ive done it 10 or 12 times. We usually stay as flexible as we can. How many days? Cook heavy on day 1. Run out, cook more. At our local wine fest and street fair there are other vendors. Its 2.5 days long and we usually do pulled pork. 20 butts, 40 butts, 20 butts.

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Yep,
Keep it simple,
when I do the event at the local winery, I do pulled pork as well. It helps if you have previous years attendance numbers. It also helps to know what other food vendors will be there. Is it a multiple day event?? If so, as was posted above, go heavy on day one, and lighten up as the festival progresses. Also pay close attention to the weather, as it can make or break your event.

Dave (A.K.A. Meadmaker)

This is a 4 day event but I will only be there one day. Saturday is the biggest day. I should be able to find out an approximate attendance but that would hinge on the weather. I planned on doing sliced brisket and pulled pork sandwiches, along with soft drinks and bottled water. Possibly some single serve bags of chips. Would you suggest I don't do the brisket? Just concentrate on pulled pork?

Captain said:

This is a 4 day event but I will only be there one day. Saturday is the biggest day. I should be able to find out an approximate attendance but that would hinge on the weather. I planned on doing sliced brisket and pulled pork sandwiches, along with soft drinks and bottled water. Possibly some single serve bags of chips. Would you suggest I don't do the brisket? Just concentrate on pulled pork?

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I would stick with the pulled pork. Sliced Brisket is a pain in the ass. If you want to do both, do chopped brisket, and pulled pork sandwiches. Slicing brisket to order, is time consuming, and presliced is hard to hold. Chopped brisket, holds pretty good. Use a turkey roaster, line the bottom with foil. Wet down some bread, and lay it on top of the foil. Lay another layer of foil, and load with meat. The water in the bread, will keep your beef moist. Every time you reload the beef, add a bit more water, underneath the top layer of foil.

It has worked like a charm for me.

Dave (A.K.A. Meadmaker)

What MeadMaker said....Slicing the brisket would be a pain. If you do brisket i'd chop it. I've heard other people say don't expect more than 10% of the crowd to be at your place.