Red Bull Soap Box Races

It's gonna be a madhouse.

Think of the busiest vendors at the county fair, the ones that make money hand over fist. Make more food. Have more staff on hand to take orders / fill boxes. Have a secure place to keep all that cash. Make friends with the cops and ask one to stay at your booth.

I'll be in Vegas the next two days. If you want me to come help, call me by Friday.

Depending on the amount of food vendors that will be there, I would go prepared. If it was me I would go with.

1200 racks of ribs
350 lbs of pork
250 lbs of brisket
200 lbs of chicken
3 cases of beans
120 lbs potato salad
120 lbs of coleslaw

How many days is the event? Do you have a large grill and oven? If you get hit like you should, get a pan of all the meats hot and always have two hot for back up. Keep the ribs roaring on the grill if that is how you do it. Good luck. You'll be fine make money!

OC PIG ASSASSINS said:

Depending on the amount of food vendors that will be there, I would go prepared. If it was me I would go with.

1200 racks of ribs
350 lbs of pork
250 lbs of brisket
200 lbs of chicken
3 cases of beans
120 lbs potato salad
120 lbs of coleslaw

How many days is the event? Do you have a large grill and oven? If you get hit like you should, get a pan of all the meats hot and always have two hot for back up. Keep the ribs roaring on the grill if that is how you do it. Good luck. You'll be fine make money!

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One day event. What would you need to cook it? I can maybe do 140 ribs in 3 FE's at a time if I had 12 rib racks. So say 280 racks max. Now if I had precooked pork and brisket and chicken and beans I'd still need to be able to reheat it so would need more cookers. And then of course theirs refrigeration getting it there and keeping it until it reheats. Labor - just skin 1200 slabs and rub - what a task.

Bigmista - figure out what you can cook and sell with your current operation. Maybe add a helper or even try to borrow a cooker but don't do somehting you can't support. At the end of the day it's your reputation and you need to keep quality. Too many times people see dollar signs and just can't resist and then ..... Just do what you always do. In the end you'll be happy and if you sell out early well you had a great day. Glass half full approach.

Good luck.

Ford said:

One day event. What would you need to cook it? I can maybe do 140 ribs in 3 FE's at a time if I had 12 rib racks. So say 280 racks max. Now if I had precooked pork and brisket and chicken and beans I'd still need to be able to reheat it so would need more cookers. And then of course theirs refrigeration getting it there and keeping it until it reheats. Labor - just skin 1200 slabs and rub - what a task.

Bigmista - figure out what you can cook and sell with your current operation. Maybe add a helper or even try to borrow a cooker but don't do somehting you can't support. At the end of the day it's your reputation and you need to keep quality. Too many times people see dollar signs and just can't resist and then ..... Just do what you always do. In the end you'll be happy and if you sell out early well you had a great day. Glass half full approach.

Good luck.

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You would obviously need to pre cook all of the food and finish on the grill and in ovens. A smoker should only be there for back up. The entire running out of food idea is not a good one. You will not be invited back next year if you cannot support the crowds, they do not want to hear complaints that they came there for bbq and the vendor had none. Remember, there are plenty other vendors out there. You have your foot in the door at a great event, DO NOT RUN OUT OF FOOD.

Since this is a one day event for seven hours. Figure out what your staff can pump out an hour and go by that. I always figure the first hour to be 1/3 of what peak hours will bring.

Oh and as far as the dollar sign go, that is what it is all about! You can be successful and still have a good name. Good luck, from what I hear and read about you, you can pump out good stuff.

You should call Simply Marvelous BBQ and have them bring you the xtra provisions, duh!:roll:

Bigmista said:

Ovens are not an option and I don't grill my ribs. Smoker will be for warming food that isn't already hot and in Cambros or coolers.

The more I think about it, I think I'm gonna need more storage.

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He is saying pre-smoke and finish on the grill, I believe!

Time for a gas catering grill. You HAVE to have something to keep up with reheating the ribs. I would think with that many people, you better have 2 servers or they'll go elsewhere If the lines are to long. Good luck and try to get some pron!

I mean to grill the ribs to reheat. If the smoker is heating up the pans of food, you will need to get the ribs hot some how. If you a turkey fryer, you can take any prepulled meat and vacuum seal it and re heat in boiling water, be careful because a bag or two is known to burst. I would rent a large grill, not only can you do your ribs on here but if you get in the weeds put on some pans of food can use like a stove top.

Yup, Mista, you are going to have to spend some dough and sub contract someone or another grill. Grilll is less expensive, don't argue with me, do what I say:wink:

If there is going to be 80,000 people...figure about half will eat there.
And there is 20 vendors...so that is about 2,000 customers you will
have.....as just a guess.

You might consider dropping 1 meat item to make it easier on yourself,
and change one meat item to a large Hot Dog (1/4 pound) or a
Polish Sausage (1/4 pound)...there is going to be LOTS of kids &
women there. You can pre-cook them and hold them like Brisket, etc.

Make your prices even dollar amounts....$4.00, $6.00, $8.00...whatever.
Trying to make change for an Item that is $3.75, or $5.95...is crazy
and time consuming.

Make sure you have PLENTY of $1.00 bills for change...maybe $400 worth.
Almost everybody will be paying with a $20 bill.

Whatever Hot Dog or other type of Buns you use...take them out of
the bag and separate them...then put them back in the bag...or
Cambro or whatever you will store them in....this will save you
massive amounts of time.

Check you competition out right away....if they are selling cans of Soda
for $1.00....you don't want to be selling them for $2.00....and so on.

Have plenty of Serving Spoons and Tongs....you wont have time to
clean the ones that fall on the ground so you can keep using them.

Have a Menu big enough to be seen about 20 feet away...with people
standing in front of where it is.

Get your supplies EARLY...you don't want your competition to clean-out
Sam's, or Costco, or wherever....before you get there and find the
shelves empty....you know...napkins, plastic forks, serving containers, etc.

Don't let you help wander off if they are bored because it's slow.
As soon as they leave....you will get slammed.

Try to have fun...even if it gets crazy.

WOW! All I can say is good luck and im sure everything will work out in the end. if it was me, I would be a damn nervous wreck LOL

Mike

The event grill at Sams is great if they still have any. I love mine. But I reheat everything in the smokers as I don't think ribs reheated on a grill are as good. I often use it to carmelize sauce on ribs but that's 5 minute per slab when hot.

Mr have you considered going old school for the event and making a simple grill from a 55 gallon drum? It's not as pretty as a spice box or massive offset but it will get you some cooking space for the day. I agree with you in using the Spice as a warmer.

Do you know anyone with a little refrigerated van? You could simply have it parked up holding the bulk of you pre coked grub. If all the food dosent move then it fine for another day.


This right here is fact!!!!!

Have plenty of Serving Spoons and Tongs....you wont have time to
clean the ones that fall on the ground so you can keep using them.

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I honestly take three serving tools/tongs per person and everyone knows not to lay a finger on mine. Tongs are cheap as ya like, I think momma pays a buck each for them.

Hey Mista make a Red Bull BBQ sauce and promote the living he!! out of it.


Who knows Red Bull may want to latch on to it then the world is yours! The right people WILL be there and if they find it interesting they may want or have already considered getting into the market just like Bud , Jack and all the others. Use your sauce as a base then a splash of the bull and let it sell itself.

I can see a big sign next to yours highlighting red bull flavored BBQ sauce.