# Vending for football game advice



## sniltz (Aug 29, 2012)

Hello fellow Quer's!

I have to vend for several junior football games in a couple of weeks and we are the only ones selling food.  It is around 5-6 football games in one day and the gentlemen said it will be around 800 people who come out to watch.

I was thinking of doing a pulled pork sandwich and brats and dogs.   I was thinking of cooking about 6-8 shoulders for around 300 people.  Then do the brats and dogs for the remainder.  

Any advice and suggestion would be great!  I have never cooked for that big amount of people and am a little intimidated!  I have cooked for around 300 people but not 800.

What do you think?  Is the food okay or do I need to go simpler?  I am going to do slaw for the sandwiches and sweet tea to sell also.

Thanks Sniltz


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## scarbelly (Aug 29, 2012)

I have a few questions for you

1                 Do you have proper storage to keep this food both cold and hot in compliance with local health laws and food safe practices? Cold food must be kept under 40 and hot food over 140

2                 Do you have the cooking capacity to handle that many people in a constant stream

3                 Do you have enough equipment to serve all the items including the condiments

4                 Do you have enough staff to properly serve and clean for a live event

5                 Do you have a proper kitchen set up to maintain a food safe kitchen

Here is some math for you on the butts

8 butts X 12 lb = 96 lb % 40 (cooking weight loss of 40 %) = net 57.6 # cooked pork. X 16oz per # =922 oz % 4oz per serving =231 sevings net

I hope this helps guide you along the way and I am sure some of the chefs will come along and add more information to help


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## shoneyboy (Aug 29, 2012)

Sniltz, When I was looking at cooking for a non-profit to raise money for my daughters school. I asked the same question. The first advice I received and still feel is the number 1 thing you need to have is unfortunately “INSURANCE"….. Even if it is just an event policy, it will be a piece of mind guarantee...if you know what I mean.....As far as the butts I would cook 1/3 a person for at least 500 people, then brats and dogs for the rest or maybe do a jambalaya..... Cheap to do and their a good profit margin.....The PP can be frozen if you wind-up with to much so I don’t think it will be thrown out…..I would have can drinks or bottle drinks….that way there’s no need for cups or ice……and have bottled water and at least 1 or 2 diet drinks to offer…..at least that what I have learned from my experiences and most of all, remember have fun with it.....Well that’s my 2 cents and I hope it helps….ShoneyBoy


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## chef jimmyj (Aug 30, 2012)

For events where you need to serve quickly and don't have a kitchen, everything needs to be ready to serve. Hotdogs in water or beef broth and held hot. Brats already grilled and swimming in beer, beef broth and sauteed onions. Pulled Pork, panned, sauced and Hot. Condiments, Onion, Relish, Ketchup, Mustard and BBQ Sauce, laid out on a seperate side table. Everything Scoop and Serve...Whether its 8 or 800, be prepared and your good to go...JJ


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## frosty (Aug 30, 2012)

Used to do a lot of events, all of this information is great help!  Be safe, and sell great food!  Lots of work, but worth the effort.  Good luck with it


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## sniltz (Aug 30, 2012)

Thanks for all the advice!  Scarbelly, yes I have everything I need to be safe and will be inspected from the health department.   I will have plenty of help and have catered before just not that many!  again thank ya'll for all your advice it was very, very helpful.  Will post pics when I finish the job and let ya'll know how it went.

Sniltz


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## scarbelly (Aug 30, 2012)

Good luck with the event and ping us if you have more questions 

One big thing I learned when we were vending sausages at festivals is not to have the onions and relish in containers where folks use spoons to vend. You can rent(at least you can here) the  onion and relish units pretty cheap and now they also have the mustard and sauce units too.

Take lots of qview


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## gator (Sep 2, 2012)

If I had several weeks of Q to do I'd start with ordering more of the cheaper things (less fun) like Hot dogs and keeping them cold in case you dont use them.  I'd hope to run out of pork and adjust that amount for the next week.  Dont forget to deal with your local Health Dept if youre selling.


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## boykjo (Sep 2, 2012)

Ask the league if they have any type of  vending insurance and can you vend under their policy (for a small fee if required)......... I cannot say you need  or don't need insurance but I am pretty sure you need a vending license... Is everyone (I heard from someone) assuming he has to have insurance for this or are you stating facts by the laws....just want to know because I do small events and but they are private and I do not profit...........

My best advise is to contact your local department of agriculture.... It is their job to know what you need......

Joe


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## shoneyboy (Sep 3, 2012)

boykjo said:


> Ask the league if they have any type of  vending insurance and can you vend under their policy (for a small fee if required)......... I cannot say you need  or don't need insurance but I am pretty sure you need a vending license... Is everyone (I heard from someone) assuming he has to have insurance for this or are you stating facts by the laws....just want to know because I do small events and but they are private and I do not profit...........
> 
> My best advise is to contact your local department of agriculture.... It is their job to know what you need......
> 
> Joe


Joe, I called the Health department where I live a while back. The guy I spoke with was very nice and helpful.  He told me no matter whether your making a profit or not you need insurance. He said even if you are doing it for free you can be held personally liable if someone gets hurt or sick….He stated that he was actually handling a case at the time when I called him…A mom and pop cooking for there grandkids baseball games, someone had gotten sick and sued them… They wound up hiring a lawyer, he said it was settled out of court, but they loss there house in the process…..So, at the time I looked into insurance and it was around 400.00 a year, but you can buy an event policy which covers you for the event while it is taking place….I know that this is just 1 example that may or may not be true, but in my eyes that’s all it would take to lose everything …….I can’t risk it, especially these days…..ShoneyBoy


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## boykjo (Sep 3, 2012)

So are we liable if we invite friends over for a cook out and someone gets sick... They could sue me and take my house...Just saying


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## shoneyboy (Sep 3, 2012)

If "someone" is making money for selling the food, whether it is for a business or for a non-profit organization.... then yes.


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## dad of four (Jan 4, 2013)

I'm not a lawyer, but I do watch a lot of Television...

Here in the US, you can get sued for a lot of things.

You invite your neighbor over for beer & bratts, and he/she gets sick, or gets hurt, etc.

If the Grandparents were doing this a commercial venture, then they were fools to not have business insurance.

If they were doing it out of the goodness of their heart, then their homeowners insurance policy would kick-in and pay for a lawyer and any settlement upto the limits of their policy.

Every homeowner should look into a Umbrella Policy.

You can get $1,000,000 coverage for a cheap price.

(It does not cover commercial ventures).

But say my kid picks up a rock and blinds some kid, that policy kicks in.

Say I whistle at some hot-chick, and she sues me, that policy kicks in.

IIRC, Bill Clinton tapped a similar policy to initial defend himself


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