Tough Times Call For New Measures

It matters not what type of vendor you are

·         a straight vendor

·         food vendor

·         fair vendor

·         festival vendor

·         street vendor

There are certain rules “set in stone” that apply to all.

By far, the majority of your customers are in the lower 80% income level, people like you and me.  Many still attend fairs because it’s tradition, a once-a-year event.  They DO reduce their spending.

Food is one of the top three reasons people go to any and every event. 

In tough times people are more selective in what they buy.  As vendors, this means we must be more selective in what we serve.  Old standards like funnel cakes, elephant ears, and chicken-on-a-stick will always sell, but with less money in the pot, and every other booth in the fair selling them, more of us will fall into the failing economy pile, go out of business, or become unemployed.

Fad foods, deep fried candy bars etc. suffer the most.  It’s time to look at what you’re offering.  Check the latest fad foods. People are more likely to try something new for their splurge.  Value items such as hot beef, French dips, or BBQ can also give you additional items with the same ingredients; greatly reducing your inventory requirements. 

Street vendors may want to increase value by offering more for the same price.  We are limited to our buying sources but we can upgrade their experience.  Most businesses cut back on service or product offered to save money in though times.  Many of these companies fail!  Big box stores and dollar stores thrive because people view what they offer as a value – more bang for their buck.

Here is a sample change: 

A BBQ plate with the normal size sandwich, 1 oz chip and 20 ounce drink

Try this: 

• bigger bun = 5¢
• an extra tablespoon of meat = ? depending on your product
• bigger bag of chips or more fries = 5¢
• 32 oz drink = 10¢
• extra spoonful of slaw or baked beans

have added what appears to be $2 or more in value to the customer at a cost of 25¢ (or so) to food vendors.  If you serve them more than they can eat, they will remember, they will tell their friends.  People look for value in today's world.  They will remember you.

Hopefully this will initiate thoughts on ways to boost your biz in this tight economy.

We are All Vendors!

We tickled you with a promise or two, and a good recipe, so I would say it is time to get down to brass tacks.  For some of you, the first few blogs may be fundamental info, but if I have learned anything in my 66 years, it is

q     It's never too late to learn something new, and

q     Rust never sleeps. 

For us old timers in vending, today’s blog will seem elementary, but some times back to basics is not such a bad idea.

First, just what is vending all about? 

Every product sold in the world today originally started, thousands of years ago with someone, selling it on the road side, in the front of their house, a cave or wherever the case may be.

Vending is the true incubator for all economies in the world today. 

America’s entire economy today depends solely on vending.  We are no longer the world supplier of steel, coal, oil, machinery, ships, cars, or anything else.  We are a country of vendors and we vend to each other.  Jack the plumber down the street vends his service, and the most famous of all is Wal-Mart – just a vendor on a mega scale.

There are thousands of sites on the internet, and hundreds of ads on TV and radio about work from home opportunities.  Most, in my opinion are just scams.  The only ones that seem to be making money are those vending the scams.  The true "work from home opportunity" is vending.

This very country was founded on you, the vendor, and it is time to get back to basics!  Every single one of us has an item to vend or is capable of creating an item and selling a product of value to others who need it.  Sometimes they don’t need it but ‘want it’!  

• Do you sew, make great pies, or boil a hot dog? 
• Do you have a small table and a chair? 
• Can you afford a box or two of vegetables and/or fruit? 

Our history is filled with people just like you who started with no more. 

• Pappa John’s Pizza started with a guy who sold his car for $1,500.  He gave his parents $1,000 of it and started vending pizza with the other $500 from a broom closet. (Incidentally he recently bought back that same Camero for $250,000.)  
• McDonald’s started when Ray Crock was trying to vend malt machines.

Vending is the

• most satisfying
• most fun
• most independent
• most freedom producing
• hardest work you will ever do

Ghoulish Fun Recipe

With Halloween approaching, here is a fun and unique way to bring business to your Street Food.

Wow the kids and gross out Mom!

If you are a food vendor or a product vendor, here is a neat-treat for Halloween!  Great for the kids and some Ghoulish fun!  This is for fry vendors that want a twist on an old standard, one that will add a little bump in your business.  If you are parents of kids above 3 yrs old I'm sure you have the same reaction to the gross things kids seem to revel on these days, so, how about "Fried Road Kill" for an amusing treat.

Fried Road Kill

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup + 1 dash vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons dry yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

1 cup melted butter

1cup cinnamon sugar mix  (1/3 cup cinnamon and 2/3 cups sugar)

gummy worms

red licorice strings

small amount of cooked rice

green olives

sliced strawberries

(read the recipe and use your imagination!)

Place salt, sugar and shortening in a pan and mix. (Heat if necessary.)  Heat milk to 110°F, add yeast, stir and let rest for 5 minutes.

In a bowl place flour and make a well in the center.  Add milk and yeast mixture to the well;  cut with a pastry blender or a knife and fork. 

Add sugar, salt, and shortening; mix and/or knead until it forms a soft dough.  Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Melt butter and make the cinnamon and sugar topping.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan or commercial fryer to a temperature between 375°F and 385°F.

Roll the dough out to 3/8 inch flats; pull off pieces and roll into balls according to how big or small you want your dead animal to be.  Baseball size is good for home use, commercial vendors use soft ball size pieces.

Lightly flour surface and roll out each ball to about 1/2 inch thick.

Pick it up and pull it into what ever animal shape you want, head, ears, legs, tail etc.

Drop the animal into oil and fry to med to light brown, over frying will make them crisp.  This should take 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Remove from fryer to drain pan or paper towels.  Brush with melted butter and decorate with gummy worms etc in appropriate places, (Half a green, an olive or strawberry slice make good eyes.  The cooked rice is for maggots.)

Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar mix .  Have a camera handy.  The kids will remember this treat forever.