Location Key for Fair Food Vendors

By: Kim Eiten - Email

Updated: Fri 9:44 PM, Aug 31, 2012

http://www.statefair.org/fair/

http://www.cactusjacksnebraska.com/cactusjacks/Home.html

It's a fair food lover's fantasy: dozens of vendors lined up and serving up just about any fair food that comes to mind.

But, bringing in that variety and those vendors isn't without its challenges.

For those serving it up, there's much more to fair prep than just planning a menu.

"They walk clear from the other side of the grounds to come eat here," Jeff Leo of Cactus Jack's said. "It took me three years to get them to come here and I hate to change anything and have to re-do that again."

From first timers, to the more experienced vendos, they all said the difference between big bucks and a bad year comes down to one thing: location, location, location.

"This is my spot, and I love it," Leo said.

Getting that perfect spot isn't just luck.

"We try not to put competing products too close to one another or have too many in a certain area," Facilities Director Jaime Parr said. "Beyond that, we try to look for a variety and anything that's new or exciting."

For Parr, that means a lot of planning and juggling hundreds of vendors. Dozens of those vendors serve food.

"We have close to 700 spaces that we fill, so there's a lot of different things that those consist of," Parr said.

And while dishing it up on what they call "food aisle" is the goal for some, Parr's job isn't just about assigning prime reality.

She's in it to create easy dining for fairgoers.

" We are using just about every square inch on the property this year, so we've got all kinds of things available," Parr said,

And, she said, vendors don't need to worry.

"Everywhere, every location is different. So, hopefully, next year I'll have a better location," said Manuel Portillo of Manny's and Danny's Sweet Corn on a Stick.

The ebb and flow from year to year means those who may not love their location this year could be on "food aisle" soon enough.