In almost every community and state there are various festivals around the year that are meant to promote local restaurants. These can come in the form of Restaurant weeks, food festivals, or local fairs. If you truly want to expose yourself to foodies, that is people who love food, you should consider opening a stand at some of these festivals. Check out our Event Schedule to see which food events are occurring near you.
Food FestivalsThese include things like a BBQ fest, Italian Food weekend, or Anne Arundel County food festival. They are basically large events where people pay money to sample local flavors. In order to sell food at these events you usually have to apply through the event’s website, and often pay a small fee. But the price is worth it! Potentially thousands of people will be sampling your cuisine, and all of them will be paying to sample. In addition this gives you access to a base of people who love food and are likely to eat out in the future. Hand out coupons, promotional gear, and informational brochures to everyone you can. Most likely a few of them will love your food and try it again. Food festivals are a great way to expose yourself to new customers.
Restaurant WeeksMost local governments have some sort of Restaurant Week throughout the year that is meant to encourage locals to sample local flavors. The way this works is various restaurants offer discounts or specials during the week and the local government promotes these specials. You’ll have to work with the local governmental body sponsoring the event to get your name on the listings. A lot of local communities make a point to eat out on Restaurant Week, so if you do not offer yourself up you will be passed on for other places when customer traffic is at its highest. You will take some profit cuts by offering discounts, but you will hopefully get a large crowd and attract many new customers.
Local FairsMost places have some sort of county or state fair during the summer/autumn. This, like food festivals, is a great opportunity for you to sell your food to local customers. Contact the organizers of the fair and see what it takes to secure a food stand. In addition, look out for any concerts occurring in your area. Often concerts and music festivals will look to local vendors to set up stands to feed people. This is a great way to make a lot of money quickly and introduce your food to new customers.
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