Summer Sizzle: 8 Food Service Tips for Carnivals and Other Outdoor Events
Once warmer weather sets in, hardly a weekend goes by without some kind of carnival, festival or outdoor market. These events are great opportunities for restaurateurs and foodpreneurs to expand their clienteles with booths, tables, carts, trucks or other mobile offerings.
Follow these eight expert tips to make your food prep and service a breeze.
1. Menus. What’s for sale? Write-on menu boards are handy for letting customers know what you’re offering and how you prefer they order it (for example, if combinations are available). Be sure to include your logo, social media information and where else customers can find you (if applicable). Stick magnetic business cards directly onto your booth, cart or truck for a marketing tool that takes up zero space.
2. Prep. There’s never enough space or time in an outdoor setting, so Tarek Benhassen, owner/manager of The Crêpes, which operates at outdoor markets from San Diego to Laguna Beach, suggests doing as much prep work as possible back at the main kitchen. “The big challenge is getting everything ready because when you go to any event you don't have any back-up,” he notes. “You can’t delegate the preparation tasks or loading your van.” Food boxes and storage containers make the job of transporting much easier and safer.
3. Cash Handling. “No matter what type of product you have, mobile pay is becoming more the norm than an exception to the rule,” notes Andy LaPointe, food entrepreneur and author of Festival Profits: How to Make Money at Fairs and Festivals. Offering a mobile option gives those customers who may have spent their cash with other vendors an opportunity to purchase your product. Still, it’s crucial to have a stocked cash box. “Make sure you have enough small bills to make change. I usually bring $100 in cash with the following denominations: one 20-dollar bill, three 10s, six 5s and twenty 1s.”
4. Cold Storage Options. “The biggest obstacle for warm-weather/outdoor cooking is holding your products,” says John Baily, executive chef and owner of the Brotherly Grub food cart in Philadelphia. Raw meats and other foods must be held at specific temperatures (check with your health department). “Be sure that you’re equipped with plenty of cold storage, whether it’s refrigerator or freezer space, or enough ice chests and coolers. Nothing ruins a beautiful day outside like spoiled food.”
5. Propane & Warming Boxes. Unless you’re cooking over an open fire or serving cold food, you must have sufficient amounts of propane to fuel your cook top. This ensures you can cook foods to the proper temperature — again, verify with the health department — and prevents you from running out of fuel and having to close early. Warming boxes hold hot foods safely. And no matter what you’re cooking with, always have a properly rated and charged fire extinguisher on site.
6. Tongs. Of the crucial kitchen tools, tongs are among the most indispensable in the fast-paced outdoor setting because they’re useful for prep, plating and serving in full view of customers. “It’s aesthetically pleasing when chefs do not have their hands all over food and products, so becoming skilled with tongs will increase your production rate,” Baily notes.
7. Napkins & Flatware. “People love to avoid getting messy whenever possible in a carnival setting so forks, spoons and knives are crucial,” Baily says. Film, foil and wraps also keep customers’ hands clean. Ditto napkins or paper towels — and plenty of them. It’s also nice to have wipes or hand sanitizing gel available for added neatness points.
8. Condiments. The details matter, so don’t forget to have plenty of condiments in caddies within easy reach.
During the warm-weather months, people love to get outside and have fun. If you’re setting up shop at an outdoor event, remember to do more than make food — make it part of the show!
Margot Carmichael Lester is a freelance journalist and owner of The Word Factory, a creative agency in Carrboro, NC. She’s written about food, beverages and the restaurant business for several in-flight magazines, Playboy, CitySearch.com and Monster.com. Margot loves to eat out and prefers dining at the bar. A native Southerner, she loved bacon and kale before they were cool; her favorite cocktail is the French 75.
