Hi folks! Here is a great success story that Marc sent in. He talks about his experiences selling hot dogs, pork sausages, burgers, and pork steak sandwiches at the eclipse festival and a bluegrass fest. Read the letter and watch his video below.

Success Story: Selling Food at Festivals

Hi Ben,

My name is Marc Brown and I’m 52 and I've worked for 32 years doing paint and drywall by trade. My wife has been in healthcare for about 27 years now.

Thought I would share this with you. I appreciate the water pump you sold me – it works great. My sinks are working awesome! But anyway, I have been following you and Steve Schieble and you both have been a big help in getting things going. My wife and I started our BBQ Stand business this year after building my sinks and buying a commercial propane grill.

My sinks are NSF and all of my Steam Table Pans are also NSF. My wife made the table skirts and I created our signs. Steve Schieble steered me the right direction and let me know that FLIP was legit. When I found them, I was leery about it. So now we are insured.

We bought a commercial canopy that has all fire ratings as needed. We bought three commercial grade 5 ft tables, and three 150-quart Igloo coolers: 2 for meat, and 1 for water. They keep up to 5 to 9 days.

We did the Total Eclipse Festival in Herculaneum, MO. It was our first event serving 1/3 LB patties, All-Beef Dogs, and Pork Link Sausage that our meat market made for us. We had an awesome time! We met Mayor Haggard, and he is also the Fire Chief for Herculaneum (Nice Guy)! Everyone was checking out my sinks. Other vendors couldn’t believe it.

Don The Kettle Corn Guy was next to us with his wife and kids (Engine House Kettle Corn Company). We started talking, and now we are both doing the festival this coming weekend and have been staying in touch since the Eclipse Festival. He was stoked over my sinks and told me that I inspired him with my sinks.

This past weekend we did the Festus Bluegrass music Festival with George Portz & Friends (Awesome Guy). He is an award winning fiddle player. It was his 28th annual Festival.

We couldn’t do our Beef Dogs or 1/3 LB burgers because they were promised to the American Legion Hall to cook, so when George and I were talking I told him I could do My Pork Sausage Links and Pork Steak Sandwiches. I do everything grilled, with sauce or no sauce – however they want it.

I cook my sauce on low and make my own out of multiple BBQ sauces, and I cook in onions with it. Then I use my ladle to sauce the meat. Two half size pans (NSF) sauced and un-sauced. I have a false bottom on the un-sauced side and add a little water at the beginning of the day and the fat does the rest. George announced us from the stage all weekend!

The Health Inspector was impressed with everything and told me if we can pass Jefferson County MO health code that easy, we won't have a problem anywhere because they are stricter than most counties. George also told me he received a lot of compliments on our pork steak sandwiches. We also gave some food away at the end.

Also the American Legion Guys kept coming over to look at my sinks and asked if I would build them some. But when I told him I had $450 wrapped up in parts they dropped the subject. I told them to get the pump from you, and I also told Don the Kettle corn guy to get your water pump. It works great.

I bought a pump and heater off Ebay. It took me close to a year to build. I took my time. A full time job takes your time away. Plus, I took my garage out and made an extra room… But anyhow, when I tried my sinks for the first time the pump wasn’t working. Then I got it working soon after. It went completely out after a few uses and then I bought your pump (Awesome).

A week before our first Festival, my heater went out. Then I bought one from home depot. It came in on the Friday we were setting up, so I didn’t have time to mess with it. But my sinks still worked, but with only cold water. But I wouldn’t have been able to use the hot water because I was backed up to another tent, so that was no big deal. It worked great last weekend and the Inspector was very pleased.

The only other problem I was having was the Charbroil Pressure Gauges were reading the pressure but they weren't letting the propane through. I had to take off 2 out of the 3 and they are brand new.

Anyway, we have the Herculaneum Fire Engine Rally this coming weekend, and The Kimmswick MO Apple Butter Festival in October.

Just wanted to say Thank You Ben , I appreciate what you are doing to help people like my wife and I.

Sorry for the Book. I was trying to make it SHORT. There is also a video attached from this past weekend. Thanks Again and ROCK ON.

Marc

Want to start your own food cart?