08/30/2026
I’ve been trying hard to educate event coordinators when they call wanting to book us or any other food vendor.
Before committing to an event, these are some of the questions I ask:
🌭 How many people actually attended last year?
🌮 How many food vendors will be there?
🍔 Will free food be provided to guests, volunteers, or staff?
💵 Is there a vendor fee or percentage of sales?
⏰ How many hours are vendors expected to operate?
📢 How and where is the event being advertised?
I also share “vendor math” with coordinators.
If an event expects 200 people, maybe only 100 actually attend. If half purchase food, that gives us approximately 50 paying customers. Divide those customers among four food vendors, and each vendor may only serve 12–13 people.
At an average ticket of $20, that is only $240–$260 in gross sales—not profit. We still have to subtract the vendor fee, food costs, employee wages, fuel, permits, insurance, preparation time, and any unsold food.
Food vendors are small businesses. Showing up requires a significant investment before we ever make our first sale. Accurate attendance numbers, a reasonable number of vendors, strong advertising, and fair vendor fees can determine whether an event is successful or a financial loss.
We love supporting community events, but the numbers have to make sense for everyone involved. A successful event should benefit the coordinator, the guests, and the vendors who helped make it happen.
