Author Topic: pizza at the fair (Read 5691 times)

thezaman · « **on:** August 08, 2012, 09:28:12 AM »

i am taking my wood oven truck to the lorain county fair august 20 thru 26. it is the second biggest fair in ohio. on a whim i applied in january and was turned down. in early july they contacted me and because of a cancellation asked if i would attend . i said yes and am now putting together my spot. first my truck is advertised as as selling neapolitan pizza, and do not want to sell slices. i am going to cut my dough down to 7.5 ounces and sell a 9 inch pie that can feed one to two people. last night we made pizza an hit the neighborhood on our selling price. most thought that they would have a hard time at 8.00, but thought between 6 and seven dollars was a good value.enclosed are the pies we distributed. the cheese levels were also looked at as this may be important to the fair goers.we will probably offer a larger pizza to go for the campers at closing time. 12.00 will give me a good profit.one more point i amg going to do a margherita and one other topping choice only. and suggestions will be appreciated. no BS honesty is needed. i can take criticism.

wheelman · « **Reply #1 on:** August 08, 2012, 09:38:30 AM »

looks like the real deal to me Larry. Neo pies will be an upscale option compared to other fair fare. Don't you think you'll sell out with so many people there? i'd shoot high on pricing.
bill

weemis · « **Reply #2 on:** August 08, 2012, 09:53:26 AM »

not to state the obvious, but most sought after topping would most definitely be pepperoni. if you wanted to get the whole gamut, i'd say that's your best bet. you've got meat for the meaters and cheese for the non-meaters.

and i agree with wheelman, the fair is a whole nother beast. everything costs too much, so don't under sell yourself.

Ev · « **Reply #3 on:** August 08, 2012, 10:50:15 AM »

Larry, how many pies do you think you'll sell per day?

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 08, 2012, 10:54:55 AM »

I'd pay $8 for your 9" margherita in a heartbeat. By fair standards, at least here in TX anyway, that's not out of line. I would think that would put you right in the thick of things pricewise. And those are some FINE looking pies - not that I would expect anything less from you (or your daughter as the case may be). I can only wish we had fair food like that around here.

I agree that your other pie should be something like pepperoni. I was going to say sopressata, but pepperoni is probably a better option for both price and customer acceptance.

CL

Ev · « **Reply #5 on:** August 08, 2012, 11:05:17 AM »

If it's not too much extra work for you, a veggie option might be a good idea. I did a back yard party a couple months ago where the guests were very veggie-centric. It may have just been that particular circle of friends though, I guess.

pizzablogger · « **Reply #6 on:** August 08, 2012, 12:13:10 PM »

Larry, congratulations on the fair gig!

I'd pay $8 to $9 with no questions asked for your 9" margherita. The pies look very nice (dittos for the family)...quite authentic looking. I think $8 is likely the right number.

While $6 to $7 would be a good value, it would not be a good value for you, especially at $6. A lot of work will be required.

Finally, I agree with keeping the selection of pizzas simple and limited, for a variety of reasons. I agree with pepperoni as the topping, being America's favorite topping and all. Two pies keeps your prep work down and expedites the workflow at what will likely be a very busy fair.

For a simple way to offer more pizza variants, you may want to consider bringing some oregano, garlic-infused olive oil (easy to make yourself) and some blocks of pecorino romano. These three items, combined with what you already have to make the margherita, would allow you to offer both a marinara and a white pizza (fior-di-latte, garlic olive oil, pecorino, basil). So for a minimal addition of ingredients and time, you could essentially have 5 pies on the board (marinara, margherita, white, white with pepperoni and the margherita with pepperoni). Somewhat surprising to me, white pizza is one of the more popular pies at my market stand (I do fior-di-latte, garlic olive oil, sea salt, basil and pecorino with a fresh grating of parmigiano-reggiano or aged Spanish mahon post bake).

Keep it simple and keep it high quality. Keep your product and image consistent with what you are already doing. And realize you are never going to be able to please everyone, so why even try. I think your pizzas look excellent....and likely taste the same.

Hit it outta the park!

pizzaboyfan · « **Reply #7 on:** August 08, 2012, 12:51:52 PM »

It's not like you need to print 2000 menus..sounds more like you can write the price on a paper plate or a chalkboard, which allows for a lot of flexibility

I'd start at 10.00 and if the lines for Neo Pizza are anything like I've seen at most street fairs, you'll be just fine.
If I'm wrong, and the price is keeping the customers away, it's nothing that an eraser and some chalk ,or the other side of the paper plate won't fix.
If the lines are still too long...12.00 and I'll let you know where to send the commission check.

Perry

Michael130207 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 08, 2012, 01:26:58 PM »

Those pies do look fantastic! And I would gladly pay $8-$10 for one at a fair. Do you pair it with a bottle of water or cup of soda? Totally agree with the pepperoni too. Please post how it works out for you.

pizzablogger · « **Reply #9 on:** August 08, 2012, 01:41:12 PM »

Quote from: Michael130207 on August 08, 2012, 01:26:58 PM

Do you pair it with a bottle of water or cup of soda?

Good call.

Larry, several Costco locations around here all stock the mixed case of San Pellegrino Limonata & Aranciata. 12 Limonato and 12 Aranciata in a case. Generally about $13.75 or so per case and they are sometimes on sale.

You'll likely be one of the only, if not the only, place selling such drinks. $2 per can, maybe some type of price break on a pizza and drink combination. Sell two cases and you pay for the cost of the cooler to put it in. --K

fazzari · « **Reply #10 on:** August 08, 2012, 01:53:20 PM »

You haven't mentioned what percent of your sales the fair takes, or if it's a fixed cost.etc..... If there is a rental cost, have you figured your food costs, and how many pizzas you need to sell to break even. I'd do all of the preliminary figuring before I wasted an ounce of energy. After you figure your capacity, only then will you know how much money you need from each pizza to make this work.

Good Luck
John

Don K · « **Reply #11 on:** August 08, 2012, 02:03:49 PM »

I'll see you there Larry!

I think that you have to keep the price kind of high or you will be overwhelmed with business. People expect to pay high prices for food at the fair and since you will have a unique product I think that people will still be lining up.

Not sure about the drinks, but I know that sometimes there are contractual obligations at fairs that restrict what drinks that can be sold and how much you charge for them.

Kostakis1985 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 08, 2012, 02:51:06 PM »

Neapolitan pizzas that look like that at that price!

You are going to be so busy you won't have time to blink.

Don K · « **Reply #13 on:** August 08, 2012, 03:02:32 PM »

I agree with others, pepperoni for the second option. I suspect that a lot of people in our area will think that Margherita is a drink and Neapolitan is ice cream.

scott123 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 08, 2012, 03:19:10 PM »

Larry, 18K may seem like a lot of people, but, out of that 18K, I'd be surprised if 100 people knew what Neapolitan pizza was. It doesn't do the pizza justice, but I recommend slices. This fair hosts what looks like as many as a hundred food stands. Everyone's going to want a variety of foods. I know midwesterners can pack it away, but I don't think someone who's going to want to visit at least 5 stands will be willing to commit to a whole pizza, especially not a pizza that they've never seen before.

You don't have access to a fryer, do you? This would be the perfect place for a montanara.

Don K · « **Reply #15 on:** August 08, 2012, 03:28:27 PM »

I see your point Scott but we're only talking a 9" pie here. That's not that much more than a NY slice.

norma427 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 08, 2012, 03:42:12 PM »

Larry,

I am only telling you this (not to scare you, but to let you know what happened to us at an inter-state fair). The first time we went to York, Pa. inter-state fair http://www.yorkfair.org/ , we didn’t know any better and left some propane tanks, tarps and other things under our concession trailer. The concession trailer was locked. When we went there the next day all of the stuff was gone that was under the trailer. There were some shady characters that run some of the concession stands, both food and non-food. I just want you to protect your belongings.

Best of luck and your pizzas look delicious!

Norma

scott123 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 08, 2012, 04:01:49 PM »

Don, 9" isn't all that big, but there's a psychology involved. It's still a 'whole pie.' It's also, at 6-7 dollars, a pretty big financial commitment on an unknown entity.

Also, at 9", you're maximizing the rim/minimizing the sauce and cheese, which is going to put the value even further into question with non Neapolitan pizza eaters.

This fair's entertainment includes a tractor pull and a demolition derby. I'm trying not to stereotype here, but this crowd seems like it's nothing like Oberlin. As far as I'm concerned, you can't find a worse demographic for selling Neapolitan pizza to. They're going to look at this like it's salad. The sheer magnitude of people will help, but I still think bending a bit and requiring less of a commitment by selling slices will go farther with these folks.

At least, that's my impression from watching a video of the fair.

Also, I would go to pretty extreme lengths in draining the cheese. You give these guys anything with even a hint of wetness and they're going to have an issue.

scott123 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 08, 2012, 04:03:14 PM »

Quote from: norma427 on August 08, 2012, 03:42:12 PM

The first time we went to York, Pa. inter-state fair http://www.yorkfair.org/

Norma, did you sell Lehman slices or Neapolitan pies?

norma427 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 08, 2012, 04:10:26 PM »

Quote from: scott123 on August 08, 2012, 04:03:14 PM

Norma, did you sell Lehman slices or Neapolitan pies?

Scott,

That was years ago that my husband and I went to fairs and festivals. We sold caramel popcorn, regular popcorn, snow cones, cotton candy, hand squeezed lemonades, orangeades and clear toy candy lollipops. We had a concession trailer and also set-up on the ground at some events. The 10 days at York Fair was the biggest event we went to. I could tell a lot of stories about going on the road, but they aren't for this thread.

Norma