Vending fees for a fully staffed food booth or cart at OCF can be significant—up to approximately $4,250 for a food booth and $2,100 for a food cart. These fees do not include County Health Department licensing, booth build-out and equipment expenses, durable program costs, ice, insurance, staffing, or food costs. Total expenses may range from $5,000 to $40,000, depending on the scale of your operation.
Please describe your plan for managing this level of investment and provide examples of past projects where you have invested at a similar scale.
Adequate staffing is essential for successful operations at a large event such as OCF.
Please describe the staffing you anticipate bringing for 3–5 days of Fair operations, including any off-site preparation if applicable. Additionally, how many staff members have you utilized in previous vending experiences, whether single-day or multi-day events?
In your previous vending experiences, what is the maximum volume you have served per day (e.g., number of plates, items, etc.)?
Due to the Fair’s unique site conditions—traffic, distance, and dense crowds—obtaining replacement ingredients quickly can be challenging.
What is your plan for staying fully stocked, and how do you plan to manage unused ingredients or prepared food at the end of the event?
How do you plan to store backstock within the limited footprint of your cart area? And how do you plan on transporting/storing backstock if you need more storage than available within the cart? (Some limited space is available in the OCF refrigeration trucks and you will be able to have one vehicle parked near the entrance of the Fair)
Food carts must be no larger than 4’x6’. Storage must extend no further than three feet behind the cart and must adhere to the aesthetic guidelines of the Food Committee. Due to the small footprint, menu items that require on-site dishwashing is not permitted.Please provide details about your proposed menu and explain why the items you plan to serve do not require a dishwashing setup. If your items are served in packaging, please describe your packaging in detail and how it might adhere to the strict OCF recycling and compostable standards.
We are planning tastings for the weekend of February 6–8. We are open to Friday evening, any time on Saturday, and Sunday morning or afternoon.
Do you have any scheduling preferences or constraints for that weekend?
If selected for a tasting and interview, what kitchen support will you require to prepare your proposed menu? Tastings may occur at one of two locations:
• An in-town location in Eugene at the Fair Office with very limited counter space and minimal oven/stove capability.
• A larger home kitchen but out in Venata at the Fair site
.
Please let us know if you have specific equipment needs or challenges for preparing your menu? (e.g., needing an oven or stovetop, or requiring specialized equipment such as a pizza oven or deep fryer, or are planning to prepare items in advance locally in Eugene).
