Fair food. It’s a part of American culture and the reason many people go to those events.
It can be found at local street fairs and festivals, as well as at large county fairs, all across the USA. Nearly every city in America has a street fair or festival, which is an event in which several blocks of streets are closed to traffic, replaced by vendor booths and food vendors. Sometimes the latter are in a food court.
The local festivals also have local bands at several locations and, more often than not, areas to drink beers and wines, loosely called”beer gardens.”
Americans love the food vendors because they offer such a variety of food – BBQ, grilled meats, gyros, pizza, Philly cheesesteaks, Chinese, Indian, you name it – and at fairly cheap prices.
Today, tho, those prices are not so cheap. Prices are $12-15. Paying $12 or more for a gyro or cheesesteak is not inexpensive. That’s sit-down restaurant prices.
There is a way, tho, to eat cheaper at street fairs and festivals.
Fair Food Bargain Tips
• Scout out what type of food you want to eat and what vendor(s) that whets your appetite. Wait until the end of the day or evening to start “shopping” for food.
• Approach the vendors at that time and ask for any discounts. This is the time of day they usually have leftover cooked food they are often willing to sell it less than the price on the menu. At the end of the day it’s either make a few dollars or none at all.
• Most vendors still only take cash. Hold out, say, a $10 bill and say “this is all I’ve got. What I can I get for it?”
• If one vendor does not want to give a discount, go to others
• The best time to get cheaper food is at closing time on the last day of the fair or festival. The vendors are often very willing to offer food at half price – or less – because they don’t want to take back all their leftover food. This is usually around 6 p.m., on a Sunday, which is dinner time anyway.
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