Street vendors, food carts, concession stands; these things have all been around since the establishment of the first public market. Street entrepreneurs have always pedaled their wares in areas where there is a healthy amount of foot traffic.
In ancient cities on shop-strewn dirt-packed roads, meats, wines, breads, fruits, vegetables and fish were sold from wooden stands. Where jousting events and other competitions took place, there were people who brought their own food along and those that didn't. Out of situations such as these the street vendor and concession stand was born.
Today we have massive cutting-edge stadiums filled with hundreds of vending stations carrying everything from pizza to stuffed animals to any kind of drink one desires. Fryers, pizza ovens and various other instruments used to prepare hot food and keep it warm are hard at work to fill customer demand.
At just about every event imaginable, you'll usually find a concession stand of some kind with various offerings.
The Omnipresent Hot Dog
Typically, hot dog carts are pretty pervasive. Hot dogs seem to be the prevailing staple when it comes to concession food. Of course, hamburgers are also part of the typical concession stand mix. How often have you had to hit the road right after work in order to make it to your child's sporting event on time? It happens quite frequently all around America, especially during the summer. Many times, we find ourselves very thankful to get a burger or hot dog at one of these fields to temporarily fill our empty stomachs until we can get some dinner a few hours later.
Stepping It Up
Then we have the more elaborate food carts and concession stands where a much wider variety of fare is offered. Outdoor concerts, high school football games, festivals and carnivals are events where you'll find these stands. One should be able to satisfy just about every type of hunger here, whether it's for hot food or something to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Some of the food offered at the more extensive concession carts can even be somewhat surprising. Here is a brief list of what you may run into:
Hot Food
Hot dogs
Hamburgers
Pizza
Metts
Brattwurst
Sausage
Side Items
Nachos
French Fries
Popcorn
Onion Rings
Sweets and Other Goodies
Funnel Cakes
Sno Kones
Belgian Waffles
Candy Apples
Caramel Apples
Caramel Popcorn
Caramel Corn
Candy Bars
Cotton Candy
And the list goes on. The concession business is booming, and is just about recession proof. Sure people will back away from spending cash on frivolous items when money is tight. But there will always be people showing up at ballgames, carnivals and street fairs with empty stomachs, willing to drop a few dollars to assuage their hunger. For those looking to start a side business and earn extra income, the concession business may very well be worth looking into.
Concession Business Has Been Strong Throughout the Ages