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Thread: Concessions...

  1. #11

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    Marietta, GA
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    963
    Quote Originally Posted by Contrailing View Post
    Lots of complaints heard about the concessions. Food quality is over-all just lacking on many levels. Some commented that it felt as if they were at a county fair. I'd say it wasn't fresh and grossly over-priced. Why can't EAA allow area food trucks to participate in a common area like a food court? Lots of food trucks have seriously good food and the variety would be incredible. Yeah, I hear the old crowd already... "oh this year was the best food year ever"... Maybe it was for you but what does your waistline measure? Maybe some like cold fish ($16), room temperature fries ($6), rubbery fried chicken ($12), etc. Go ahead... pile on the comments...
    There is little fresh they can offer to a crowd of 100K, which is the audience at Oshkosh. Hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, stuff like that. Not high quality from a nutrition standpoint, but quick to make, fried to kill off most of the germs, and a selection so most anyone who is hungry can find something they will eat.

    If you're willing to wait in line or eat at off-times, Subway is an on-field choice. Beyond that, you're gonna have to go off grounds or bring your own food to find much that isn't fried.

    Personally, I find ways to work around the limitations of the food offered at show center. I visit SOS, the Sleepy Hollow restaurant/bar, a couple of private events in camp Scholar, and make a run to the grocery store. It works for me, but I don't depend on the on-grounds food alternatives.

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Chicago
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    918
    By the time I got off the afternoon tram shift at 8:00pm, hobbled back to my car and headed off on my 45 mile drive back to the motel, about the ONLY available fresh hot eats were to be found at a Culver's. Over 8 nights I pretty much worked my way thru their menu - lol. I can't say I've ever come to AirVenture for the food. It's the event, the planes and the people that keep me coming back year after year. I love it.
    "Don't believe everything you see or read on the internet" - Abraham Lincoln

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    62
    No complaints from me regarding the food. I don't really expect to get healthy dining on the grounds. I did hit up Subway one day, and that seemed to be better than the standard burger and fries. I only ate lunch out on the grounds, and tried to get to a different vendor every day. I don't remember having a bad meal all week.

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Posts
    61
    As was said in another forum, I don't go to Oshkosh, oops, sorry, airventure for fine dining. I don't think anyone does. But, the concessions have come a long way in the last few years. This year there were numerous areas providing burgers, wraps, brats, bbq, french fries, blooming onions, hot dogs, fried potatoes, baked potatoes, and tons and tons of other deep fat fried fat. Seriously, is it any wonder there are so many golf carts, hover rounds, motor scooters, motor cycles, golf carts, volkswagons, segways, golf carts, automobiles, golf carts, 4X4s, golf carts, Rec Vehicles, golf carts, golf carts, etc. all over everywhere. Okay, I digress...

  5. #15
    Low Pass's Avatar
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    Jul 2014
    Location
    Houston
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    104
    Sorry, but I believe expecting more of the food concessions at an event of that size/type/cost is very unrealistic. That food was good for being institutional food being served to hundreds of thousands of people by people with very little training. It was consistent and reasonable. A little pricey though. As for spicy, please don't do that. Not much fun scrambling around with no drugstore on the grounds looking for Pepto Bismol when things don't sit well.
    Last edited by Low Pass; 08-01-2019 at 03:29 PM.
    Bryan

    Houston

  6. #16
    L16 Pilot's Avatar
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    Jul 2011
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    187
    I usually head over to Friar Tucks for an adult beverage and sandwich later in the day. Air conditioned too.
    If God had intended man to fly He would have given us more money!

  7. #17
    FlyingRon's Avatar
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    Aug 2011
    Location
    NC26 (Catawba, NC)
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    2,627
    The food is a whole lot better than the drek that Zaugs and DJs foisted on people in the days gone by. Prices are high, but not uncommon for the "state fair" type environment. A few things (like water, Pepsi, Beer and Wine) is mandated sitewide by the EAA and the individual vendors are not allowed any changes. Each vendor has at least one EAA MEMBER special (typically a buck off some combination).

    Most of the tree things are not the EAA but rather FAA mandates on the airport. Between the idiotic security fence/perimeter road and the lines of site requirements for the tower, a lot of trees were felled. We were lucky that someone stood up to the FAA about the removal of the trees around the Theater in the Woods.

    Some recommendations:

    Tall Pines Cafe in Vintage for breakfast (also some other limited meals if you arrive preshow). Tall Pines was an attempt at Vintage to fill in for some real absent service. It's staffed by Vintage volunteers.

    Operation Thirst (and other volunteer food): If you are volunteering, thirst will bring lunch sandwiches out and drinks and snacks at other times. About four years ago they had a bit change and switched between mystery meat on wonder bread (with some candy smushed into the bread) to some quite good stuff (nice sandwiches on rolls or wraps). Vintage actually runs several dinners either free or at a nominal ($5) fee for their volunteers.

    Bring your own: If you're camping (especially down south), you probably want to pack in some basic food for breakfast and possibly dinner anyhow. When we moved from the North 40 to Vintage, we learned it's a long way to Friar Tucks. Now we have quite a setup (since I just store everything in a local storage locker). A half dozen couples take turns making dinners in our group. My EAA chapter used to do similar things in Schoeller. There are also now many more camp stores (Red One Markets) than there used to be (In the old days there was one in Scholler and one sort of subsumed by Warbirds, now there is one in the North 40, three in Schoeller, and three south).

    Just off field places: Friar Tucks has already been mentioned. The Charcoal Pit has been taken over by someone else. West Bend Pizza, LaSures (for breakfast) at the north end. Down off Vintage/UL is Vicki's lunch wagon and another guy. There are several non-EAA vendors embedded near the main gates: Sacred Heart Church, a couple of others, and the imfamous SOS brothers "beer tent."

    Go to town: You can take the city bus and find many places along the route and there are a few nice ones right around the dorms (Mahoney's).

  8. #18

    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    WA
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    1,205
    I had scrambled eggs and cheese shredded potatoes every morning at Machine Shed in front of ultralights. $4. (Gluten free, that I need)
    Last edited by Bill Berson; 08-01-2019 at 12:28 PM.

  9. #19
    Banned
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    Nov 2011
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    Machine Shed had some good items that others didn't.

  10. #20
    mazdaP5's Avatar
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    Aug 2011
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    Just outside of Grosse Ile NAS
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    289
    I kept it to just one meal a day on field, just too unhealthy and expensive. I usually kept it to Subway, the veggies make it at least sorta healthy. Had a machine shed hot dog and cookie one night, the cookie was great. Aces pasta and meatballs was pretty good too. Like others have said, I'm not expecting greatness on field. But if you are eating on field 3 meals a day, that's a pretty big hit to the wallet.

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