OK - so that title is a little harsh. But it was the best wording I could think of to describe my frustration with this event. Why can this event be called "Taste of Peoria" when nearly half of the vendors represented are from national chain restaurants? That makes it the taste of Something, but not the taste of Peoria. Really, it is just the taste of national suburban strip mall food.
I think it is disingenuous to call an event "Taste of Peoria" when you are featuring food from restaurants like Baker's Square, Hooters, Old Chicago, Smoothie King, Culver's, Carlos O'Kelly's, Papa Murphy's, and Cheddar's. That is not the taste of Peoria - that is the taste of every city in the United States. The Taste of Peoria should be about promoting the local flavors and businesses that make our city unique.
And I am not saying this because I hate all chain restaurants. I have been known to eat in all of these restaurants at one time or another. Usually, chain restaurants are the best bet for a large group of people who may not all have the same adventurous food tastes I have. At least at a large chain, you know everyone will probably find something they like. OK, admittedly, I hate Hooters (for obvious reasons) and I had a really bad experience at a Cheddar's once and Culver's isn't really my thing. But, the others offer relatively decent food for certain limited situations.
My point is that there are so many good, local restaurants in Peoria (several of whom have booths at the event) so why can't we fill the entire event with local food selections? I know nothing about how the food vendors are selected or what kind of fee they have to pay to be at the event. However, my guess is that there are several good reasons some local restaurants choose not to be a part of the Taste. I think the event organizer, PACE, should seriously consider what they are doing wrong that is not attracting all local businesses.
That being said, I think getting the Gin Blossoms is wonderful. Too bad my current lifestyle does not allow for me to be out partying with the Gin Blossoms on a Wednesday night. Of course, this is mostly because I was out partying with other people on Tuesday night.
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9 comments:
Good point. The locals should be the star of this event.
Here what I was told (don't know how accurate, but...): It is $400 to enter. The city (or someone) takes 20% off the top. So, if you sell $2000, you end up with $1600 (and then have to pay sales tax). There is the Peoria County Health Department temporary permit and there is some other small fee, too. Can't remember. If you need electricity (Hmmm...keeping food cold on a 90+ dgree without it....) is extra. You have to pay your extra help. Sound like a winning proposition to you considering most restaurants work on a 2-6% profit margin *sarcasm*. I know two guys that USED to do it all the time and just are fed up with the hassle and the fees. So, there ya go.
Oh, sure they can write most of it off as advertising expense on their taxes. But this time of year when restaurants are slow due to all the outside activities and food associated with them, who wants to spend that type of money?
Maybe they should just line all the downtown lunch pushcart vendors up along the river instead.
Shoot, the Gin Blossoms in concert and I am missing it. I was living in Tempe in their last years and also saw the rise of the splinter band The Gas Giants (I thought that the GG were better myself) and would have loved to see them play again…
But in an event that is advertising itself as “A Taste of Peoria”? Shouldn’t there be more local bands and local flavors? I see that they are trying to raise money for some parade, but still, shouldn’t this event be more about local things and cheaper for the locals to display in?
It's just something else that Chicago has and the powers that be think we should have too. They even have to copy the name of the event too.
chef kevin nailed it. As a former restaurant manager who participated years ago in a Naperville "taste of", jumping through the hoops and suffering the logistical nightmare was not worth the effort for a small shop like I ran. It wasn't a wash, but felt like it afterwards. My suggestion to my alderwoman to lower (the hefty) fee's for non-franchise/small business owners fell on deaf ears.
I'll make the same suggestion to my representative here in Peoria to try to give local biz a leg up.
The Gin Blossoms were great last night. Too bad you guys missed them. I hope the Taste continues to get "name" acts every year.
I too would like to see more local restaurants. But, Chef makes a good point about the economics of the event. Perhaps big name bands every year will lead to increased gate revenue, which can in turn subsidize the vendor fees.
Another suggestion: move it to the weekend. What's up with putting it in the middle of the work week?
Another suggestion: move it to a cooler time of year. It was terribly hot and humid last night.
Kevin,
Right on. In my younger days I would go, but there is no way I'm headed out on a Wednesday night.
I might consider it on a weekend.
The Gin Blossoms were outstanding. I think Waterstreet was right up there. They've come a long way since the last time I saw them 4 or 5 years ago at Crusen's.
I know Rockford, IL has their Taste over a weekend. You can by a weekend pass. But if you look at their list of restaurants, it is the same thing: 50/50 cahins versus independents.
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