Being a Food Vendor in 2020

Being a Food Vendor in 2020

It was the beginning of March and we just finished a 4 day festival as a food vendor in Okeechobee. We just found that Coachella was being cancelled due to Covid-19. Driving back from Okeechobee FL, under the dark New Mexico skies, you can get lost in your thoughts. What’s Covid-19? There’s a virus going around the world that is killing thousands of people? What are we going to do for work? Anxiety took control of the wheel.

We still had high hopes of doing the next event in April (Beyond Wonderland) however that quickly got cancelled. California and the country was put in a mandatory shut down. We didn’t have work anymore. What do we do? Well, there was nothing we could do. There was no work for a food vendor anywhere, we got lost like so many others. All we could do it sit back and process what was going on. After a few weeks, my mom and I decided this is a great time for us to catch up on getting things repaired around the warehouse. We called one of our good friends and we went to work.

Going to work every week, even though I wasn’t getting paid, felt good because we were making progress on the trucks and it gave us dignity. As April and May went by, I was started to get low on funds. I wasn’t broke but I needed to step it up a little. I decided to get a temp job in a warehouse, just to hold me down for awhile.

Working in a warehouse was hard work. I came home exhausted and I woke up sore in every part of my body. It was no fun. July comes around and we get the call we’ve been waiting for. We got work! Drive-In movie theaters at the Rose Bowl became popular again, they were popping up everywhere in the country because it provided socially safe distancing and an opportunity to get out the house again. We we’re working! We were so happy and it gave us purpose.

I had my warehouse job and the drive-ins, I worked so much! I accomplished so many goals financially that I had so much confidence. My mom was happy too! Those events help us up and gave us dignity. We didn’t make tons of money but we were happy. We set ourselves up with relationships, saving and attitude that we persevered.

Then the winner came through for us, Yucaipa Pumpkin Patch. We got a spot and we crushed it for 16 days. People were buying funnel cakes left and right. Families wanted to get out the house because they haven’t done anything all year. This was their moment and it was ours too! That saved us and it saved a lot of other food vendor. We were happy to be sharing happy memories with hard working people and to see people work with pride. We loved it!

2020 was a hard year for a lot of people. It was hard emotionally but we’re a family business for a reason, we do it together. To all the other small businesses and families who work together, we’re with you. Don’t give up. Keep pushing because at the end of the day, we have no other choice.

Concession Vendors in Socal: Sophia’s Concessions

People have a general understanding what concession vendors are. You go to a baseball game or another sporting event, there will be a concession vendor however there is a lot more than meets the eye. Some of those concession stands are small businesses who take pride in the food. They are family businesses who hire local talent and take them across the country to work special events. That is Sophia’s Concessions.

Mobile Concession Vendors

If you ever decide to come to a minor league baseball game in San Bernardino, come see us at our concession stand at Inland Empire 66ers however if you can’t make it. We can come to your event. We’re mobile, operating out of multiple size trucks, find your right size here. No event is too small or big, we worked events for small auctions to event’s of 70k people a day.

Concession Food

Our menu has a lot to choose from. Sacrificing quality over speed is not what we do. We make sure that we use quality ingredients and product so that your guest are getting more than what they bargained for. We serve tasty carne asada tacos with fresh homemade salsa. Our salsa is never bought from a can and we use fresh tomatoes. The burritos are stuffed with tasty chicken and homemade beans. Our beans are never made with lard so are vegetarian friends love our bean and cheese burritos.

Bacon-Wrapped Hotdog
Bacon-Wrapped Hotdogs

We can’t have a concession stand without good ole hamburgers and chicken strips and fries. Our meat loving friends love to ask for bacon so we always make sure we have some on hand. Your kids will love our golden, chicken tenders and fries. You won’t here from them for awhile because they will be stuffed. Check out our full menu here.

I can’t forget sweets! Unlike Disneyland and Knotts, we make are funnel cakes fresh, made to order. Sometimes the whip cream is melting because it’s so warm. Put some fresh chocolate or strawberries and you will be in a food coma.

We look forward to working with you. Please contact us here