Hot Dog Carts

A food venue of ever-increasing popularity is concession foods from concession trailers or trucks. You may think that this is a type of food service that has just recently come to the forefront of the industry, but it is older than you might guess. Modern concession stands as well as other modern food vending practices come from ancient street vendors. These very cunning early entrepreneurial caterers, much like the caterers of modern society, profited from the empty stomachs of people milling around at large gatherings. When people are away from the comfort of their own homes and cupboards, there is an opportunity for food to be sold and consumed. This is where the popularity of food concession vending, both selling food and buying it, came from.

Another place concessions had a big impact in history besides on the streets with vendors was during the games held at the famous Ancient Roman Coliseum. Spectators that came to the chariot races, circuses, and sports contests often ate the fare of vendors. Some visitors brought their refreshments of wines and bread, but many partook of the foods offered at the coliseum itself. The same table served all classes, ages, and races. These types of offerings became increasingly popular in these types of crowded settings.

As far as modern-day venues for concession food, one of the most popular has to be the fair. And as far as modern-day fairs have come over the past few years, this, too, was a practice that had gone on for years before today. Popular fairs from the late 1800s became places where food was sold to the crowds that gathered there for the entertainment. Fair food goes back even further than this to the street vendors in market stalls. Food vendors were also quite popular at the Medieval fairs.

You may be asking what exactly fair food is. Fair food is defined largely by the food served at fairs during the period being discussed. Common “contemporary” fair foods include such items as cotton candy, mini-donuts, funnel cakes, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried turkey legs, corn dogs, steak sandwiches, sweet corn, and popcorn. This type of popular fare may cost an arm and a leg, but fair-goers flock to the stands and trailers for the food you can only get at the fair. Many other foods are commonly served at fairs today. These “fair foods” are a comfy cozy novelty that brings back great memories for most of us of childhood. That is part of the reason it is such a popular place to buy and sell food. Childhood memories can do a lot to sell food.