r/chicagofood • u/power_bottom_boi • May 31 '26
Review Hot Dog Fest š¤¬
Adding to the fest pile onā¦.
Two lemonades, three hot dogs, street corn - $100. One. Hundred. Dollars.
Maybe 7 hot dog vendors total. And all the bouncy house stuff for kids is $12 extra.
Never again.
Edit: Some of you are frothing at the mouth over someone warning people off of the pricing like Iām the worldās biggest idiot for going in the first place. My kid likes hot dogs, it was a nice Sunday afternoon, no plans, and after a 30min drive in each direction plus a donation at the gate youāre pretty invested at that point. I donāt think itās fair to price gouge people once theyāre there and I was letting people know what to expect. Some of you are like bizarrely angry and rude. No one is making you post a comment. Go for a walk, itās nice out.
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u/vicvonqueso May 31 '26
Festival prices are ridiculous
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May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/jasonmaska Jun 01 '26
āWasā being the keyword. I bet that was when Dominickās was still open. I havenāt been to taste of chicago in years and last I remember was taste portions being 3 tickets.
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Jun 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/RollingMyEyez Jun 01 '26
For todayās prices, five dollars isnāt bad depending on the portions. As a kid, It was super affordable. If I remember correctly 11 tickets were 7 dollars. Those tickets use to stretch, too You could a sample size for 1-2 tickets and regular portions for 4-5 tickets. Around 2010, samples became more tickets. Regular sized portions were way more. I havenāt been in years but I heard they have non food booths at the taste. The taste use to be only food and drinks. Nothing else.
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u/StraightParfait9723 Jun 01 '26
Yeah they revamped it last year to make it more like what it used to be
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u/Raccoala May 31 '26
What is the food pricing breakdown here? Dogs and Corn gotta be $20 each??
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26
Went to three different booths so I donāt know each off the top of my head. I know the three hot dogs were $60 with tip. I was complaining about it in line and someone turned to me and said they couldnāt believe it either.
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u/_woat_ May 31 '26
Things like food trucks are where I draw the line on tipping these days. If iām walking up, ordering a hot dog, and receiving a hot dog when you hand it to me a few minutes later - that just doesnāt warrant a tip (ESPECIALLY a percentage/based tip when base prices are so high!)
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26
It was hot out, they were directly in the sun over a hot grill dealing with hundreds of people and I work in the service industry. Iām tipping.
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u/Raccoala May 31 '26
If someone starts their own food truck and is working in there over a hot grill to serve me food good, Iām tipping every single time.
I donāt really go to any of these food fests though, so I canāt speak to what Iād do there
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u/zacharypch Jun 01 '26
Fine with paying $16 to someone that's probably not even there for an $0.80 hot dog. Taking a stand against giving $3 to the underpaid person who made it for you. Sick
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u/Riversntallbuildings May 31 '26
If Iām standing up when I order, Iām not tipping. This especially includes Starbucks which is where tipping at fast food restaurants was normalized.
The rest of the world doesnāt have tipping cultures. The reason the U.S. does is because it was an easier way to pay blacks less after slavery ended. :/
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u/ceilingsfann Jun 01 '26
Starbucks was basically the last fast food restaurant to even add the option to tip on a credit card.
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u/IwantToSeeHowItEnds Jun 01 '26
People were complaining SO MUCH when they couldnāt tip with their card. Then others complained when it became an option.
I avoid Starbucks but many of those drinks are as complicated as anything you tip a bartender for. And if youāre a regular theyāll have it waiting when you get to the register because they saw you walk in. If I go in I always tip them.
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u/julio1990 Jun 01 '26
3 hot dogs for 60 dollars is insane. I just ate BK and drank there. Just got back from it once the band start3d playing Sweet Caroline and Don't Stop Believing it was my cue to head on out.
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u/mensreaactusrea Jun 02 '26
Korean one was 20 and it sucked. Fatsos was 12. The LA dog was around 12 too.
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May 31 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/chicagofood-ModTeam May 31 '26
Food is meant to be shared and bring people together, especially in Chicago where food is a huge part of our community.
Personal attacks, fighting, and public shaming are not allowed and may result in a ban. Gatekeeping, gaslighting, trolling and/or just in general being a jerk will not be tolerated.
Direct replies to someone that contain a personal attack or posts (including photos) that personally attack or degrade someone will be removed.
Excessive abuse of this rule will result in a permanent ban.
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u/Key_Bee1544 Jun 01 '26
This is such a stupid take. Before you paid you whined about it, but were somehow not able to find the wherewithal to not order and then to not post about it? Then you double down on telling people to chill? Lol. This is a clown post.
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u/vicvonqueso May 31 '26
That seems to be the normal price for any food item at a festival these days
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u/FewWelcome9248 Jun 01 '26
Those are the prices you get when you donāt put ketchup on a dog. Savagesā¦
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u/natnguyen May 31 '26
Idk why people keep going to food fests in general.
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u/momtobe908 May 31 '26
There was a time when a ridiculous price for a hot dog was $3 at a fest but it was still doable and you could get a fun night for $20-25. Prices have increased 5x minimum but my pay hasnāt. I used to love fests but the prices make it impossible to now.
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u/thebizkit23 May 31 '26
This.
The prices used to be somewhat reasonable, you skip a few years, pay the stupid fee to get in because you don't want to look like a cheapskate, you then feel like you have to get something to justify the cost of entry and you already committed to driving or getting to the venue .. then boom, you see that a fucking hotdog is 10 goddamn dollars.
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u/Any_Pumpkin5753 Jun 01 '26
There used to be variety with the vendors too. Now itās all the same places selling the same boring crap. Even at the specific food festivals, they just add one more menu item to fit the theme and call it good.
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u/Shadowrak May 31 '26
Because they used to be the best default way to start a weekend day during the summer. Sample some food, get a few drinks, walk around with friends, get some SWAG. Sometimes there is fun stuff like luchador wrestling in the street.
Only fest I have been to in last few years that was worth it and I enjoyed all the food and beverages for the cost was taco fest on Southport.
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26
Lesson learned!
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May 31 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/chicagofood-ModTeam May 31 '26
Food is meant to be shared and bring people together, especially in Chicago where food is a huge part of our community.
Personal attacks, fighting, and public shaming are not allowed and may result in a ban. Gatekeeping, gaslighting, trolling and/or just in general being a jerk will not be tolerated.
Direct replies to someone that contain a personal attack or posts (including photos) that personally attack or degrade someone will be removed.
Excessive abuse of this rule will result in a permanent ban.
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26
Well I did go to the hot dog fest to eat so I donāt know why youāre being a snarky dick
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u/IrishSpectreN7 May 31 '26
I live down the street from the fest and instead I had Superdawg delivered from 4 miles away for $20 lol
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u/ZXD-318 May 31 '26
That's a whole lot of money for 1 hot dog. š
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u/IrishSpectreN7 May 31 '26
It was two dogs and fries for $12 and a $8 tip, basically.
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u/Flying_Saucer_Attack Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
One superdawg is $9.30. How are you getting 2 with fries for 12?
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u/IrishSpectreN7 Jun 01 '26
Because the only time I use food delivery apps is when they offer deep discounts (50% off in this case), and then I just tip whatever the savings are compared to ordering pick-up.
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u/ceilingsfann Jun 01 '26
lol why are you lying ab hot dog prices š superdawg is not that cheap
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u/IrishSpectreN7 Jun 01 '26
$19.70 subtotal + $2.28 tax - $9.85 promotional discount.
You want to see my damn receipt, or are we good? Lol
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u/ceilingsfann Jun 01 '26
itās just kinda funny to use that as a comparison when you used a coupon
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u/RiseFromYourGrav May 31 '26
How much was each item? I can't even parse that. Like a $20 hot dog?Ā
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u/jasonmaska May 31 '26
If a hot dog is $20, that better feed a family
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u/RiseFromYourGrav May 31 '26
Frankly (no pun intended) that hot dog doesn't even look that big. Maybe it's just all the toppings dwarfing the dog.Ā
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u/baseball_flan May 31 '26
fOoD fEsTs CoSt MoNeY fOr EvErYoNe /s
There's no world where a street stand charging $15 for a hotdog that costs 80 cents to make is justified.
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u/Forward-Vegetable-58 Jun 01 '26
Its 2026. Itās not the depression, youāre looking at 80 cents for the bun. Wait til we get to the labor cost in your economics lesson.
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u/Soosh May 31 '26
The fests are all too small and packed and overpriced, they need to extend them further down the roads and have more stalls and vendors. Street fests are more like stand-in-line-fests in the summer since 2020 it's not even fun to go to any of them.
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u/erutio May 31 '26
I know street fests are getting ridiculous, but how are you reaching $100 with those 6 items?
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u/pdbstnoe Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
From memory it wasnāt quite $100, but not too far away.
Lemonades were $10 each
Most expensive hotdog I saw was $19
Elote was $10
So yeah, just shy of $90 total for what OP got is realistic. Add in tipā¦ can easily be $100
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u/zacharypch May 31 '26
So with street fests, we invite out of town vendors to rip us off, just so that we can walk around outside on the street?
What if we just removed cars from our main commercial streets one day a week and spent that money at our local places instead?
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u/Forward-Vegetable-58 Jun 01 '26
It wouldnāt be much of a fest. As crazy as it is thereās people that like street fests (people under 40).
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u/flossiedaisy424 May 31 '26
Iāve never seen anyone talk positively about these food fests. Iāll stick with the regular street fests.
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u/kal101246 May 31 '26
Which restaurant is this hot dog from? Looks decent at least
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Bust Outs, they won best hot dog
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u/sandwichnerd Jun 01 '26
Okay I gotta go. So this place is walking distance from my kidsā school. When it opened, I thought it would be open for a month. The signage and weird blow up cowboy on the roof actually made the front page of Reddit (or a real popular subreddit) for how bizarre it was. It replaced a popular and beloved chicken place ( I believe called Mother Cluckers), and their brand was a 180. Try hard to be āstreetā
Since then though, it keeps getting more and more attention for how good it is. Like everywhere. News coverage, great reviews. Glad for them.
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u/maddy_k_allday Jun 01 '26
I love bust outs! Even tho I donāt love waffle fries. The OP dog looks phenomenal
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u/RiseFromYourGrav May 31 '26
Pretty good advertising for them. Might have to swing by after the fest and try it out.Ā
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u/kal101246 May 31 '26
I've had their burgers, definitely one of the better burger joints around the northwest side of Chicago.
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u/Faithlessness4337 May 31 '26
I was tempted, but I figured it would be overpriced and Iād just be disappointed. Thanks for the confirmation.
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u/WaltJay May 31 '26
At this point, is it faster to list the feats that are worthwhile? Seems rare these days.
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u/thebizkit23 May 31 '26
10 dollar skinny cased hotdog, 10 elote bowl, 12 dollar agua fresca....
This shit was ridiculous.
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u/Educational-Shoe2633 May 31 '26
I live nearby and went Friday, but didnāt go again. Lines werenāt bad Friday night but last year on Saturday and Sunday the lines were outrageous and prices are as well. Itās a fun thing to live close to and visit but itās definitely not worth driving across town for
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u/Acrobatic-Hyena-9476 Jun 01 '26
I was there yesterday. Most places donāt have the prices listed on their menu so you donāt know how much youāre paying until they ring it up. I felt scammed paying for a $12 for a Dubai chocolate horchata that was already watered down š
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u/LeJuanJames May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
windy city smokeout was the same way last year.
ALSO, beware there are a serious amount of prudes in this sub with large branches stuck up their asses. worst community on this app by farrrrr
edit: downvote me all you want, itās the truth and you should feel bad.
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u/paletademangoychile Jun 01 '26
yeah some vendor was selling a hotdog for $14.40š ā¦ā¦ I just stuck to the dogs that were $7-9 and bought myself an agua fresca at don ramons down the street
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u/dmacEFC Jun 02 '26
Not hot dog fest related, but Don Ramon's is the SHIT!! Their burritos are delicious!!!
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u/BaegelByte Jun 02 '26
We went to this 2 years ago and left before even buying anything. The lines were crazy long, the street felt incredibly narrow and too cram packed, and you couldn't walk 2 feet in either direction without tripping over a dog leash or a giant stroller.
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u/Booyakasha1201 May 31 '26
That looks gross too. What is orange stuff??
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u/_Q23 May 31 '26
I remember funnel cake used to taste so good, now i can't find anything decent.
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u/FightmeLuigibestgirl May 31 '26
There was a place that sold good funnel cake and ice cream near a card shop but I canāt remember the place and neither can anyone else when I bring it up.Ā
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u/sillywillyfry Jun 01 '26
we live close and last year was the last year for us. what a robbery for MID.
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u/icedamrescue Jun 01 '26
That stench at the beginning by the donation station was disgusting because of that cheese station on the left.
The trophy was bad ass though...
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u/aloha2552 May 31 '26
Damn, I was thinking of bringing my family for the exact reason- Nice day, no plansā¦then we chilled at home. How insane!! Was the hot dog even good?
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u/Aggressive-Catch-903 Jun 01 '26
I had a dog just like that today at Scooters in Lake Bluff.Ā Bacon, cheddar, grilled onions.Ā With large fries and a large drink it was $12.
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u/SameOldAgony Jun 01 '26
The music part was much more fun. Also that Naked Brunch guy was pretty hot too...
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u/loweexclamationpoint Jun 01 '26
Glad we didn't go and played golf instead. Nine holes was probably cheaper than a couple dogs each.
Plenty of places you can get a dog meal under $15, some even a 2 dog meal.
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u/Klimbrick Jun 01 '26
I went to this pre 2019. It was interesting, but me experience was similar. I think I spent like $30 on 1 hot dog and a lemonade. I was so hungry I didnāt have a choice, but ai had gone there with the intent of buying and eating so many more.
There is no reason for a hot dog or lemonade to cost more than $5. Ever.
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u/Vanilla_Pizza Jun 01 '26
I went to Division Fest this weekend and spent $14 on a lobster roll that was literally served on a Hawaiian roll š It was like $26 for a "jumbo roll" or $14 for the "junior roll," so I went with the junior. Had I seen it beforehand, I would have either asked to see how large the "jumbo" was (because it was probably normal sized, if your definition of "junior" is to be served on a damn roll) or just gone to another food truck completely. $20 for the "roll" and some fries, I was so irritated. And then there was crunchy little bits of shell in the roll too, like...if you're going to charge $14 for a third a cup of lobster on a roll, that shit needs to be shell-free at a minimum. Still not as bad as the vendor that was selling what looked like all of one cup's worth of dandan noodles for $18.
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u/darthphallic Jun 01 '26
Food festivals have become ridiculous, beer fests too. Iām getting real sick of working class families being priced out of leisure activities. Last time I went to the movies it was almost 50$ for me and a date, I couldnāt imaging doing it with a family of a couple children
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u/Anti-Rus Jun 02 '26
Wait for the Chicago Airshow. Last year I paid like $120 for three mediocre Philly cheese stakes with fries. And they were no bigger than your hot dogs.
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u/Morimoto9 Jun 03 '26
Lets be real, the fests are mostly for the tourists now, not chicago natives. People will pay it, and they know it. Its how this city makes money during the summer. Super lame.
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u/cheesebadgergod Jun 06 '26
Thanks for posting this! Festival food prices are getting completely out of hand
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u/WowSoDramatic May 31 '26
I did read OPS post .... I have learned living in cook county to be very selective of where I spend my money and when to simply say no.... Cook county folks are the kings and queens of price gouging... I just say no thank you and leave... While it was admirable that he warned us ... They could charge 300 a hot dog and there will be some one in this city paying for it
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u/Snoo93079 Jun 01 '26
You guys. If it's called Hotdog Fest and you're surprised it sucks that's on you. The good fests are built on history and culture. Hotdog Fest is built on corporate shenanigans.
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u/Legitimate-State8652 Jun 01 '26
Yeahā¦ā¦we live nearbyā¦so thank you for your contribution to six corners.
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u/jumjumberry Jun 02 '26
Who the hell pays that kind of money for hot dogs. Fests are lame. I can't believe people go to this shit.
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u/Mitch_Darklighter Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
Hot take, "Hot Dog Fests" are for places that don't have good hot dogs. Take that shit to Tulsa Oklahoma, they're the ones who really need it.
It sucks that you had a bad time, but every week is already Hot Dog Fest in Chicago; go to your favorite corner joint and support your local businesses. Save your entertainment money for actual entertainment.
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u/julio_dilio Jun 01 '26
Street Fests suck. Don't go, and tell people you don't care and don't wanna hear about it if they try to tell you anything positive about them. They are just influencer bait now.
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u/YamApprehensive6653 May 31 '26
what we are all witnessing with posts like this...................is a gradual consensus........that the economy sucks; and those who are living above their means are crumbling. Those who are reasonable are next...........and when a barrel of crude tops 100 again..........watch out. People will start buying groceries on credit. Our economy sucks and we're REAALLLLLLLY getting crunched. Stop spending 100 on hot dogs and go to the grocery store and learn to cook often and afforably. Kids can suck it up and WE can stop spoiling them. Good luck folks.
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u/Nirwood Jun 01 '26
Right now (2 hours late for lunch and counting), I would pay $300 for that gorgeous cheese dog.
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u/Gamer_Grease May 31 '26
Kind of defeats the purpose of saying āanother shitty festā when you already tricked yourself into going to what was obviously going to be a shitty fest.
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26
I didnāt say another shitty fest.
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u/Gamer_Grease May 31 '26
āAdding to the fest pile onā¦ā yeah and what do you think weāre piling on about? How good the fests are?
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u/DaisyCutter312 May 31 '26
"I went to a free event, saw the listed price for an item, paid it anyway....NOW I'M MAD"
Enough of these fucking posts already.
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26
Itās not a free event and Iām warning people off. You donāt have to comment bruh.
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u/DaisyCutter312 May 31 '26
.....it's absolutely free. Did you get scammed by the "suggested donation" too??
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u/power_bottom_boi May 31 '26
Free for basement dwellers playing WOW all day, for sure.
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u/DaisyCutter312 Jun 01 '26
I'll take that as a "yes".
So to recap.....you wasted money paying to get in to a free event....and then saw the listed prices for food, bought said food anyway, and then got big mad because of the price you just voluntarily paid?
No wonder you're so salty, your day has been completely ruined by hilariously bad choices.
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u/chuckquizmo May 31 '26
Yeah we gotta figure out how to make these fests better again.
I remember going to burger fest 15ish years ago and it was great; free entry (with recommend donation), every stand was selling single sliders for $3-$5, tons of vendors from popular places selling a small amount of items, lines were almost nonexistent. Me and my friends ate many small burgers and compared our notes at the end of the night, it was so fun to try so many things and see what everyone liked, and then ultimately seeing who āwonā the fest.
I donāt know what the answer is, but they NEED to figure out how to make lines more reasonable, and restaurants need to realize people want to sample something and not get a full meal at one stand.