State Fair of Texas vendors facing supply shortage
DALLAS - The State Fair of Texas kicks off on Friday, and the same food shortage that has been plaguing the restaurant industry is having an impact on some of your food choices at the fair.
Vendors say fair organizers urged them to get supplies early.
Everything from utensils, paper plates and even chicken is harder to come by.
Christie Erpillo with Winter Family Concessions says their food supplier has raised prices 5 or 6 times this year.
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The team has been brainstorming ways to re-work its menu while still giving fairgoers the "full experience".
"We're being creative. Some of our items we can get, and we know we can get. We're re-purposing with different products. So you can get a Mexican Pizza or you can get a burrito bowl or street tacos, because basically it is the same product that we're repurposing different ways," said Erpillo.
Winter Family Concessions is the original funnel cake concessionaire at the fair.
They say they stocked up on funnel cake mix early, and it is the one menu item they are not worried about.
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Other vendors have been stocking up on supplies.
"If you’ve ever been to the fair, you know there’s these little containers that the French fries come in, the fried oreos come in. Those are the boats. People love to be able to come in, eat the food out of those boats but theyre going to be in demand. So thousands of units are going to be flying off the shelf," said Brent Reaves, co-owner of Smokey John's BBQ. "We have to get ‘em now. We’ve been prepared. We’ve been working on it for months."
The State Fair of Texas opens Sept. 30 and runs through Oct. 23.