Servers await the crowd at Beachside Burgers and Brews at the Long Beach Grand Prix. (VT Photo)
REPORTING FROM LONG BEACH, CALIF. — A 40-foot semi featuring grills, cookers and smokers and themed Beachside Burgers and Brews was among reasons Shaun Beard, senior vice president, SMG’s Savor, predicted record sales at the 41st Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach April 17-19.
Savor's Shaun Beard surveys the layout at the Long Beach Grand Prix. (VT Photo)
Savor has provided food and drink for the race crowds for 23 years. Beard has expanded the food service each year, basing his decisions on aerial photographs of the crowd and analyzing the gathering places and, therefore, need for concession stands.
Altogether, Savor presented more than 240 points of sale with an additional 34 regional food vendors and a food truck village with 10 trucks planned along the 1.97 mile track. An estimated crowd of 175,000 attends the three-day race.
The newest offering was provided by Primetime Grill, a division of Rojo Hospitality which is owned by the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. Sean Kavanaugh, director of business development for Rojo, said the grill cost about $1 million to build and debuted in January, playing the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., and the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl at home field, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Primetime partnered with Savor for the Grand Prix, with Savor choosing the theme, hiring the crew and paying expenses to bring the truck to town. The partners split the profit.
Ballast Point craft beer sold for $14 at Beachside Burgers and Brews. Guests could also purchase an $11 can of beer (Heineken and Tecate were the sponsor brews of choice at the Grand Prix), a $4 water or a $5 soda. The handpacked burgers were sold for $10 and included chips.
Cheeseburgers were on a brioche bun with cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, red onion, sliced tomato and pickle chips. The menu also included a Beachside burger, featuring guacamole, and a teriyaki burger with a pineapple ring. Packages included a High Tide Party Pack, featuring four burgers and four waters for $46.
Sean Kavanaugh and Ken Wilson of Rojo Hospitality booked Primetime Grill at the Grand Prix. They're standing in front of the truck's entertainment center. (VT Photo)
Kavanaugh said it costs about $10,000 to bring the truck to Long Beach. Costs for the menu brought expenses to the $50,000 range.
Primetime Grill is very flexible, he said. Guests can be served off both sides of the truck, though only one side was used at the Grand Prix because of the fencing around the track. He can sell food off one side, merchandise off the other, or general public off one side, with a VIP offering on the other. At a low rider show, they served burritos and tacos.
Besides the grills, equipment on the truck includes a 500-pound smoker which will be used to cook ribs for the upcoming Big Red River Music Festival in New Mexico. It also has a 40-gallon pot that boils water. UpFritters built Primetime Grill. Kavanagh expected the return on investment to take two and a half to three years.
Primetime Grill was themed Beachside Burgers and Brews at the Long Beach Grand Prix. (VT Photo)
His marching orders are to book it as additional catering revenue for Rojo Hospitality. “Everybody wants it,” Kavanaugh said. He has booked the Sturgis (S.D.) Motorcyle Rally Aug. 3-9 and San Gennaro Feast in Las Vegas. “We plan on doing the fun things,” he said. He is talking to some fairs in 2015 as well.
Beard said Savor chose the Beachside theme, complete with Adirondack chairs placed in front of the 80-inch TV screens on one side of the truck, with great music blaring through the sound system, to reflect location, location, location.
“It’s a real destination,” Beard said. “People are over there taking pictures of it. They go up to visit with the chef who is up there cooking. It’s an attraction as much as a food location.”
He anticipated Savor would partner with Rojo to bring Primetime Grill to other events, possibly even convention centers.
Savor’s retail food options at the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix also included the return of the Dog Gone Grill with signature grilled dogs and a “finish line” condiment station to customize the dog.
The Tecate Sports Bar again featured guest appearances, music and Rita's Long Pour Margaritas. As one of the race sponsors, Tecate Beers was featured throughout the race.
“We will have record sales this year,” Beard predicted going into the weekend. The weather was warmer and the offerings were expanded to meet every budget and every tastebud.
“We’ve segmented the market and looked after every segment,” Beard said.”We have something for everyone, all different price points. That’s why I think we will have record sales. We still offer a $6 beer and now we have a $14 craft beer. Everyone gets what they want.”
Interviewed for this story: Shaun Beard, (610) 729-7916; Sean Kavanaugh, (623) 433-7624