2024 Taste of Hamburg-er Festival Registration

All fees are forfeited if you do not participate. If you are not selected to participate, your fee will be refunded.

Please check the appropriate category of your stand.

If vendors choose to incorporate 2 categories in one stand, both fee schedules will apply and commission is payable on the appropriate sales.

There is a 3% credit card processing fee added to all registrations.

All vendors selling food and drinks for on-site consumption

Grills and fryers require having appropriate fire extinguishers at each stand. See guidelines for details.

Activity Stands

Other Vendors

Additional Information Required for All Vendors

Canopies, tables and chairs will not be provided; vendors must bring their own.

Stand Details

Detail the type of stand you will have. Describe the products/works you will be displaying, distributing or selling. If you are selling burgers, please include a brief description of each burger and its toppings. Be precise as this information will be printed in the festival guide and on the website. If you do not provide this information when submitting your application, it will not be printed. The Festival Committee reserves the right to make changes to wording and punctuation as needed.

Festival Guidelines

Please read and acknowledge.

Registration

• The event day is Saturday, August 31st from 10 am – 6 pm. (Beer Gardens remain open until 7 pm.)
• The event is rain or shine. There will be no refunds given for any reason.
• Spaces are reserved for past participants. New participants will be offered space on a first-come, first-serve basis by order of the date a complete registration (with all supplemental materials as required) and payment is received.
• If you are providing free handouts of any sort, they must be approved by the festival committee. Giving out free food or drink is not permitted; this takes away sales from vendors.
• Do not contact business owners requesting information or to be stationed in front of their property. The festival committee is solely responsible for providing the area in which you will be stationed.
• You will receive additional information approximately one to two weeks before the festival, including your location, a parking pass with lot locations, final guidelines, etc.

Set Up & Tear Down

• The streets will be closed from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.
• Set up is between 7:00 am – 9:30 am. You will receive your location in the packet sent to you prior to the festival. Set up is in the street parallel to the curb unless otherwise noted in your packet. Many 10 x 10 spaces are on wide sidewalks. Any vendor who does not set up as instructed will be asked to move.
• Do not block the street while setting up. As soon as you have everything unloaded, please move your vehicle to a designated parking area. You will be mailed one parking pass which will be in the packet received prior to the festival.
• Absolutely NO vehicles are allowed in the festival area between 9:30 am and 6 pm. If you arrive after 9:30 am for set up, you cannot participate and forfeit all deposits paid. Vendors' cars must be removed from the street area and parked in a designated parking area. You must be ready for sales by 10 am; however, no sales may begin before 10 am or take place after 6 pm. All participants must stay until 6 pm. If you are selling food and run out, you may clean up your designated area, but NO vehicles may be brought in to do so.
• Vendors may set up a canopy if desired. All canopies must be secured with sandbags or another object to prevent them from lifting up from the wind; however, you cannot put holes into the macadam or sidewalks.
• Please be courteous of your fellow vendors by setting up within the area designated to you.

Trash Disposal

• You are responsible for keeping your area free from trash and disposing of your own trash at provided dumpsters. The locations of these dumpsters will be given to you when you receive the final guidelines.
• Do not place trash in any of the small trash receptacles along the festival route. Only use the provided dumpsters.
• Volunteers will be monitoring trash removal and vendors will be assessed a fine of up to $300 if trash is left behind.
• Vendors who do not properly dispose of their trash will not be invited to participate in future festivals.

Other Guidelines

• All prices must be posted!
• Please remember to bring all necessary supplies. Don’t forget such items as tables and table covers, signs, cash box, extra change and small bills, etc. Most of the banks are closed and the festival committee does not have access to change.
• If you owe commission from sales, that money must be paid the day of the festival. Location for paying the commission will be provided at a later date. If we do not receive your commission payment the day of the festival, the festival committee reserves the right to charge a $250 penalty. In addition, for every day that you are late, a fee of $10 per day will be accessed. If there is reason to believe that you are not being honest with your sales figures and commissions, you will not be invited to return in subsequent years.

By entering my full name below I am signing this Agreement electronically and I agree my electronic signature is the legal equivalent of my manual signature on this Agreement.

Additional Guidelines for Food Vendors

Please read and acknowledge.

Safety

• The Fire Marshall is REQUIRING all vendors using any type of heating apparatus (grills, fryers, etc.) to have the proper fire extinguishers at their stand. Officials will be inspecting stands in the morning and if you do not have the proper extinguishers at your stand, you will not be able to grill or fry. Fryers require Class K extinguishers and grills require ABC type extinguishers. The festival will not provide extinguishers.
• Grease catchers must be used if cooking on a grill. Please bring appropriate containers for storing the grease when the catchers become full. All grease must be contained and taken along at the end of the day. Do not put grease in any drains - you will be fined according to DEP regulations and you will not be invited back!
• Any vendor who does not properly clean up their location, including grease, will be required to return to rectify the situation.
• Grills and the gas for grills will not be supplied by the festival committee.
• Food vendors may not place any heating apparatus on the sidewalks. It must be in the street away from all structures.
• Absolutely no flammable liquids near open flames or grills.
• All generators must be placed behind your stand and out of harm’s way of the attendees. Your generator must be a quiet generator. If your generator is loud, you may be asked to shut it down and will not be able to use it.
• All exposed cords must be covered by duct tape to prevent a tripping hazard. Please do not put cords or any other obstacles across the street in the pedestrian walking areas.

Food Products

• Ground beef is the only type of meat that is permitted to be sold from your outdoor stand. Chicken, pizza, hot dogs and any other meat sold as a main dish is not permitted. You will be asked to stop selling everything from your stand if you are selling non-allowed foods.
• Other meats may be added to your burger as either a topping or mixed into the patty, provided the ground beef is the main ingredient (at least 51%).
• You may sell any type of side dish complementary to a burger, such as salads, fruit, French fries, soups, macaroni and cheese, dessert foods, etc.
• You may prepare any type of burger as long as all ingredients are legal. We recommend bringing unique toppings and creative burger names; these are the most desired burgers at the festival. Vegan burgers are allowed to be sold but will not be considered for judging.
• Please have backup food available if needed. We don’t want to run out of burgers! The average per stand was 700, with as many as 2200 sold at one stand.
• Over the years there have been several requests for sliders. Please consider this when planning your menu.
• Be sure all burgers are fully cooked as per Serv-Safe regulations.
• All restaurants and food vendors must follow FDA food handling requirements. Please have a copy of your valid state sales tax license and proof of insurance available during the festival. Most non-profit organizations are exempt from the above rules. Expect food inspectors to be in attendance at the festival.
• The Hamburg-er Festival Committee respectfully reserves the right to conduct random audits of food supplies and quality (i.e. thoroughness of cooking, number of burgers on hand, refrigeration, etc.) and will shut down your stand if deemed necessary.

Festival Staff

• Due to long lines at stands, our staff and volunteers have difficulty finding time to eat; therefore, we are asking all vendors to immediately serve anyone with a STAFF shirt or a bright orange VOLUNTEER vest. The staff and volunteers are directed to wait at the side of your stand, rather than entering the front of the line, in hopes of eliminating any conflicts from the others waiting in line to be served. The volunteer staff thank you for your prompt attention and understanding in this matter.

ServSafe Certification

*All food vendors, with the exception of non-profits, are required to submit a copy of a current ServSafe certificate issued for at least one person at their stand.

This Section Only Applies to Those Selling Burgers

Best Burger Contests: 2024

Participating burger vendors will be randomly placed in one of three burger judging groups.

Winners will be chosen in each group by a panel of three or four judges in the following categories:

• Appearance
• Originality
• Taste

In addition, one Grand Champion winner will be selected in each group, based on the highest combined points, with an emphasis on the Taste category.

Please note that these contests will be judged by a panel of judges. Only one burger per vendor may be entered into the Best Burger Award competition. Vendors selling multiple burgers may choose which burger they would like to enter; however, it must be one which is being sold during the event.