Concession Stand Food Ideas
If you develop the right menu, opening a concession stand is a low start-up cost way to join the foodservice industry. Whether you're looking to revamp your existing concession stand menu or generate one from scratch, we've developed a comprehensive concession stand food ideas guide filled with healthy items, profitable snacks, pre-made concessions, and spruced-up concession stand fare to help you sell what people want to buy. Shop All Concessions Supplies Click any of ideas below to read the section that interests you: Most Profitable Concession Stand Foods Healthy Concession Stand Food Ideas Pre-made Concession Stand Food Ideas Store Bought Snack Ideas Cooked-to-Order Concession Stand Food Ideas Preparing Concessions On-Site vs Off-Site Most Profitable Concession Stand Foods Profitable concession stand foods are inexpensive to purchase in bulk, easy to mass-produce, and don't require cutlery. We've rounded up the most profitable concession stand foods below: Popcorn Cotton Candy Nachos Pretzels Roasted Nuts Snow Cones Corn Dogs Ice Cream Back to Top Healthy Concession Stand Food Ideas When forming your concession stand menu, it's important to consider the growing trend towards health-conscious eating and the broader awareness of food allergens so you can accommodate customers' dietary restrictions. Here are some healthy snacks you can sell at your concession stand. 1. Fruit Snacks The best fruit snacks for concession stands are easy-to-peel and consume. Stock your concession stand with these fruit snacks. Fruit Snack Ideas Pre-Cut Melon Slices Bananas Apples Oranges Fruit Cups 2. Roasted Nuts Roasted nuts' healthy fat content will keep ballpark customers satiated when the game goes into overtime, making them an ideal, nutrient-packed snack to offer at your concession stand. Roasted Nut Recipes Praline Pecans Honey Roasted Nuts German Roasted Nuts Cinnamon Roasted Nuts Toasted Coconut Rum Nuts 3. Vegetable Snacks Pre-cut vegetables paired with single-serve dips are on-the-go snacks that won't leave your concession stand customers feeling heavy. Vegetable Snack Ideas Celery and Peanut Butter Sweet Bell Pepper and Hummus Cucumber Slices and Tzatziki Jumbo Dill Pickles Carrot Sticks and Ranch Back to Top Pre-made Concession Stand Food Ideas You can make simple crowd-pleasers off-site and transport them to your concession stand. Some of these food options require equipment if you want to serve them hot. Investing in a food warmer allows you to keep pre-cooked food at ready-to-serve temperatures without having to upgrade your concession stand space or increase on-site prep times. 1. Cookies On average, we eat seven billion cookies each year in the United States. Selling these beloved treats is a safe way to turn a profit, but which flavors do people prefer? We're sharing the most popular cookies so you can turn a major profit. Most Popular Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Oatmeal Cookies Sugar Cookies Snickerdoodle 2. Popcorn These beloved popcorn flavors are sure to sell. Reimagine them to set your concession stand apart. Popcorn Flavors Caramel Popcorn Cheese Popcorn Chocolate Popcorn Coconut Oil Popcorn with Toasted Coconut Cajun Popcorn 3. Brownies Brownies are a beloved baked good you can easily make ahead in large batches and sell for a high profit at your concession stand. Here are some ideas for the best types of brownies to sell. Types of Brownies Keto Brownies Vegan Brownies Everything Brownies (cookie, Oreo, and brownie layered bar) Peanut Butter Brownies Cream Cheese Brownies 4. Sandwiches Pre-assemble America's most popular sandwiches and sell out daily. Most Popular Sandwiches BLT Roast Beef Sandwich Turkey Sandwich Grilled Chicken Sandwich Ham Sandwich 5. Soft Pretzels From giant soft pretzels to pretzel bites, soft pretzels are inexpensive to produce and return a considerable profit. Discover the best soft pretzel dip ideas below. Soft Pretzel Dip Ideas Spinach Artichoke Dip Honey Mustard Beer Cheese Whole Grain Mustard Creamy Horseradish Concession Stand Menu Tip: Try introducing a new pre-cooked item and see how it sells. When you learn what your customers like to buy—and how much—you can pre-cook with more confidence. Back to Top Store Bought Snack Ideas Store bought foods allow you to serve the largest number of people at the lowest prices. We did the research for you and compiled lists of the most popular snack flavors and brands. All you have to do is pull these items off the shelf and hand them to your customers. Most Popular Candy Offer the top five, most popular candies in America at your concession stand: M&M's Skittles Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Starburst Twizzlers Most Popular Soda The polls are in, these are your patrons' favorite soda flavors: Coca-Cola Diet Coke Pepsi Mountain Dew Dr. Pepper Most Popular Candy Bars Discover the best-selling candy bars in America: Hershey's Bar Snicker's Kit Kats Twix 3 Musketeers Most Popular Chewy Candy The most popular chewy candy brands will fly off your concession stand's shelves: Sour Patch Kids Swedish Fish Gummy Bears Sour Gummy Worms Fruit Gummy Rings Most Popular Gum According to a 2020 research study, Americans ranked the most popular chewing gum flavors as follows: Spearmint Peppermint Wintergreen / Winterfresh Fruit Flavors Cinnamon Concession Stand Menu Tip: Stocking your concession stand with bottled beverages such as bottled water, iced tea, and lemonade at a lower price than on-site food vendors will encourage their patrons to make a separate trip to you. If you sell food, creating a drink deal and including a bottle of water with meals is a great way to set yourself above your competition. Back to Top Cooked-to-Order Concession Stand Food Ideas Cooked-to-order concession menu items require on-site prep time, but a loyal customer base and higher prices should more than counteract the comparatively lower selling volume. We've rounded up the most profitable, cooked-to-order concession stand menu items and provided tips on how you can upgrade these classic concessions. Pizza There will be other vendors offering this beloved food, so use our pizza ideas to outproduce your competitors. DIY Toppings: allow customers to select their desired sauces, cheeses, and toppings. Serve Less-Known Types of Pizza: Roman pizza, Detroit pizza, Ohio Valley pizza, Sicilian pizza, Greek pizza. Accommodate Alternative Diets: gluten-free pizza crust, vegan cheese, cauliflower pizza crust, meatless sausage toppings. Chicken Wings Chicken wings are perfect for events and fairs because they can be eaten without a table. These chicken wings ideas will meet customers' flavor and dietary preferences as well as their mobility needs. Meatless Alternatives: crispy cauliflower "wings", seitan "wings", avocado "wings". Smoked Chicken Wings: smoked chicken wings are a healthy and unique take on their fried counterparts. International Flavors: Korean fried chicken wings, shawarma chicken wings, pollo frito chicken wings, karaage chicken wings, chicken 65 wings. French Fries Whether you load them up and turn them into a meal or leave them as a simple snack, french fries are a safe investment for concession stands. Unique Types of Potatoes and Alternatives: purple Peruvian potato fries, bonita fries, sweet potato fries, jicama fries, all blue potato fries, yucca fries. Healthy and Alternative Frying Oils: coconut oil, duck fat, olive oil, avocado oil. Loaded Fry Ideas: carne asada fries, bahn mi loaded fries, poutine fries, peppercorn sauce fries. Burgers Everybody loves a burger, and with these burger menu ideas, everybody will love your concession stand's burgers most of all. Plant-Based Burgers: falafel patties, black bean/beet patties, portobello mushroom burger. Creative Buns: bao bun, waffle bun, pretzel bun, tostones, brioche bun, arepa. Stuffed Burgers: avocado, pimento cheese, jalapeno cream cheese, pesto. Nachos Even with gourmet ingredients, loaded nachos are relatively inexpensive to produce and quick to assemble. Unexpected Proteins: ahi tuna, toasted chick-peas, pulled pork, huli-huli chicken, fried tofu. Unique Cheeses: beer cheese, paneer, cheese curds, queso, vegan cheese, Ayib. Tortilla Chip Alternatives: pita chips, beet root chips, Fritos, wonton chips, sweet potato chips, Cheetos. Hot Dogs Elevate your concession stand's food menu with these unexpected hot dog ideas. Regional Delights: Chicago Style hot dog, Sonoran hot dog, Cleveland Polish Boy, Coney Island hot dog. Exotic Sausages: duck, venison, bison, alligator, wild boar. Creative Toppings: guacamole, crawfish etouffee, grilled pineapple, kimchi. Funnel Cake Trends toward health consciousness aside, most patrons are happy to splurge at events. Use these funnel cake ideas to create desserts customers will set their diets aside for. Funnel Cake "Sandwiches": funnel cake ice cream sandwich, fried chicken funnel cake sandwich, funnel cake Monte Cristo. Sub Funnel Cake Into Classic Desserts: Replace vanilla wafers in banana pudding, short cake in strawberry shortcake, or graham crackers in smores with funnel cake. Flavored Funnel Cake Batter: red velvet, chocolate, peanut butter, birthday cake, lemon. Grilled Cheese Grilled cheese is classic comfort food that sells well at concession stands when they're made with unexpected and fanciful ingredients. Artisan Breads: sourdough, pumpernickel, focaccia, gluten-free, croissant, rugbraud, buttermilk biscuit. Specialty Spreads: spinach and artichoke, ajvar, baba ganoush, Amba. Add-Ins: mojo pork, mac and cheese, BBQ chicken, crab cakes, burnt ends. Cotton Candy Nostalgic and easy to eat on the go, cotton candy is a classic concession stand food. Use our gourmet cotton candy ideas to attract the cultivated modern palette. Use Organic Ingredients: use organic sugar and flavorings in your cotton candy recipe. Creative Cotton Candy Containers/Sticks: ice cream cone, twisty stick, mason jar, rock candy stick, glow stick. Fancy Flavors: pina colada, prickly pear, cherry cordial, pumpkin spice, pitaya, white chocolate, acai. Corn Dogs Corn dogs are classic concession stand fare, but there is nothing basic about these corn dog ideas. Non-Sausage Corn Dogs: lobster corn dog, dill pickle corn dog, chicken tender corn dog. Creative Batters: beer battered corn dog, tempura battered corn dog, pancake battered corn dog. Unique Dipping Sauces: marinara sauce, curry ketchup, mustard BBQ sauce, maple syrup, tomato chutney. Beef Sandwiches There are countless takes on the beef sandwich, proving that however you smother or slice it, people love hot beef between warm bread. Dress your beef sandwiches up to the nines with these beef sandwich ideas. Convert Comfort Food Into A Sandwich: beef stroganoff sandwich, Salisbury steak sandwich, pot roast sandwich, beef bourgeon sandwich. Regional Beef Sandwiches: Philly Cheesesteak, Beef on Weck, Italian Beef, Baltimore’s Pit Beef sandwich. Unique BBQ Sauces: El Sancho BBQ sauce, Carolina mustard BBQ sauce, guava BBQ sauce, Carolina vinegar BBQ sauce. Concession Stand Menu Tip: Find something that you do very well and make that the focal point of your menu. Once you have a loyal customer base frequenting your stand, look to expand. Rapid Cook Ovens If you want to increase your menu and decrease prep times, rapid cook ovens are essential. They can cook a pizza in less than four minutes, create a perfectly crisp panini in seconds, and roast a chicken breast in under seven minutes. Rapid cook ovens take up significantly less space than traditional ovens, making them ideal for concession stands. Depending on your menu, this could be the only piece of equipment you'll need. Back to Top Preparing Concessions On-Site vs Off-Site If you're trying to decide where to prepare your concessions, we've broken down the benefits and risks of preparing your concessions on- and off-site to help you decide. You should also consider your location and your customer's needs. For example, if your concession stand is at a sporting event, you would do well to focus on pre-made snacks since your customers will want to return to their seats quickly. Benefits and Risks of Preparing Concessions Off-Site Selling pre-made concessions reduces the amount of equipment you need at your stand. If you have limited space, preparing your food at a commissary kitchen ahead of time can be helpful. Less on-site prep time means you can sell more products than if you cooked them to order. Although prepared food saves time-on-site, it also involves some risk. You must estimate how much you can sell before setting up shop for the day/evening. This gamble could cause overproduction and waste if you're unfamiliar with your customers' needs. Benefits and Risks of Cooking to Order at Your Concession Stand The freshness and authenticity of made-to-order food allow you to charge more for your concessions, and you’re more likely to have return customers if you have something unique to offer. Also, cooking to order means you won’t have extra prepared goods at the end of each day, reducing food waste. There isn’t a lot of risk in selling food to order, but it can be harder to turn a profit. The added prep time means you’ll probably sell fewer items, and the added expense of purchasing equipment lowers your profit margin. Additionally, keeping up with customer orders may require you to hire a small staff or work with a partner. Back to Top The best concession stand menu is filled with low-cost, easy-to-assemble items that are well suited to the event it serves. If you're interested in pursuing other vending opportunities, check out our guide comparing food trucks, food trailers, and food carts and discover which mobile food business is right for you.