Taste 2013

This is another example of a festival that had a lot of good things going for it but in the end it wasn’t that good. Fortunately for my husband and I we got there a few minutes after it opened at 4:30 pm. At that time it wasn’t very crowded. I had bought our tickets on Groupon. There was a separate area for Groupon and the check in was quick and easy. The South Florida Fairgrounds was a great location. It was easy to find and there was plenty of free parking. The room was large and the air conditioning worked, which was great on a hot day. There was about thirty restaurants represented. Some such as Havana offered a small plate with several samples, others gave a small taste. Still for the price, $ 15 in advance and $ 20 at the door. or $ 10 from Groupon, it was a bargain. There was a good amount of tables and chairs scattered around with plenty of seats near the stage. They had a DJ and great entertainment. They had a twelve year old girl who was fantastic. What a voice. There was another young woman who was wonderful also. There were other acts and they all were great.
Now comes the problem. Too many tickets were sold for the number of tables giving out food. People kept coming and long lines started forming. People were waiting a long time for a taste of food or a piece of candy. Also some of the vendors were running out of food. Taste 1300 was supposed to go from 4:30 to 8:00 pm. By 7:00 pm I was ready to get out of there. When an event is inexpensive a lot of people can buy tickets. Especially when tickets are offered on Groupon. Whoever puts these events on should limit the number of tickets sold so that everyone has a chance to get something to eat. It’s no fun to wait in a long line to get a taste of food.
The Good
Ticket price– $ 15.00 in advance, $ 20.00 at the door, $ 10.00 on Groupon
The location
A few of the restaurants were good.
The Bad
To many tickets sold.
Long lines
Many tables ran out of food.