AirVenture 2018 Food and Beverage Vendors Announced

July 12, 2018 - How do you feed more than 500,000 people two or more meals a day over a 7- day period, provide variety, and be sensitive to dietary needs, all while keeping prices in check? We caught up with EAA’s food and beverage manager, Ryan Rasmussen, for a behind-the-scenes look at how food options get better every year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. He shared these five fun food facts that will have your mouth watering.

FACT 1: Lots of Choices!
There are more than 40 food outlets all around the AirVenture grounds. These include:

• Twenty-eight food concession locations operated by 16 different and unique vendors.
• Ten lemon chill carts
• Five soda and water carts operated by local nonprofit organizations (YMCA, Kiwanis, JDRF) with portions of sales going to benefit these causes.
• One snack concession for the Airbus Fly-In Theater operated by the Town of Nekimi Fire Department, with a portion of sales going to benefit its operations.

FACT 2: It’s the Value
“To ensure our guests get the best experience while visiting one of our concession locations, we work with the food vendors throughout the year to ensure we are giving our guests the best overall value, variety, and pricing we can during AirVenture,” Ryan said. One criteria for selecting our vendor partners is their experience in the food industry at festivals, air shows, or any large-scale events. Many of the prices for food menu items are at or below regular value at other shows the size of AirVenture. The same goes for water prices.

“Knowing the need for water is extremely important and a necessity, we have put a lot of emphasis on making sure our bottles of water do not exceed $2,” Ryan said. “This is not the standard for other events like ours and truly sets Oshkosh apart.”

FACT 3: Healthy Options Abound
Looking for healthy alternatives or to fulfill a dietary restriction? As part of a continuing effort to improve the choices during the event, AirVenture vendors are adding healthier items to their menus. New this year is the International Garden Café by Saz’s, Subway will be bringing wraps, and Tower Concessions by A&W is expanding to offer salads, wraps, and fresh fruits and veggies. Also new this year, Ultralight Concessions by Parker John’s BBQ features an entirely gluten-free menu. Look for vegetarian and gluten-free icons on select menus throughout the AirVenture grounds and enjoy these expanded options.

FACT 4: Variety is the Spice of Life
There’s a huge variety of food on the AirVenture grounds, where you can get a sugar donut to coconut shrimp and practically anything in between. You’ll find ice cream, jambalaya, a Wisconsin-style fish fry, hearty breakfasts, pizza, brats, turkey burgers, and international flavors. Tailwind Café features nightly specials, so be sure to stop by each evening and try something different.

FACT 5: It Pays to Be an EAA Member
EAA members save with Member Meals — special, bundled options at EAA member prices — available at all food outlets. Just look for the Member Meals options on each menu board and save!

View dining options for AirVenture 2018 >>