The History of the Food Concession Business
The history of the "food concession business" dates back to the 1800s and is heavily linked to the development of amusement parks, fairgrounds and carnivals.
The first concessions in America sprung up along railroad tracks in 1872. These early entrepreneurs catered to hungry travelers by offering a hot meal, some coffee, and a place to sleep for night. By 1890 there were more than 1,000 concessions around the country.
Vending machines first appeared in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but it wasn't until the early 1900s that concessionaires began to successfully market their wares to people other than customers on the premises. Once people became accustomed to vending machines, a number of entrepreneurs realized that they could also sell food at fairgrounds, carnivals and amusement parks.
In 1919 hot dog vendor William Rosenberg opened Boston's first hot dog stand in Coney Island. In addition to selling hot dogs, Rosenberg also offered a snow cone machine and ice cream treats. He was an immediate success and was soon followed by several other vendors at the amusement park. The first amusement park/carnival concession was the "Crack Pot" Carnival in 1923, owned by a man named George Nissen. The Crack Pot was located in Cicero, Illinois and offered a steam table full of fried food, hot dogs and ice cream. By the 1930s there were 20 such concessions operating in the Chicago area alone, including at Cedar Point Park in Beach Park, Illinois and McCormick Place.
In 1933 Norman T. Dames began selling sodas from his hot dog cart at Cedar Point Park on a more permanent basis. He eventually earned $30 weekly selling four dozen cotton candy cones out of his cart to park-goers at a cost of $0.70 each ($300 per week). He built his own roller skating rink at the park, which became so popular that it eventually had its own concession stand. Norman's brothers, Ted and Dave, eventually joined him in selling sodas and hot dogs from their carts and are credited with popularizing the ice cream cart.
By 1936 concessions were popping up at other amusement parks throughout the country. In fact, New York-based Steeplechase Park was home to 2,000 concessionaires between 1934 and 1938. By 1939 there were more than 140 concession businesses operating in Coney Island alone. By 1943 there were more than 2000 concessionaires operating at Coney Island.
In 1950 the first all-purpose sports/entertainment center, known as the "Food Circus", opened in Toledo, Ohio. The restaurant/bar eventually became a three-legged geodesic dome and was operated by local entrepreneur Frank Mraz. The Food Circus became so popular that it soon had its own amusement park in Pennsylvania and opened a location in Michigan. By the 1960s there were several Food Circuses operating throughout the U.S., serving food and entertainment to families who wanted to come together for fun.
Although most of these early concessionaires sold hot dogs, ice cream, and other traditional food items, there was at least one group of concessionaires who tried their hand at selling fresh produce from their carts. In 1966, a local entrepreneur named Frank Polla started selling fruit and vegetables from a hot dog cart in Boston's North End neighborhood. His father, Richard, had started a wholesale grocery business located on Broadway, but Frank decided to open his own retail store specializing in produce.
Frank opened his fruit and vegetable stand at the corner of Hanover Street and Prince Street. During its first year of operation, the Market opened with only 20 customers per day (although it could accommodate 75). For most of the next few years Frank struggled to sell enough produce to stay alive. He eventually realized that he was too close to Harvard Medical School; many students would stop by for lunch. So Frank converted his side-street stand into a full deli and named it "Sarge's".
Soon a number of other local delis joined together to form the "Cantalupo Family Restaurant Group"; they leased Sarge's, which became known as the Cantalupo Trading Company and eventually expanded to include the North End Market (a food mart), an ice cream and wine store, and several seafood stores. The Cantalupo Trading Company would eventually change its name to the "Market Hall" in the early 1970s.
In 1976 Frank Polla, who was now running the Market Hall, decided to sell his deli, but retained ownership of three other stores in Boston. One of the stores, an ice cream and wine shop called "Gelateria Italiana", was soon converted into a second Cantalupo's. Frank Polla closed his last store in 1986, but the Market Hall continues to thrive.
In 1951 San Diego was home to 14 hot dog stands at Balboa Park. The city council proposed a ban on such concessions as they were becoming unsightly and were competing with restaurants in neighboring areas. The concessionaires banded together to fight back against the proposal and eventually won. Shortly thereafter, the first of several business associations was formed.
In 1962 the San Diego Association of Concessionaires was formed through the efforts of C.J. "Doc" Mahoney and Joe Rady, owner of Golden Grill. This business organization would eventually become known as the California Association of Concessionaires (CAC) and is now one of the largest such organizations in America with over 300 members in Southern California alone. In 1970 a concession association was started in Orange County and later became known as the Orange County Food Concessionaires Association (OCFCA). The OCFCA continues to grow today serving its members through a number of committees and sponsoring a variety classes for its membership, including for first time vendors.
In the 1970s several other concession associations were formed in California. The San Diego Concessionaires Association was formed in 1976 and became known as SDCAC. This group continues to operate today serving its members and sponsors a number of vendor classes throughout the year. The San Diego Concessionaire's Association (SDCA) was established in 1998 as a successor to CAC, and is also now one of the largest such operations in Southern California. OCFCA merged with SDCA to form Southern California Concessionaires Association (SCCA) in 2013.
Conclusion ~ Food is arguably one of the most important factors that draws people back to our parks year after year. A concessionaire is an important part of that experience, bringing with him a distinct personality and identity. Some concessionaires come back year after year, even generation after generation, while others are there for a one-time experience. Yet all the concessionaires share in the colorful history of their profession and help to create lasting memories for generations to come.
The National Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (NAPAA) was originally known as the National Association of Concessionaires (NAC).