Cost Of Competing: At What Point Is It Too Much???

[Bourbon Barrel BBQ]

When contest fees start creeping up it does make me think twice about doing a contest. The reason I think twice isn't that the extra $50-$75 is going to break me. If the purse is really big then I understand. If the purse is low and they are nickel and diming teams it makes me question whether its a well run event.

 

[peeps]

I understand the reasoning for not allowing contestants to sell food, but it seems that if folks had more potential to break even by being able to sell the non-boxed grub, there might be a boost in attendance of contestants AND the public.

 

[Rich Parker]

If I have to get GC or RGC to break even, I am probably not going unless it is super convenient and a blast.

 

[TooSaucedToPork]

I understand the reasoning for not allowing contestants to sell food, but it seems that if folks had more potential to break even by being able to sell the non-boxed grub, there might be a boost in attendance of contestants AND the public.

Whole nuther ball of wax...

Unless teams don't have to pay for individual health inspections, you won't see this

Some states you can get blanket contest permits...some you can't.

There are movements in the Fundraising/Sampling ticket process that have done well up here in NY. Last year we made $296 at one contest from $2 sample tickets. The charity splits the $2 with you.

That is the Nature of BBQ...It only takes 1 careless person on 1 team to get 100 people sick...

 

[peeps]

Whole nuther ball of wax...

...

That is the Nature of BBQ...It only takes 1 careless person on 1 team to get 100 people sick...

I hear ya...

 

[frankH]

We've been competing for 3 years, with 5 or 6 guys contributing at each competition. Some are there to hang out and drink, some are there to compete. 2 of us buy/supply all of the equipment, but everyone splits the cost for each event evenly. We agree that all winnings go towards the next competition. In the rare instance we have a sponsor, we spend the winnings on something for the team, like a cambro or water tank.

It turns out to be $100-$200 per guy per event. the $200 if there is a party for friends friday night. Of course, that $200 doesn't cover the tent we built, the totes we buy, the smokers we build, and all the rest.

To me, the $300 entry is reasonable for the expenses or charity the organizers have. Compared to the rest of the expenses, i think the $250-$300 is reasonable.

The main reason we don't compete more than 3 times a year is the time commitment. We spend a ton of time prepping for these comps, starting 2 weeks out. Plus I always need to take of work the friday before, convince the wife, make sure the kids can stay at grandma's, etc...

We had a hard time finding more than two guys that wanted to compete. once we proposed that guys could sit and drink while we cook and invite their friends to the party, interest went up. And it's turned out that some of the beer drinkers got bit by the bug, and now want to help cook.

 

[HBMTN]

In 2007 there were 2 competitions each year in my state and they were on the same day and you chose which one you were going to do. In 2013 there were like 13 in the state and several others who wanted to put on a comp but could not find a date to work for them and not conflict other comps. So like anything in life the more popular it is the more that can be charged for it. I've cut my schedule down to 1 last year and don't know if I will compete at all this year. Mostly due to time and a little about price. I miss my friends at competitions more than anything but when I started competing it was about trying to win and doing the best I could. Then while watching Chopped on Food Network and realized 3 world class chefs judging another chef could not decide between the three of them what good or bad then how was a bunch of people in a KCBS tent going to be any different. So when I compete now it's more about the fellowship of friends and being around people who are as passionate about something as I am, and if I do good it's a bonus.

 

[Q-Dat]

I appreciate everyone's answers. I myself do about a half dozen contests a year right now, but that is only because we have a number of IBCA events in reasonable driving distance. IBCA comps don't typically have the payout of KCBS, there's no question about it, but I have yet to see an IBCA entry fee over $150 and this usually includes everything unless you need special connections for water and electrical. Depending on meat cost I can usually compete IBCA for less than $300. Many don't have this luxury because IBCA has yet to spread to their part of the country.

I appreciate each sanctioning body, but Hammond LA will likely remain my only KCBS comp of the year due to cost.

 

[Q-Dat]

The while watching Chopped on Food Network and realized 3 world class chefs judging another chef could not decide between the three of them what good or bad then how was a bunch of people in a KCBS tent going to be any different.

Excellent excellent point.

 

[FatCoyote]

The price of entry in TX is far less for most comps, they are, readily available, fun and I am sure there are far more bbq opinions here than anywhere else. However, if a price must be discussed; the break point for me would be finding the break point between the fun of being called, the cost of meats and the cost of entry including travel. In short, if you are worried about cost then you probably shouldn't be competing as it is a far worse investment than buying a vehicle... need any more be said.

 

[TooSaucedToPork]

What is this "friends to offset costs" you speak of .

You form a team with your friends...to share costs.

Or...if the contest is local
You throw a Party in your booth Friday or Saturday Night and let your friends kick money into the kitty as a donation for your time, space, and food. BYOB

your friends offset your cost :boink:

 

[Jason TQ]

You form a team with your friends...to share costs.

Or...if the contest is local
You throw a Party in your booth Friday or Saturday Night and let your friends kick money into the kitty as a donation for your time, space, and food. BYOB

your friends offset your cost :boink:

I hear ya :grin:. My comment was more tongue in cheek. A few of the local ones my friends do drop a little coin my way. I'll will say I would have trouble adding a contributing teammate because I don't know if I could give up control of everything. Some times I dream of only having to worry about 2 meats, but I probably wouldn't know what to do with myself with all that extra time :loco:.

 

[DaveAlvarado]

What is this "friends to offset costs" you speak of .

Well you see, when a man and another man love BBQ very much... :mrgreen:

I'm getting into this for fun, so I figure if a contest is too far or the entry fee too high, I just won't go. I'm the special kind of crazy that bought and cooked 90lbs of meat for my friends last weekend, just because I had days off work. Didn't ask for a dime in return, although one friend with a glass etching kit made me a custom pint glass.

That's kind of like a contest, right? Spend hundreds of dollars, win a thing to put on a shelf? :mrgreen:

 

[stan]

The contest that I help put on April 4-5 is in its 7th year. We make it a practice to pay back the majority of the entry fee... ie. we pay the kcbs sanctioning fees, any ecommerce fees and if we give items like shirts the cost of the shirt. The last 3 years we have average 73 teams and paid out over $10,000 each year. We get our city involved with donating the space for the event with some power, we get the generators donated for the area we don't already have power and we get sponsors to help pay for the other expenses! We hold a peoples choice fundraiser to give money to charity! Over 6 years we have given $19,000 to charity from the peoples choice and raffle items.

We are lucky because we have the support of the city and local businesses not all can do that. I will not speak for other organizers on how they do it. I can tell you as a competitor I stay away from some contests because the amount of the entry compared to the payout!

 

[smokeisgood]

Well, I went out to lunch today at work, made a stop, and came back with a new Kimber .45..........so the cost of playing in BBQ this season just got seemingly more expensive..

 

[PekingPorker]

I will tell you this. This competition BBQ thing is a hobby that becomes and addiction. Last year I decided to compete for the first time and incurred 99.9% off all the startup costs myself. I didn't expect to purchase a new smoker along the way, but I did. I purchased everything from tents, to countless $$$ in meats for practice runs, chairs, tables, termapens, etc.

It's going to take me awhile to break even as I'm already thousands of dollars in the whole, but it doesn't bother me. I did win $500 my first competition, but the thrill of getting two calls was way more exciting to me than the money. The people I have met and friends I have made in the BBQ world over the past year are priceless.

 

[rdstoll]

...but the thrill of getting two calls was way more exciting to me than the money. The people I have met and friends I have made in the BBQ world over the past year are priceless.

This is basically why I want to compete in a couple of events this year. It's really about trying to get good at something I know I'm not good at and then having fun along the way, meeting some good people. The "price" I'd put on all of that is definitely less than $1000/contest which is why I'm only looking to do local, Midwest contests this year. A $250 entry plus meat/gas/etc is a worthwhile enough "investment" for a good time. Crap, I could spend that much just going to 1-2 ballgames at Wrigley Field!

 

[Jason TQ]

Well you see, when a man and another man love BBQ very much... :mrgreen:

Ha! Awesome.

 

[CBQ]

It's a hobby, not a money making venture. My other hobbies include playing poker. BBQ is more expensive :becky:

 

[sdbbq1234]

It's fun. We knew what kind of money it would cost before we did our first comp.

We have won $100.00 to date, and that is in 9 comps. Yes, I am a slow learner. It has cost us a boat load, but then my wife and I have worked hard all our lives and we deserve to spend money we have saved.

She will tell me when it is time to stop.

As for the amount per comp, that is something that we consider for each event.

$250.00 and maybe some additional for electricity, or larger space is not out of line IMO.

wallace