1.5 Million People Attended Taste of Chicago; Not Clear If It Turned A Profit
By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 15, 2013 3:00PM
Taste of Chicago is over, but the political drama surrounding it has just begun. The attendance figures for this year are in, but it's still not clear if the downsized festival turned a profit.
The Sun-Times reports that 1.5 million people visited the festival, up from 1.2 million last year. That's good news for fans of the Taste (and fans of Chicago's food truck scene), but it might not be enough. Profit figures won't be released until the city works out the numbers, and last year the event lost $1.3 million. That loss came even after increased attendance last year over the year before.
So, the increased attendance numbers might not mean anything. Well, anything except for the fact that millions of Chicagoans had a great time at a long-running city event. But when did that stop the city from shutting something down?
The mayor issued a statement about the Taste.
“Anyone who visited this year’s Taste of Chicago enjoyed a family friendly, welcoming event, and also saw first-hand why our culinary reputation is renowned,” the mayor said. “The festival featured many longtime favorites while also showcasing the latest chapter in our culinary history, the Food Trucks.”
If you're interested in large numbers about foodstuffs, check this out.
Star of Siam served 100,000 pot stickers. Tutto Italiano dished out 57,500 toasted ravioli. Kasia’s Deli handed out 25,000 pierogi. And Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs sold 30,000 portions of rib tips.
We'll see what the future holds for Taste of Chicago.