A revamped selection process for food vendors at the Double Decker Arts Festival is causing some vendors to alter their menus.
The Oxford Tourism Council’s decision to change the selection process for food vendors at the Double Decker Arts Festival is requiring some participants to change their menus for the festival.
A committee consisting of local restaurant and business owners and local culinary academics was formed for this year’s festival to oversee the food vendor selection process.
According to a statement released by the tourism council, the committee was charged with revising the guidelines, reviewing the applications and overseeing the food vendor process.
In the cover letter that was sent out to potential food vendors in February, the committee explained the new selection process, as well as its reasoning behind the change.
“Double Decker will reinvent food service to reflect the vitality of the local food economy and pay tribute to Mississippi farmers, artisans, and cooks,” the letter stated.
The letter stated that the change was made so that the festival could rededicate itself to showcasing dishes that will give festival-goers a “Taste of Oxford.” It encouraged vendors to use ingredients from local farmers or local recipes, as well as to prepare a new, unique recipe involving some facet of Mississippi culture. The committee also required that these new dishes only be served at Double Decker.
According to Mary Allyn Hedges, tourism manager for the Oxford Tourism Council, several businesses that applied for one of the 25 food booths at the festival were recently asked to resubmit their menus, which were to include items unique to Oxford.
Buck Walden, who owns The Rib Cage on the Square, said he will not be resubmitting his application.
“Two percent of the tax that restaurants and hotels have to pay goes to the tourism council,” he said. “How is it fair that they dictate what I make and tell me how to make it? If barbecue and ribs are not Mississippian enough, I don’t know what is.”
As of Friday, March 29, only 11 businesses had met the criteria, according to The Oxford Eagle.
Walden said the new process will put a strain on an already busy day for him.
“It is hard enough getting ready for this festival, and then they add this on,” he said. “It is easier for people to eat at our vendor stand than to come to our restaurant, and it is a great way to get our food out there.”
Walden views the new requirements as a business mistake on the part of the committee.
“We rely on the money we make from the vendor booth,” Walden said. “You would think the committee would know better since they own restaurants.”
In its statement, the tourism council backed the efforts of the committee and stated its support.
“We acknowledge that any time there is change it is hard, but we stand by the committee’s efforts and believe that their intentions are to improve the visitor experience at Double Decker,” it stated.
According to the committee’s letter, a pizza franchise is serving a pizza topped with Mississippi Gulf Coast shrimp. Other examples include a cake company that will use butter from a local farm and a hot dog vendor who makes a homemade chow-chow relish.
Walden said he believes the council’s decision is not in the best interest of the local businesses and that the new process will hold restaurants back from putting out their best food.
“I know they are trying to do what is best for Oxford, but it won’t be the ‘Taste of Oxford’ if we can’t sell our own food and have to follow their guidelines,” Walden said.
