Keep Texans Talk Google Ad Free!
Venmo Tip Jar | Paypal Tip Jar
Thanks for your support! 🍺😎👍

Tailgate question re $ for food

Tedc said:
I don't think this is a plea for money. If I am reading correctly, it seems to be more about having a sensible menu and one that works well together. When you tailgate is small group:fans:, you need to be concerned with that. If everyone brings a salad, you ain't cookin nuttin!
Click to expand...

LOL, exactly. Or when the salad shows up but the steak bringer forgot the steak. That's why this year we decided it's easier for us just to get everything and everyone chips in.




BTW, EVERYONE is welcome to come sample our foods - as small as our corner is we always have left overs!
 
thunderkyss said:
Tell me where you're at, & I'll bring $20. I'd love to get in on the tailgating thing, but I don't feel right just walking into someone's "house" & start eating.

Is there normally a tip jar or something?
Click to expand...
Feed you?? Have you guys SEEN how big TK is? j/k - We'd be happy to have you in the Blue Crew and we'll figure out some way to feed ya! :texflag:

Texanmike said:
I'm glad you brought this up. I'm coming to the cowboys game. Bringing me my brother and 2 friends. How much should I bring and who should I give my money to? I've always felt welcome when I've been in the past. (shetexan I hung around and waited to say hi, but I had a kid and a long road trip home and thanks for the food/candy/conversation Joe).
Mike
Click to expand...
don't worry Mike, we usually end up feeding anywhere from 2-50 walkups every game.

Andrew6 said:
Talked to Amy's uncle who owns bullshirts and H&H tents. He said he's going to see what he can do about finding a sponser and maybe getting that tent for free and maybe even goods and such ;)
Click to expand...
Now THAT rocks!!

eriadoc said:
So if I want to show up and just mooch, I should find Ryan? :) (j/k. of course)

I'd like to come hang out for a game or two. It's looking like this might be my last football season in the States for a while.
Click to expand...
Yep, find Ryan and mooch from his group (they're getting harder to find....hiding behind a wall and such). Feel free to come and visit everyone in the corner.

Yankee_In_TX said:
LOL, exactly. Or when the salad shows up but the steak bringer forgot the steak. That's why this year we decided it's easier for us just to get everything and everyone chips in.

BTW, EVERYONE is welcome to come sample our foods - as small as our corner is we always have left overs!
Click to expand...
With my luck, I'll come by the week there's no steak! :brando:
 
:logo:In the Orange Lot at Pole 8 we started with 4 guys in 2002. We now have about 35-45 people on a weekly basis. The original 4 plan the menu, do the shopping, the prep, and the cooking on game day. The others chip in anywhere from $3-$10 depending on what we are having. Its an honor system and so far we have had great people that don't "mooch". We dont "ask" for money, but people will ask, "How much do I owe for today?" and then we tell them. We have a lady that brings 24 breakfast tacos every game (so shes free) LOL! This past weekend we had bacon cheese burgers, hot dogs, french fries, and baked beans as the main menu. We had a queso dip with taco meat, tamales, bacon wrapped jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and cream cheese, and ham/turkey/cheese/cracker tray to snack on till the food was ready. We ask that each person brings there own beer (often people will call and ask me to pick them up a case or 12 pack of something, I do, have on ice for them when they get to the tailgate, they pay me, no problem):texflag:. We do have a margarita machine at our tailgate and people are more than welcome to use it as they wish. The 4 of us still never "break even", but the small contributions from each person helps when we do this over the course of 8 games (can't stand preseason). Yankee, we got our own KOOZIES for the first time this year. There is a guy on the board named John that did them for us. He did a great job and were very reasonably priced. You can PM me if you want his number.
 
I'll be honest. I don't come as often as I would like to. You see... Nobody wants to be that guy. I've been constantly invited yet my desire to contribute gets turned away. I don't want to be a walk up and I certainly don't want to mooch off anybody. So I figure it's best to stop in then move on to a place to pay for ourselves which is usually by our lonesome selves buying stadium food. I thought the 50/50 thing was wonderful. I gave a girl a couple bucks for raffle tickets. I didn't know exactly what was being raffled off until after the fact and we were not able to stay for the drawing. Great idea guys. I'll buy more now that I know what it is for. The idea of a cover charge for regulars isn't necessarily taking money from people. It's to ensure that everybody gets a chance to enjoy the best tailgate out there. Blue Crew is a family and I envy that so I want in. But I won't be that guy. I came excited about the crack weenies but learned that they were offered by the tailgate across. I was told to go raid it but I didn't know anybody over there so I didn't. Nobody wants to be a crasher.
 
NitroHonda said:
I'll be honest. I don't come as often as I would like to. You see... Nobody wants to be that guy. I've been constantly invited yet my desire to contribute gets turned away. I don't want to be a walk up and I certainly don't want to mooch off anybody. So I figure it's best to stop in then move on to a place to pay for ourselves which is usually by our lonesome selves buying stadium food. I thought the 50/50 thing was wonderful. I gave a girl a couple bucks for raffle tickets. I didn't know exactly what was being raffled off until after the fact and we were not able to stay for the drawing. Great idea guys. I'll buy more now that I know what it is for. The idea of a cover charge for regulars isn't necessarily taking money from people. It's to ensure that everybody gets a chance to enjoy the best tailgate out there. Blue Crew is a family and I envy that so I want in. But I won't be that guy. I came excited about the crack weenies but learned that they were offered by the tailgate across. I was told to go raid it but I didn't know anybody over there so I didn't. Nobody wants to be a crasher.
Click to expand...

Again - I don't mean to imply that the blue crew has suddenly become inhospitable!!

EVERYONE is welcome and should try anything from any of our tents. I threw away a bunch of sausage and about half a dozen stuffed jalepenos last game.

This is just the going ons of those in my immediate group.
 
NitroHonda said:
I'll be honest. I don't come as often as I would like to. You see... Nobody wants to be that guy. I've been constantly invited yet my desire to contribute gets turned away. I don't want to be a walk up and I certainly don't want to mooch off anybody. So I figure it's best to stop in then move on to a place to pay for ourselves which is usually by our lonesome selves buying stadium food. I thought the 50/50 thing was wonderful. I gave a girl a couple bucks for raffle tickets. I didn't know exactly what was being raffled off until after the fact and we were not able to stay for the drawing. Great idea guys. I'll buy more now that I know what it is for. The idea of a cover charge for regulars isn't necessarily taking money from people. It's to ensure that everybody gets a chance to enjoy the best tailgate out there. Blue Crew is a family and I envy that so I want in. But I won't be that guy. I came excited about the crack weenies but learned that they were offered by the tailgate across. I was told to go raid it but I didn't know anybody over there so I didn't. Nobody wants to be a crasher.
Click to expand...

Nitro, we were that guy for a while and then turned ourselves into regulars. Just throw a couple of packages of sausage in a grocery sack along with a bag of chips, and all of the sudden you are a regular. One thing I like about the main tent area of the blue crew is that you can just bring your own food/beverages as a way of contributing. Think of it as a really big pot luck dinner.
 
Yankee_In_TX said:
Again - I don't mean to imply that the blue crew has suddenly become inhospitable!!

EVERYONE is welcome and should try anything from any of our tents. I threw away a bunch of sausage and about half a dozen stuffed jalepenos last game.

This is just the going ons of those in my immediate group.
Click to expand...

The Ohio State flag alone makes me unwelcome. Hook 'em. :lol: no, you and Lindsay always talk to us. Y'all are tops in the welcome wagon. As a rational human being, I understand that food is money and money has a way of turning people into strange critters.
 
GlassHalfFull said:
Nitro, we were that guy for a while and then turned ourselves into regulars. Just throw a couple of packages of sausage in a grocery sack along with a bag of chips, and all of the sudden you are a regular. One thing I like about the main tent area of the blue crew is that you can just bring your own food/beverages as a way of contributing. Think of it as a really big pot luck dinner.
Click to expand...
We actually worked out something with Amy on Sunday. We were going to bake a whole bunch of her famous cookiecakes but now that Ryan opened his sweet piehole...

:spit:
 
I've never known the Blue Crew to expect travelers to bring food. That's much to difficult, esp when some come to spend Sat night and have no place to store perishables. Even it you leave in the middle of the night in order to get to the tailgate bright and early, noone wants to stop by and waste travel time shopping at Walmart, or having to look up where some 24 hr supermarket is located. It's also very TIRING to drag a cooler all the way over from yellow, purple, red, or the far corners of orange, or any of the lots really. Man, that's a long haul and personally, I would not do it. That's why all of us bring enough for our families, and extra for anyone else. We've NEVER, not once that I remember, ran out of food.

I apologize to anyone who has felt uncomfortable coming to our tailgate to eat. I guess I've become so laid back, and the BC has so much of that family type atmosphere, that I just expect all our Texan family to do like my kids do at home. They just come in and get after it, no questions ask!! If you do feel uncomfortable, just find someone you know and we'll take care of the rest. If it makes you feel better to bring something then that's ok too. We'll find ya a spot at one of the grills and you can just go to town cooking. Heck, we might recruit ya!! :chef:Just come to have fun and enjoy the tailgating atmosphere. That's what's important.

As for the "sub" groups, they are part of the Blue Crew also, and I've never known any of them not to share. NITRO! Next time find me and I'll introduce you to Katie, aka jjizebell (sp) on this board, and if she's got "crack" she'll take care of ya! lol Her "crack weiners" are AWESOME!! In fact, I think you've already met her.

Katie (glasshalffull) hit the nail on the head. Our tailgate is like one HUGE pot luck dinner. Just bring what ya want and put it on the table. Trust me, it will be eaten!!
 
Yankee_In_TX said:
Let us say hypothetically after years of tailgating, you decide the best way to do your tailgate is everyone brings $7.

In return you get chips and some kind of dip, appetizer, lunch, some kind of booze and sometimes another thing here or there.

You also never are asked to chip in for forks, plates, etc.

And you honestly spend more than you collect, but you are happy to do it.

Primary reason? When you tell half a dozen folks to bring something it never goes right. One person forgets a vital ingredient. Or you ask for burger fixins and someone brings a whole tomato and whole head of lettuce (whereas you decide it is easier to do all the prep work at home the day before than bring extra knives, cutting boards, etc).

If you have tailgaters that ignore your request for $7 and keep bringing food (that honestly is not needed), how do you broach the topic without offending anyone?
Click to expand...

Just say it and don't worry about it. Wouldn't you rather they be pissed off than you because for you to bring it up its bothering you. Just say whats on your mind.
 
SheTexan said:
It has ALWAYS been an honor to take care of those who spend hours on the road just to get to a game!! The Blue Crew has NEVER and will never ask you for money! We take care of opposing teams fans also, even "pie" and "meatball" fans!! That's just what good fans do for each other. What we do WORKS, and I'm ok with it, esp since we have gotten so large. I think most of us bring extra drinks for those who come and don't want to drag along a cooler. Heck, I brought 24 cans of beer to the Colts game and I don't drink!! I brought home 20 cans!! It's in my refrig and will return to the "pies" game!! Don't hesitate to ask for one!!!:drunk: Always extra soda's, water, gatoraide, etc.

We've been doing this since day one, and the Blue Crew has just gotten larger and larger. One of the reasons is because of our laid back, feel at home, type atmosphere. If you're hungry or thirsty and didn't bring anything for that day, it's not a problem, just dig in and ask someone for a drink, we'll find you one.

One suggestion for you Ryan, if you want your group to contribute money, is to ask for it ahead of time. Send them all an e-mail and tell them you will be collecting money for the Giant's tailgate at the Cowboys tailgate. Then you and Linds can be prepared to do what you want. If that doesn't work, then I'm not sure anything will. Maybe one Sunday you should just tell them all you are joining the big group and bring your stuff over to the middle. See how they like that. lol All of you are welcome anyway!!
Click to expand...

That's very cool of you guys...

When I make it out to a game this season I will be sure to find you guys, but I wouldn't feel right without chipping in some way...
 
Yankee_In_TX said:
That was my next post.

Getting the ENTIRE Blue Crew together plum doesn't make sense (see the demise of FILO).

I'm just referring to the people in my corner - we shoot around menu e-mails a few days prior to the game, Lindsay and I go buy all the food, supplies and booze (and prep everything) and we ask that people bring $7; not everyone plays that way apparently and I would to find a tactful way to do so.
Click to expand...

Please clue me in as I have no idea what happened.
 
Yankee_In_TX said:
Again - I don't mean to imply that the blue crew has suddenly become inhospitable!!

EVERYONE is welcome and should try anything from any of our tents. I threw away a bunch of sausage and about half a dozen stuffed jalepenos last game.

This is just the going ons of those in my immediate group.
Click to expand...

shoulda told amy about the stuffed jalapenoes. I know they would have gotten eaten.
 
Andrew6 said:
shoulda told amy about the stuffed jalapenoes. I know they would have gotten eaten.
Click to expand...

I didn't get to try any because I was too busy drinking, but my wife said your pulled pork was Awesome!!!
 
Rey said:
That's very cool of you guys...

When I make it out to a game this season I will be sure to find you guys, but I wouldn't feel right without chipping in some way...
Click to expand...

Well, you could start chipping in by coming by, grabbing a plate of food, sitting down in a chair and telling us who you are.

I always bring extra for people we are meeting for the first time.
 
I have always well since 2002 when we were created liked the concept of the blue crew. We do not ask for anything from anybody that walks up but we offer everything we have to all who show up. We are a special group and we love the fact that opposing fans feel comfortable in our tailgate.

Nitro you are Blue Crew Material so just join in and participate and do not worry bout nothing. If you want to cook something then do it we got the grills, if you got a special drink then bring it we might want to taste it too.

We are the most family friendly Tailgate on Reliant Stadium Grounds. And I say that proudly. Bring the Family and have fun.
 
from what ive read, theirs a big mix of how groups do their tailgating. i will be taking some of these ideas with me. thank you to those for sharing.
 
GlassHalfFull said:
Nitro, we were that guy for a while and then turned ourselves into regulars. Just throw a couple of packages of sausage in a grocery sack along with a bag of chips, and all of the sudden you are a regular. One thing I like about the main tent area of the blue crew is that you can just bring your own food/beverages as a way of contributing. Think of it as a really big pot luck dinner.
Click to expand...

Like Grandma said, you're also more than welcome to stop by the little satellite groups that are across from the big tent area. We're just as friendly, but there's only so much room in the middle area after all. :)

We always have plenty of food...and usually get stuck with lots of leftovers...would love to have more folks pop by, introduce themselves, and help themselves to a bite to eat.
 
I have always felt welcomed by you guys, and you have always refused my contributions...Except the Chili cook off (I'll win it this year!:evil:) We went thru a LOT of chili!
I drive in from Austin and sometimes I can make it and hang out and grab a slider or breakfast taco or a chip and dip (crack wieners are awesome BTW!)
So I just started to consider myself a left over preventer on the Games I make it! I bring my 2 beers for tailgating and I drink 3-4 beers inside and drive home after the game
So, thank you to Joe, Billy, Gma, Ryan, Lindsey, Dave, Ted and all that I am forgetting to mention:heart::clap: Y'all have made me feel like family!
Maybe I'll just shove 20 bucks down Joe's shorts and see how far that gets me.
 
Just be honest with them! Telling the truth and making someone cry is better than telling a lie and making someone smile :)
 
blogkimmy said:
Just be honest with them! Telling the truth and making someone cry is better than telling a lie and making someone smile :)
Click to expand...

LOL, it worked out fine.

I sent out an e-mail saying WHY we feel it is easier for everyone to just chip in, but if you would really rather bring a dish feel free to contact me and we'll work it out.

Everyone chipped in and we had some great kabobs!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top