Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co.

Follow the story below of Mad Munch: It's long strange trip from the prairies of Illinois to the sunny shores of Ocean Beach, San Diego....

22 January 2025

35th Annual OB Street Fair

It was one of our favorite events to attend out of the entire year but in 2014, we would be working it.  From 10am-8pm Mad Munch's would be set up in the middle of Newport Avenue & selling OBCs & Bacon Streets at the OB Street Fair & Chili Cookoff.  

We paid $637 (including a $50 security deposit) for our very own spot #F-34, on the third block from the beach, ironically only a few steps from where our shop is today.  With groceries, propane, paper plates, etc. we spent about a thousand bucks upfront to be there on the last Saturday in June.

After finally getting through all of the extra bread from RB Alive, we decided on bringing only 22 buttered loaves of sourdough to the event.  With an estimated 80,000 people, selling 220 Cheezers with an average check of $7 would net us well over $1500, not to mention drinks & Dirty Brand chips.  

I thought, "If we come home with $500 profit, I'll be happy."      

But, let me tell you it's a stressful way to make five hundred.  It was a long day & many of our friends were boozing & wanted to come chat with us while we were busy.  Kate had even went as far as posting on Facebook, "It's gonna be all hands on deck at the street fair, so don't come at try to chat with us."

A few friends would wave at us & others asked if we needed anything, since we couldn't leave.

"Yeah, actually," I told Gina, "We need more ice."  The health department always likes to inspect all of the booths early on at the street fairs & they always have a hard on for checking temperatures.  On a warm day in June, the cheese temps aren't always below 41.  

By 5pm our stacks of buttered sourdough were depleted.  So, during a lull in business, Kate ran over to Newport QuickStop & bought all four of their remaining sourdough loaves.  Two were even from their own sandwich making stock!

Luckily she brought all of our Country Crock supply from home & the two of us got busy buttering bread in the tent.  

Then came another surge of customers.  With five stages of live music going on in all different directions, there was always one band finishing & another band starting somewhere else.  A regular customer we've had ever since that day called it, "absolute chaos."  And, that's still our nickname for him- Absolute Chaos.     

This wave sunk our new bread supply & this time I rode my beach cruiser to Chris' Liquor (the closest place that I knew sold sourdough) & bought all six of their loaves.  I raced back, we buttered again & rode out the final wave before the sun set on the street fair. 

In the end, we took home only about a loaf of sourdough & sold about 310 Cheezers.  It was our highest grossing set up yet & the event also put our business into plus territory.  We had finally made our money back & then some!

Kate & I went out to eat for breakfast at Shades the next day to celebrate.  I felt like a true business man that next morning, drinking Bloody Mary's & throwing down a big cash tip next to my empty plate.     

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