Like political ads, everything is cash up front. There are regional differences in food that can create confusion. My friend Jack Cox, concessions manager for the James H. Drew Exposition, once ordered here in Roanoke, a couple cases of Italian Sausages. After he left town he discovered that he had a couple of cases of Italian sausage in bulk form, for pizza. Jack had to return to Roanoke to trade for the correct sausage.
Labor is higher than minimum wage for food concessionaires.
If you get somebody really good, you have to pay them well to keep them. Housing costs on the road are tremendous. Those fancy food trailers with sinks, running water and sparkling lights are very pricey, some costing as much as a quarter of a million dollars. Electricity comes from the traveling show's own generators and each user must pay their share. The biggest annual expense is product liability insurance.