Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I agreee, We were there till just before 5 and the lines were stil the same or the vendors were out of food.

I stand in agreement....in was a miserably organized event, no matter what time you showed up. An apology would be much easier to swallow if it wasn't followed up by the half-hearted excuses. The concept was great, but the execution left thousands of people upset about their empty stomachs, depleted wallets and the waste of a perfectly good Saturday afternoon.

I've been to more organized RAVES.

Dido....! To all the above. An Apology isn't going to work most people just want a refund.

I would like to thank Ed for his vision for this event. It was an amazing concept and judging from the turnout there is an overwhelming demand for an event like this. One problem I haven't seen mentioned, even though it was billed as a Food and Music event, 95% of the people were there solely for the food. What I saw was enough people to fill the seats and lawn of the amplitheater but no one was there, they were all in line at one of 12 food tents. If this is to happen again, the crowd capacity needs to be reversed. Much more room for many more food tents and maybe even some picnic tables for people to sit and eat, and a much smaller focus on music. The music is a nice touch but most of us considered it background music to eat by. Compare yesterday's set up to something like Taste of Chicago. There you have multiple city blocks of food tents so the massive crowds have more access. Enough people have already disagreed with the statement about it being better after 4pm, it wasn't. Having eaten at many of the restaurants I do hope that someone was able to enjoy the food though. As epically bad as yesterday was, I would come again if the event was set up differently.

I disagree with the fifteen minute waits after 4pm. My family and I were there from noon to around 6:30pm. After 4pm most of the food was sold out, and lines were still just as long. I witnessed the Katz's line go nowhere after the Bobby Flay demo, and then I heard the front of the line telling everyone they have to wait until 7pm to cook some more. Not the staff, your guests were telling each other.

Please do not try to spin this to make it look like people actually enjoyed this event after 4pm. By 4pm most of us were just hungry and exhausted. Settling for a small bagel and lox for $160.00 is not my idea of a great value. Money is tight right now, and for $160.00 my family and I could have stayed home in San Francisco, drove downtown, and been served at Burger Meister all under an hour and for much cheaper.

I am really disappointed and for the amount that we were charged it really should have been more organized and the event should have been better prepared. The most enjoyable part of the day was laughing with other people on how bad it is, and how ripped off we felt. Thank you Bay Area for being good sports and I met some good people, but we all had a common enemy that day and it wasn't each other.

Thank you for the apology, Ed. I suppose I was one of the rare lucky ones who was able to try most of what I wanted to try (with the exception of the pastrami sandwich and buffalo wings - I was in that line for an hour before giving up), but I did see how out of control things got and was kind of dissapointed by how disorganized it turned out to be. The food fast pass would have been a great idea had it been functional. It seemed as though the purveyors were not expecting these crowds, even if I assumed they had to have known how many tickets had been sold. There was no program available (at least none that I found) that had at least a schedule of presenters to follow (perhaps this could have eased the craziness if fans of certain presenters migrated to the stages at scheduled times?). There were no organized lines for the purveyors, so those passing through had to keep cutting through them (I'd suggest something along the lines of an amusement park line system, cordoned off - if the lines were to get that long at all). Also, I think the venue was not a good fit - county fairgrounds or even a few blocks of a city would have been more appropriate. Anyway, we all make mistakes, and hopefully these ones will be learned from. I still do look forward to attending the next event, with hopes that it will be much closer to your vision than this one was.

I agree with everyone above that instead of excuses the main focus of your efforts should be in providing detailed and up to the minute information on refund procedures. This will go down as one of the worst Bay Area events since Altamont.

Facing the fact that the event was a disaster is admirable...but just a beginning. As several others have said the first and most important step in the healing process is to expedite refunds to those of us who have felt we were mislead and "robbed" of what could have been a great day for foodies. Then, you need to do an extensive investigation into how the event collapsed in so many ways. The problems seemed so obvious that it is baffling how steps could not have been taken to setup lines, have adequate staff, HAVE ENOUGH FOOD, and train the staff so they knew what was going on. It is really hard to comprehend the lack of planning and attention to detail that went into yesterday's farce. It is going to be nearly impossible to try this event again in the Bay Area and beware to any other city that might be tempted to participate in the future. Great idea gone really, really bad.

Yow! Come back to NYC, Ed. Sounds like your life is in danger.

I think it's obvious from the past 80+ comments on the previous post and the comments here, that one apology isn't going to be sufficient, and it's going to take an insane amount of work to coax us back out again in another year. In fact, there shouldn't be a next year, honestly.

I've been to many food festivals, and this one doesn't even hold up to the excuses. My own ten year old son did the math---if even just 8,000 people showed up for the event, evenly spaced over 8 hours, that's still 1,000 people, having only 22 booths to go to. That means in one hour, there are at least 45 people waiting to be served at each booth, and it takes a minute to serve.

It's obvious---no one did the math, and people got greedy and sold way more tickets than they should have---and all of us suffered. If you want to do a festival for 10,000 people, fine, but then have a venue that has at least 100-150 different vendors, either food stalls, jams, etc. and more restaurants. Farmers Markets seem to have gotten it right, and they don't charge for the privilege.

I think it's pertinent to post the refund information and details as that is what all of us want.

Arrived at noon and left at eight- the only line that got shorter as far as I could see was Southside Market.

Having said that, I still think it's something worth doing again.

Ed...I still ove you

Ed,

I'm really sorry to hear about all of the challenges your festival faced out West. I had been quite jealous, as of late, that I wouldn't be able to get out of NYC for this.

As a festival organizer myself, I understand that the way things wind up happening in reality can differ significantly from the way they had been envisioned. I hope you are not discouraged from attempting something like this again. I would love to be able to offer any assistance or expertise that I can as a concert/festival promoter and F&B professional.

Cheers!

Thank you for the apology but you are sadly mistaken that things got better after 4p. Read the comments here and on Twitter, Facebook, the Mercury News and the SF Chronicle. This was a huge failure. Wrong venue to have it and poorly organized. I really feel bad for the poor Live Nation staff that had to clean up your huge mess.

On a personal note. My husband and I don't get to spend much alone time together. We picked your event to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I had been looking forward to this event for months. Thank God, we left early enough to salvage our day and still have some good food (that we cooked at home). It's too bad, all the people affected can't get refunds for the hours of their lives wasted standing in lines that never moved.

Do us all a favor, call the other successful food festival and learn how to do it right next time.

I didn't go to the fest either, but I just want to say that you should try it again. It's a great concept, and it seems like such a shame to see it go down the drain after the first failed attempt.

People are rightfully angry, but some of them are starting to sound like a lynch mob, which is kind of...scary. Just hope this doesn't discourage the Serious Eats team from future festival plans.

@LunaPierCook;
Of course everyone is saying the same thing over and over again. Everyone had an equally bad experience, and is entitled to vent about it. I think the number of complaints speaks volumes. And thanks for pointing out the obvious..." nothing was done yesterday with any malicious intent." Duh? I'm pretty sure there's no one out there that would plan a festival with the intent of screwing 8000 people out of their time and money.

@sjworkingmon
Wow. I'm really sorry you had to spend your anniversary that way. =( And I agree...for something "almost 20 years in the making", why didn't they consult with people who have run successful food festivals in the past? Hundreds a year happen without a hitch. Even for a first attempt, I don't think anyone imagined it would be THIS disastrous.

DID FEAT PLAY ????????

AND FOR HOW LONG ???????

@ LunaPierCook, honestly, I don't think you should be commenting on other people's comments as you weren't even at the event. If you suffered through hours of what we had to go through yesterday, you'd be pissed off too. Like I wrote above, I believe they had no intent to "scam us" it just could've been way more organized!

I am heartbroken about what happened at the fest. I only wanted to provide serious eaters with an opportunity to taste some of the serious food I have been fortunate enough to experience. Let me say again I am truly sorry.

@daysleeprx - RIGHT ON! EXPRESS YOUR MIND! Because I feel the same way as you do!

Ed, how you handle this failure will be a big factor in the success of another attempt. I didn't attend (I live a million miles away) and feel badly for those who did, those who worked to create it, and those who worked it. That being said, get some clear instructions on refunds up NOW and re-vamp that apology NOW. You'll never see a backer for another kick at the can unless you suck it up for this one. My two cents.

Just a note from someone with some experience with the event planning world (albeit who was not in attendance at the event, which does sound like an absolute, unmitigated disaster):

It seems unlikely to me that Serious Eats had much, if anything, to do with the catastrophic event-planning missteps that went into the festival's failure. The Agency Group and LiveNation are undoubtedly much more to blame. LiveNation has a very dubious reputation in the world of music and events, due to its horrible ticketing fees and its bureaucratic, inefficient administrative structure. Unfortunately, LiveNation has nearly a monopoly on venues in most markets (and in some smaller secondary markets, they actually control every single venue, from tiny rooms to big ones), and it's unlikely that there was any choice whether or not to work with them. LiveNation employees do tend to be low-paid and young (and therefore not always the easiest to deal with or most efficient), because LiveNation's only concern is profits, not the experiences of those who attend its events. That's what monopolies do for you.

Using a new cashless wristband system without any backup plan was a horrible idea. Selling so many tickets that vendors were unprepared for the amount of people was a horrible idea - the attendance should have been capped at a more realistic number. But it's hard for me to imagine that Serious Eats had anything to do with these decisions, given that they're not an event planning organization. Since they were working with an established events planner, the blame really can't fall on them, though (unfortunately) it seems that most of the negative PR associated with the event will be linked with SE.

Choosing The Agency Group to handle this event may have been a dubious decision, as most of their clients are music/branded lifestyle tours, but it's still hard to fault SC - TAG have an impressive roster of successful events under their belt. Ultimately it seems like some very poor planning and overly ambitious ticket sales were the culprit here, and I doubt that many of these decisions were made by SE. Working with an event planner was a GOOD decision, even if in this case it didn't work: the worst-organized events I've ever been to have been when well-meaning but inexperienced groups handled their own event planning. Disasters can strike anywhere (it only takes a few weak links in planning an event to cause them), but to me it seemed that SE tried their best, and undoubtedly if they try it again they will work with another event planner.

That said, this was a branding event for SE and I do think that the apology offered on the site was inadequate, as many above have mentioned. Unfortunately, with great ambition comes the potential for great failure, and the necessity to own up to that failure.

My experience was mixed. My bud and I got there before 1, and did have a hellish time getting to Katz. A good 45min wait for an absolutely incredible pastrami sandwich. Then another 45min wait for a decent BLT. The PBJ was pretty unremarkable, but at least the line was virtually nonexistent. A fair amount of coasting after that, till BBVD played their set. LOVED them performing. Had never heard any of their music, and it was a great addition to the whole experience, I think. Sometime after BBVD I went back wandering around, and most people must have thrown in the towel by then. I got to try some of virtually everything. The Philly cheesesteak was incredible. I'm not sure how I'll be able to go to the local place anymore, and feel the same at all. The BBQ was good. It wasn't quite the huge cut above that some of the other food was. Pinks was a dog. I didn't see what the excitement about that was at all. But then I'm not from L.A. either.

I think 4pm is generous, as an estimate of when the chaos ebbed. Probably closer to 6pm. But that still left 4 hours of good eating. I didn't eat again, till about 9pm Sunday night.

And both of us, as IT professionals were laughing and breathing a HUGE sigh of relief that we had nothing to do with that side of things.

I always suspected you were a windbag Ed, and this confirms it. To those requesting refunds, I wouldn't hold out much hope. And let's not feel sorry for Ed.

How can I get a refund? I spent TWO HOURS and FORTY FIVE MINUTES to get hot dogs that were cold and awful. I could have had a better time if I'd gotten hot dogs to go from Der Weinerschnitzel and gone home and watched the food network on tv. We ventured back in line at 6:30 for ice cream, but they had run out! We left, hungry and angry. There should have been many more food vendors. The names associated with this event, Ed Levine & Bobby Flay should be embarrassed and ashamed. If Ed claims it was a dream for over a decade, he should have spent more time planning and less dreaming. We are on a tight budget, but splurged on this event for our family and want our money back!!

Not sure how much of the "spin" that Ed's feeding us is true. This was a catastrophe, plain and simple. Loved the idea of this type of event (still do) but at no point during my attendance (1:30p - 5:00p) was there any break from the pure insanity. I even found myself apologizing to the friends I invited to come along. What a zoo! !
I'd love to get a refund, because this was a fairly costly day. As I read Levine asking the masses who attended to view this as a "first pancake" with his apologies, I want to laugh. In my mind I now see Ed Levine as some money grubbing fool who thinks an awful lot of himself. Ed, I hope the $$ you collected from good, honest people looking to enjoy a great day was worth it. You deserve what backlash you get from this event. Shame on you...

While I do appreciate that SE is bellying up to eat crow, I would be more appreciative if I could get the address where I can send my tickets for a refund. There are two paths I'm happy to walk: (1) return of my $70; or (2) spend $70 worth of my time (probably a few multiples of that) letting anyone that will listen know that this festival is something to be avoided at all costs. Simply horrible.

Ditto to what everyone said. This was the biggest fiasco I have ever been to. Does Guy Fieri think he is a chef or a rockstar? He at least was enjoyable in a WWF way.

Get a refund by calling Live nation at 888-5984299. They were very very aware of everything and said a refund will be posted in a few days. i would advise everyone to do this so these promoters don't make a dime. they surely don't deserve to.

@sharkraider - "In my mind I now see Ed Levine as some money grubbing fool who thinks an awful lot of himself. Ed, I hope the $$ you collected from good, honest people looking to enjoy a great day was worth it. You deserve what backlash you get from this event. Shame on you..."

You are totally out of line. The event may have been a disaster, but in no way can you accuse Ed of deliberately swindling thousands of people. Do you even think before you write your nonsense? You comment is evidence of a mean spirited and downright stupid mind. Shame on YOU.

I will reiterate: it cannot be possible to feed slow food/good food to the masses.

And the professional food writers who attended and have covered this fiasco seem to be good and sure to prevent anyone from suffering a similar fate in the future.

It's unfortunate to have a dream die at birth, but too much good will has been squandered, not to mention all the money that can never be
recouped.

"I'll eat the $15 parking ticket, and the $44 I paid for 2 pastrami sandwiches and 2 orders of wings (they wouldn't accept our free plate included in the ticket price for the food). Oh and the $46 I paid for 3 beers and 2 bottles of water."

Jaw-dropping.

So what have we learned - Next time call up your good friends and have a great gathering of your own in your own yard, park or beach.

I really have to think this is not the first time many of you have gone out - only to be very unsatisfied ordering simple things mostly made by cheap labor.

It's just the first time you have been around so many other unsatisfied people at once.

Just think if 5 to 10 friends spent $70 each to have their own creative food fest - with left overs.

Also remember if you can afford to waste at least $70 to go somewhere to eat basic food you could do better things with your money - especially living in the Bay Area Bubble.

Many Bay Area Restaurants and many more places have replaced well trained, caring and passionate restaurateurs with cheap inconsistent labor, so they can make more $$$ and you can be less satisfied. So most times when you go out anyway you are supporting businesses that don't even give their employees any type of benefits, unless they cut off a finger for you while at work.

I have personal had to stop cheap labor from thawing out the chicken or seafood you are going to eat - with hot water!

Ed Levine:
After 4 p.m. people using cash seemed to have a great time buying food at lines that were most often 15 minutes or less, and never more than half an hour.

Another Poster:
THIS IS A LIE.

My response:
Agreed: THIS IS A LIE We arrived at 3PM; waited in line until almost 5PM for pastrami sandwiches and Hot wings.

Another Poster:
Thank you for the apology but you are sadly mistaken that things got better after 4p. Read the comments here and on Twitter, Facebook, the Mercury News and the SF Chronicle. This was a huge failure.

My response:
Ed Levine is lying. Pure and simple.

We arrived at 3PM; waited in line until almost 5PM for pastrami sandwiches and Hot wings. We were there until almost 8PM; the only vendors without long lines were vendors that were sold out of their food items.
One woman told me she waited 45 minutes for pastrami and while waiting, around 6:30PM was threatened by a drunk in line behind her; she quoted him as saying he would punch her out and knock her down (she had done nothing to provoke him). The drunk had accomplices; the woman called out for someone to call security; no one did.
There was an obnoxious drunk behind us in line earlier in the day for almost 2 hours.
Did not see ANY security anywhere near the food vendors at any time

If Ed has any integrity at all he will reach out to myself and other posters here to OFFER refunds; not make us chase them down.

I understand and agree with the general feelings of disappointment here in the way certain things were handled at the event. I was there too, and saw it all first-hand. However, I got there later in the afternoon and did see things shape up later in the evening. By the time I got hungry, the drama had definitely subsided, and I breezed through the cheese steak line. And maybe, being from Texas, I tend to look on the bright side of events like this. I don't see it as a complete loss. Tony Luke, Guy and Bobby were all awesome, and meeting each was definitely a highlight. I also enjoyed the demos, especially Guy's.

I know from experience that unless I plan on showing up to these food events at the front of the line when gates open, I still have to eat a little before I head out there. It's not wise to head out there with a already-grumbling stomach. No one is angrier or more irritated than someone who's pissed off on an empty stomach. It really seems like Ed and everyone else involved are doing their best to make amends, and I appreciate that. I'm not ready to crucify for one unsuccessful event. Anyone ever been to SXSW? That's over a week of unbearable lines and unorganized parties, but it's still pretty awesome. I don't know about you, but I'm willing to give it another shot if they return next year. I trust that this is a first-year mistakes kind of thing that can really be chocked up to insufficient planning and preparation. Guess they were really surprised when thousands showed up with forks in hand and mouths drooling right as gates opened. Also, some of us who made a dash for the wine tent first were in much better shape.

Just a short update to confirm that if you call 1.888.598.4299, Live Nation is offering refunds for the event. They will want the Order ID from your ticket (if you have that because you ordered printable tickets, etc.). If not, they will ask for your last name AND last four digits from the credit card that you used. Good luck.

And to SE, if you want to see how such an event can be done successfully, visit Summerfest in Milwaukee next month.

I say the best thing to do right now is to call it what it was. Yes, it was a little hectic with everything going on, but towards the end of the night things started to not look as chaotic. I actually got there a little later in the day, but it actually looked like it started to come together. The inaugural year of ANY festival is not going to be the smoothest festival, which is why next year is going to be a whole lot better. Refunds are going to be given out, so I say move on and look forward to next year's festival. There is only room for improvement from this point on. I understand how people will be frustrated, but if your getting a refund then no harm no foul right?

Thank you Ed for your apology, I look forward to attending your event next year.

On back of Burgerking's comments, which were great suggestions by the way, I have the following to add:

1) Hospitality - On hand ready to serve water and bread. It was hot standing in line!
2) Communication with all members of the staff through walkie talkies and a proper chain of command. Lots of the people working didn't have a clue what was going on.
3) Kids Area - There needed to be an open space for parents to be with their family, not pushing through lines with strollers! Food made especially for infants would have been a nice touch.
4) More Seating - It was painstaking to see two senior women who waited in line with me for 3.5 hours in the Katz's line and after getting food, to not have a place to sit.
5) Handheld Devices - The RFID bracelets were a good idea should they have had enough bandwidth and given everyone advanced notice of their usage. In the future they should have had a staff of people with handheld devices that would go around in the lines so people can re-up their accounts. This could have avoided the "double line" problem. If they were smart, they could have been prepping everyone before they got into Shoreline.
6) Use of Space - Shoreline has a huge lawn area with a top level service center. Many more booths could have been put there to alleviate the congestion.
7) Vendor Relations - There should have been someone from each vendor communicating with people about the quantity of food left. In the case of Katz's, people waited for food that wouldn't be there.
8) Preparation of Food in Advance - Have enough food on hand to satisfy the Lunch Rush.
9) Food Vendors in the Pavilion - Copy any major sporting event where they have Food Vendors walking around with food and drinks to sell. This would have avoided people missing cooking demonstrations.
10) Samples - Mrs. A's Salsa seemed to be the only local food vendor that was giving out food samples. You need more local vendors like this. Small food producers really want to get in front of masses of people and offer their tasty treats.
11) A Map and Signs - We struggled to find vendors and lost lots of time trying to pinpoint vendors through the crowd
12) VIP - An all you can eat area where VIP, who are paying upwards to $500, can sit, eat, and drink. We conversed with VIP waiting in line just like us and paying for food. Outrageous for the price.
13) Media Schedule - A schedule of when celebrity chefs or other personalities will be in the meet and greet area to be asked questions.
14) Recipes and Videos online - An area for people who bought tickets can go online and see the cooking demonstrations with recipes to download.

We at LickMySpoon do believe this is a great concept and hope the event organizers will do what is right over the next few days to appease the attendees and learn from the mistakes for next year. Check out our great pictures of a not so Great American Food and Music Festival.

okay... I was there and after standing in line for an hour and being bumped by a drunk three times, fourth time I told him to stop pushing me.. we walked out and straight into the business office were a woman was demanding a refund (she brought her kids and husband), at which time we were instructed to go to line 7 and get a refund (I have a back problem and was not goint to risk my back giving out). I walked right up to the front a demanded a refund at which time they gave me it. Then as my husband went to go get the car I asked the parking attendant how do I get a refund for parking, he said the same way you came in drive thru give them the parking ticket and walla rec'vd $15.00 cash. Why would anyone put on a festival like this.....I have no idea.....it looks like everyone is pointing the finger and no one will take the blame........there is no excuse for this type of disorganization ... Bobby Flay, Guy, Ed......all you guys deserve to explain yourselves......unless you are cowards...............which I tend to agree..........................

Ed, it seems that you guys all deserve a 10 for imagination and a 0 for execution. I truly hope you did not attempt to organize this on your own and therefore you shouldn't be shouldering all of the blame. Before you attempt something like this again, you need to find some new organizers!!!

Another aspect of this dismal event that failed: folks who were supposed to pick up their tickets at will call couldn't and the moronic staff at will call had no idea what to do. several bay area radio stations were selling tickets to the event, and when people went to will call to pick up their tickets, the staff had no clue. no tickets to be found. what about them and their refunds? HOW LAME.

every aspect of this event failed.

nothing got better after 4pm, since we were there past 5 pm still trying to get a refund and salvage something of our wasted day.

while the hoardes of hungry pissed off people were in line getting refunds, it would have been professional for one of the higher-ups to come out and publicly apologize, and perhaps hand out SOMETHING to hungry ticket-holders... but no. we got NOTHING for the hours of waiting.

EPIC FAIL.

Yes, it seems like once again we are left to fend for ourselves. For refunds:

If you bought your tickets online:

Call LiveNation at 888-598-4299, they want your 9 digit order number that should start with a 1. They wanted to help me and they already know the situation but I unfortunately bought the tickets directly from the box office.

If you bought your tickets at the Shoreline Box Office:

Call 650-967-3000. Supposedly they are giving refunds also, but I keep getting a ringing phone. They must be looking at the lines and not wanting to pick up.

This was my main gripe of the weekend. Not one official took charge. Not one official started lining people up. Problems happen, I understand that, but the true test is how you handle the situation and alleviate the problem. You had two Ushers for every isle making sure no one sits in the VIP sections of the theater, and there was only a handful of VIP's actually sitting in that section. Can't one of those ushers instead hold a sign at the end of the line explaining what line it is. I am not going to name call anyone, or ask for any head on a platter, but someone in authority should have stepped up and made some decisions to help everyone. Just like the situation we are in now, we are left to tell each other that refunds are available.

Heads up for those who tried to use a debit or credit card to "charge" their bracelets (around Noon time when they started letting everyone in):

Before the bracelet idea was scrapped, I used my debit card to have an “open tab” for my purchases, only later to find out every vendor was going to accept cash. So, I never ended up using the bracelet at all. I go home and find out that I have a pending charge from the festival for $75. I don’t know how that could happen. I’m handling this on my end with my bank. I thought I’d just give a heads up for those who did the same. I’m not blaming Ed Levine or the Shoreline staff for this. According to Shoreline, the employees who were at the bracelet booths were brought in from the folks who set up the event. Hopefully, things like this won’t happen again.

I endured the long lines just like everyone else for food and tried to make the best of the event. For those who want to see what went on, take a look at the photos we took on our site.

I couldn't stop reading the train wreck of comments. I wasn't there, so many of you feel that I don't have a right to comment, and I don't. Not on the Festival itself. I do feel terribly for the attendees' disappointment, and like another person said, my heart is breaking for the SE crew because if you have been part of this blog for even a week you know how they try to be open and positive in how they handle every part of this great site.

According to the San Jose Mercury News "IF YOU'RE INTERESTED Refunds can be requested by calling Live Nation Customer Care at 888-598-4299 or Shoreline Amphitheatre at 650-967-3000."

Sorry to hear it was a failure. I am glad I said no to free tickets!

Oh, the first pancake. What a perfect allusion. I'd like to use that for my post if that's OK.

Besides the nightmare with the wristbands, and the unrelenting sun that made people cranky, I was trying to understand where the wrench went into the system. I realized that at a state fair, there are 30 hot dog stands, and here there was only one. With Katz's and Anchor sharing windows (I think because of a computer glitch?) that line was 45 minutes long even after the fix.

So the problem may be resolved just by having 3 or 4 stands for each purveyer spread around the venue, and a few more places represented (ohh, say, Acme po'boys?). I also agree with the comment about smaller serving sizes and price.

I drove up from LA for the fest, blew out a tire on the 5, paid for a weird hotel room for 2 nights and got lost driving home, ending up in the redwoods. So the event was still the best part of my weekend. That cheesecake was worth it. I'm sure you will rock the hell out of the next one.

@hymie 501: you commented on the other post regarding the fest. it wasn't deleted; it's here:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/06/the-great-american-food-and-music-fest-is-today-june-13.html

It seems like you're blaming attendees for coming early and/or on time for the FAILURE of the event. There has been many events at Shoreline with over 22,000 attendees at which have been successful. I arrived at 1 pm, an hour after the opening to only wait another 45 minutes to get in. After waiting in line for 2 hours at Tony Luke's, my hunger overruled my patience. I finally made a decision that it wasn't worth it, I was happy to get out of the line and get my money back. On your apology, you stated that after 4pm the people using cash seemed to have a good time, it angers me that it took that long to figure out another way to purchase the food. When you have a Food Festival the first and foremost key element to a success is feeding the hungry. After this disaster, I would advise people not to go IF there is a next year. I would like to thank the decision maker who agreed to give a refund the ticket and parking.

i had an okay time. no line for the salmon and bagels so went for that first thing. waiting in line for katz was a bit overwhelming but we had a group of friends so we took turns. while i had a chance to take a break from the line, got some icecream and watched bobby flay for a bit. when i came back to the line we all made the best of it. we played games and entertained ourselves. sure waiting almost 3 hours for food sucks but i accept ed's apology.
once we finally got our food we had a great time. we sat on the lawn section and watched the burger challenge. not a complete waste of time IMO, had some good food, saw some celebrity chefs and got a tan

lol, they give refunds! someone commented the details of who to call

After a day to reflect on my comments posted yesterday, I feel I was a little harsh. To specifically call out Ed Levine was wrong, for that I apologize. When frustrated, it's easy to fall into the mob mentality and dogpile on the subject.
It was a frustrating experience, and I do feel much better planning should have taken place. A fall back plan if the wrist bands failed, understanding that such a large volume of tickets solid just days prior to the event could bring a larger than expected initial rush of visitors...but that's all broken record material. I will pursue a refund via Live Nation and once credited, I will move on without a grudge. It was a great idea that has now become a learning experience for all involved.
Cheers,
Sharkraider

I resent Ed's implied blame on attendees coming when doors open. When you say "doors open at..." you better damn well be ready for attendees coming WHEN DOORS OPEN. Man up to the failure Ed, and don't blame folks who PAID for this poor experience.

Again, a Drag Queen doing a slow striptease - "Dance of the Seven Veils" - might have taken the angst off of this affair. I'm sure a lot of people are still MAD, as would I be. I love good food - who doesn't ? - but really, Miss Levine !

Next time, hire an experienced event producer or project-manager to execute your concept. Despite the environment of our current economy, this is NOT a position you want to scrimp on. Funny how people will take on a project they are not experienced in wanting to save a few thousand dollars. And at the end, they lose tens of thousands not only in profit but in returning customers for the following year. May this be a valuable marketing lesson learned. Good luck

I didn't even know about the event until I read about it in the Chron today. I must say, I hope there's a do-over. If these Serious Eats folks heed the lessons learned, I'd sure as heck fork out some money to attend what has the potential to be a terrific event.

Ed, I hope you are doing alright. I did not attent the GAFF event, and I am not here to lambast you, or to tear you a new one.

I am a dreamer and a risk taker myself. My heart goes out to you. I know how deflated you must feel, and I sincerely hope you aren't loitering on any bridges, shopping for rope, or anything else along those lines. Public failure is brutal, and I am sure you are hurting something fierce. Nut, my hope is that you are off somewhere licking your wounds among supportive loved ones.

It is such a shame about everything that went wrong with GAFF. Seeing your dream gown down in flames and enduring the wrath of thousands of people is not an easy lot, I am sure.

However, since you are in the business of doling out public criticism, it is imperitive that you accept the same with grace and dignity, yourself.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, taking risks, and even failing miserably, as long as you fully embrace and own up to the responsibility that comes with it. Instead, it appears to many that you are trying to sweep this under the rug, and it smells of something foul - the stench of which is seeping throughout the internets.

I am certain you would not avoid the praise were your event a raging success. In the same vein you need to face your public, embrace their rage, and work to make them whole rather than standing behind this seemingly half-hearted apology. Especially, since you are asking for forgiveness and a second chance in the same essay, which many see as more than a bit presumptuous.

I am willing to bet that the countless restauranteurs you have harshly critiqued (and left voiceless and damaged in your wake) thought to themselves "I was just doing my best, trying to provide people with great food." Yet, you felt the need to criticize their efforts, and they were left to suffer the fallout. The difference is that you most likely actually ate their food before critiquing it, and I doubt they touted it as the "best of the best," before you even tried it.

If you want to know how to fix this Ed, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your patrons. How would YOU critique your event? What remedies would you seek? Would you give the organizers another chance? Or, would you simply want blood? Why? And, most imortantly, what would you want to see them do now?

Hindsight is often 20/20, and there are plenty of people jumping on the bandwagon willing to either pound another nail in, or offer their services and advice about what you should have done.

There are many lessons here. The biggest being humility, I am sure.

And, while I am not sure you should attempt this event again any time soon, I do applaud your gumption to manifest your dream. It certainly was a nice idea, Ed!

Hang in there!!

~ Paula

Sorry, this isn't over yet. We were still talking about this at the "water cooler" at work today. And what's worse is that I got into the event with COMP TICKETS and I was still mad - now you know it has to be bad when you get in for free and you're upset. I'm glad I'm not an LBS person otherwise you would've seen the return of the Incredible Hulk from the hunger! Well, Ed Levine and crew, at least PF Changs in Sunnyvale thanks you because that is where we took our business. The person standing behind us in the Philly Cheesesteak line was quick to tell us exactly how to get there: 4 hours and $100+ later, we were FED some good Asian Fusion. The Bay Area deserved better; in such a great venue where Santana and John Mayer have performed to thousands of orderly crowds, fed and boozed 'til they could take no more, this event sadly fell terribly short of expectations. Then the final straw was to see Bobby Flay strolling past the long Cheesesteak line happy as a plum because he probably had a full stomach! Our only entertainment while we waited was the beer vendor saying his beer was "colder than a mother-in-law's kiss." I will not attend this event again, even if for free... waste of time, waste of gas, waste of a sunny Saturday. Shoreline: See you in July for COLDPLAY and some frickin' food and beer!

@Paula Maack

The hole in your theorizing is that Ed Levine and Serious Eats does not do harsh and nasty reviews. I never see them. Their philosophy is- if the place sucks it doesn't get written about. I have seen some places get a bad review but that is rare and it is never done in a condescending or nasty way. But even those reviews are few because "life is too short"

Yelp can trash a restaurant and ruin business. But those are anonymous participants. Serious eats is not anonymous. You know who they are and where to find them

Yes this event was a disaster and it is now it is the critic's turn to get criticized

@gaffer - If that is so, then why is the entire Bay Area up in arms about his less than kind review of Delfina last week? Just one (very recent) example.

@Ed Levine - I'm not trying to be harsh. I am actually trying to help. I care about what happens here. But, I don't mince words. I call it like I see it, and facts are facts. With over 15 years PR experience, I can tell you with some certainty that the longer you take to address this and make things right, the more insurmountable it shall become. It will not just blow away with time - not in this day and age. You must clean up your mess. For the sake of your many Serious Eats members who have helped to build up this site, I certainly hope you take heed.

@PaulaMaack - I'm not sure if 18 comments on that Eater post constitute "the entire Bay Area"...and the majority of those comments aren't "up in arms" about anything, most of them are just people chiming in about their own favorite SF pizza. So in this case your facts are a little off.

Ed-

To avoid any further embarrassment, I would suggest that you don't attempt this event again. Hand the planning to someone else because you failed pretty badly.

Waste of time to try