The Big Grill | 17th - 20th August 2017

SlipperyPeople

I wonder is there much interest in the big grill fest this year.

weekends sold out the last couple of years.

I went in 2015 and had a good day out though depending on what you bought it was pricey.

Some of the food was amazing but you really had to check out what you were getting before you handed over the tokens.

beertons

Went last year. Felt completely ripped off. Never again.

SlipperyPeople

beertons wrote: »

Went last year. Felt completely ripped off. Never again.

Fair enough, I do think with the price of the tickets you should have something included like a food + drink voucher.

D.Q

Thought it was a bit of a rip off as well to be honest. Some of the food was very nice but didn't like the vibe.

The Nal

Went a few years ago and wouldn't go again. Utterly scandalous stuff. Much like the Taste of Dublin.

Nice idea in theory, I like BBQing/smoking, nice setting in a nice part of the city but once you're in its rip off city with 30 minutes queues.

Nah.

vicwatson

Some people aren't happy about it

GiftofGab

Yeah going on Saturday. Less than €20 a ticket so not a total rip off. Guess food and drink are expensive but thats expected. How much us a punt inside??

Yarghhh

vicwatson wrote: »

Some people aren't happy about it

Seems this got somewhere. Now its free in before 4pm on Thurs and Fri. Said it's a gesture to locals? https://twitter.com/biggrillfest/status/898133283204214786

Bit of a joke now for anyone who did pay.

ghostdancer

do they think no "locals" have Mon-Fri 9-5 jobs to go to, so can be swanning around the park before 4pm both of those days? Why not allow free in before 4 on Saturday and Sunday too when most locals are probably off work and can actually get there before 4?

i'd say it's less a gesture to locals, and more that they haven't shifted many tickets for Thursday and Friday....

Yarghhh

ghostdancer wrote: »

do they think no "locals" have Mon-Fri 9-5 jobs to go to, so can be swanning around the park before 4pm both of those days? Why not allow free in before 4 on Saturday and Sunday too when most locals are probably off work and can actually get there before 4?

i'd say it's less a gesture to locals, and more that they haven't shifted many tickets for Thursday and Friday....

Probably more likely but they are quoting it is as if its compensation for this. Devalues all the people who bought Thurs/Fri tickets

Ray1964

hungoverbunny wrote: »

I wonder is there much interest in the big grill fest this year.

weekends sold out the last couple of years.

I went in 2015 and had a good day out though depending on what you bought it was pricey.

Some of the food was amazing but you really had to check out what you were getting before you handed over the tokens.

Has anybody got a spare ticket for tomorrow (Saturday)?

machiavellianme

GiftofGab wrote: »

Yeah going on Saturday. Less than €20 a ticket so not a total rip off. Guess food and drink are expensive but thats expected. How much us a punt inside??

Pints are mostly 5 smokens. You have to exchange euro to smokens first. Why can't these places just do transactions in euro (legal tender) and save queuing twice and having excess tokens at the end of the day?

machiavellianme

Yarghhh wrote: »

Seems this got somewhere. Now its free in before 4pm on Thurs and Fri. Said it's a gesture to locals?

Bit of a joke now for anyone who did pay.

Even if it was free to everyone to enter, it'd still be overpriced.
As someone who works nearby, I took the opportunity for a lunchtime stroll through.
Ended up paying 10 euro/smokens for a burger and a handful of fries. This seemed about the cheapest meal on offer, with drinks separate. Tasty as it was, it's still fairly expensive and I wouldn't have paid 18 euro entry on top.

GiftofGab

machiavellianme wrote: »

Even if it was free to everyone to enter, it'd still be overpriced.
As someone who works nearby, I took the opportunity for a lunchtime stroll through.
Ended up paying 10 euro/smokens for a burger and a handful of fries. This seemed about the cheapest meal on offer, with drinks separate. Tasty as it was, it's still fairly expensive and I wouldn't have paid 18 euro entry on top.

Sure i went to my local 5 guys fast food place the other day .... €17.50 for a burger, small fries and a drink.

The Nal

We LOVE being ripped off for burgers in this country as a quarter of a century of Eddie Empty Pockets proves.

machiavellianme

GiftofGab wrote: »

Sure i went to my local 5 guys fast food place the other day .... €17.50 for a burger, small fries and a drink.

Still cheaper than the 18 euro entry fee, plus you got a drink and didn't have to stand outside in a shower of rain trying to eat it and hold it on a small cardboard tray at the same time.

Toast

machiavellianme wrote: »

Pints are mostly 5 smokens. You have to exchange euro to smokens first. Why can't these places just do transactions in euro (legal tender) and save queuing twice and having excess tokens at the end of the day?

The system is easier for them to manage because the individual stands don't need to have their own till/wireless payment and the worry of cash security, having change etc.

Fiver for craft pints was a decent price I thought and the beer selection and setup was on par with alot of the pure Beer festivals that have been run.

Regards the food though a fair chunk of the stands belonged to places with outlets in the city you can either go to almost every day or show up at pretty much every outdoor event. Not suggesting they shouldn't have local offerings but there was only a few places after you take them away that could be considered unique to the event.

I'd much prefer if they had smaller places doing one off offerings instead. I suspect Irish food laws mean we can't have the very amateur approach to cook offs you see in the US but something closer to that than what was there would be nice.

bodhrandude

So who headlined this, I see Daft Punk done a secret set apparently at this.

LeinsterDub

Disappointed with the number of food venders this year.

rubadub

GiftofGab wrote: »

Sure i went to my local 5 guys fast food place the other day .... €17.50 for a burger, small fries and a drink.

five guys is often said to be overpriced, you can see yelp reviews saying the same, and in the forums here. Some think it is OK but nobody saying it is great.

It is not clear if you are saying 5 guys is also very expensive, or if you are saying its the "going rate"

The other poster said he got a burger and a handful of chips.

You can see the five guys menu here


The "little hamburger" seems to be a quarter pounder, and is meant to be 505kcal (I don't think this included the free toppings, as many as you want, mayo is an additional 107kcal), for reference a mcdonalds quarter pounder with cheese is also 490kcal.

The "little fries" is 716kcal. Mcdonalds small is 230kcal, mcd large is 460kcal. So their smallest chips is over 1.5 times mcd's largest in calories which are reasonably proportional to size.

So even in an expensive place like five guys a quarter pounder and chips is 9.45. Your drink was also limitless and at 17.50 you must have got the half pounder with cheese & bacon -maybe the prices have increased because it does not come to 17.50 to buy the most expensive burger, chips & drink.

CeilingFly

The smokens are also to do with having a financial trail for revenue commissioners.

Saves any mis appropriation of vat by vendors.

kg703

Went in 2015 and it was a lot quieter, had a great day, went to the rugby match straight after, already well on and it was sunny.

Went last year, replaced half the interesting food vendors with 'craft beer' vendors and while there was tasty beer on offer, the food wasn't as good, the queues were mad and even though I got free tickets in (18 quid in to pay for everything after?!) I still felt a bit ripped off.

Decided not to go back this year and I'm glad - from the sounds of it