Want a Coke with that cheesesteak? That's 2 different lines at the Allentown Fair

• Local food vendors contracted with the Allentown Fair are now subject to a rule preventing them from selling their own bottled beverages
• Vince's Cheesesteaks co-owner Chris Cocca worries the decision will affect both vendors and customers negatively, limiting profits and forcing patrons to wait in multiple lines
• Fair officials say the decision will not adversely affect the public

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — At least one local eatery is taking umbrage with the Allentown Fair over a newly implemented rule restricting drink sales at particular vendors this year.

According to co-owner Chris Cocca of legendary restaurant Vince’s Cheesesteaks, those hankering for a classic Lehigh Valley sandwich will have to slake their thirst at one of the fair’s five approved beverage stations this year.

Cocca worries that the decision will eat into his business’s profits, as beverages help to alleviate price increases on those premium cheesesteaks. Other vendors may also suffer from the change as well, Cocca said, along with fair patrons who will be forced to wait in yet another line to add a drink to their meals.

While Cocca acknowledges fair officials have been pondering the idea for several years, he and other vendors were somewhat surprised to find the rule put into effect via their contracts for the 2023 event.

Following months of discussions with fair officials raising concerns over how changes could impact eateries and patrons alike, Cocca said, “We really didn’t get an answer about that.”

“And so now we're on Monday, a fair week, the fair has made no announcement, we have something like 17,000 people on our Facebook, we felt like, ‘Hey, I need to get this out to the public,’” Cocca said earlier this week.

As of Wednesday evening as the fair opened, that Facebook post had garnered 341 reactions, 160 comments and 158 shares, with some individuals including one Allentown resident noting, “That is a really stupid policy.”

“Who knows how long the lines are going to be, you know? Now I have to stand in two of them, and it's so inconvenient, especially if you're in a wheelchair, you have kids in a stroller, you have a family you're trying to buy for. It's a nightmare,” Cocca said.

In the midst of other costs — rent for their space at the fair, electrical and water bills and extra space for customers to eat — taking away the drinks adds up to a revenue loss.

“And the soda and water sales are a part of our revenue stream that actually helps us everywhere else add value to your overall bill, because beef is expensive, right? It's expensive for me to buy, it's expensive for you to buy. I can't mark that up and sleep at night,” Cocca said.

“I can't charge $15 for a cheesesteak, but that's really what I should get if I'm going to get all my margins the way the industry says you should, right? So instead of that I charge $10 or $11, and then I make up some of what I lose there by having a reasonably priced soda,” Cocca said. “And now I can’t do that.”

The rule also prevents vendors from making certain combo deals, Cocca said, in addition to preventing establishments like Vince's from honoring their refillable mug policy from years past. Furthermore, establishing one universal price for beverages prevents competition among vendors, which can benefit consumers.

According to Cocca, drink restrictions apply only to vendors who contract with the Allentown Fair, which excludes those who work with traveling carnival companies. These groups tend to travel the East Coast throughout the summer, Cocca said, and often aren’t linked to the localities where they purvey their goods.

The “bigger, more flashy concession trailers” that can offer drinks are bound to pick up more business, Coca said, even though they have no ties to the local community.

“All of those concessionaires that are under the carnival contract, they can sell whatever drinks they want. We can't, so I could be next to a carnival contracted trailer, and I’m the local guy who's accountable to my community, and I'm going to be here next week,” Cocca said.

“They're going to be in North Carolina next week. They're not accountable to anybody here anymore once they pick up and leave with their faceless, nameless stand, you know what I mean? And they can sell whatever they want, and that is extremely unfair.”

According to Jessica Ciecwisz, marketing and entertainment manager for The Great Allentown Fair, the changeover has been ongoing for years now, with the main point of contention revolving around fountain beverages.

“So starting in 2019, a lot of the vendors, the vast majority of vendors, sold bottled sodas and waters. In ‘19, that stopped, and the fair put beverage stations along the fairgrounds, and we're selling or dispensing and selling them. And there was only kind of a handful of vendors left that did the fountain sodas, and that's what that's what stopped in 2023,” Ciecwisz said.

Ciecwisz noted ABARTA Coca-Cola, which handles distribution for the beverage brand in most of Pennsylvania and maintains a bottling plant in Bethlehem, made the initial suggestion to switch vendors from fountain beverages to bottled beverages years ago.

The switch reflects a change in fairs across the country, Ciecwisz explained, pointing out that the procedure appears common nowadays.

“Unfortunately, when you go to a lot of the fairs and festivals around the country, a lot of the drinks are vended out of a different area than the actual food. I think it's just a bigger deal because it just changes our procedure. But again, this procedure changed in 2019,” Ciecwisz said.

How this may affect the various vendors at the fair remains to be seen, though it could easily cause issues among those already struggling with long lines.

With five beverage stations throughout the fairgrounds, Ciecwisz said the matter should not be much of a concern for attendees.

“All of the five beverage stations are all manned and ready,” Ciecwisz said. “We have plenty of employees to handle the crowds and stuff, so there shouldn't be much waiting for these beverage stations,” Ciecwisz said.

Stands featuring signature beverages — think fresh-squeezed orangeade or root beer floats — can still offer up their wares on location, Ciecwisz said.

But those looking to quench their thirst after devouring a Vicent’s cheesesteak will have to hit up one of those beverage stations. For now, vendors are at the mercy of the fair, and while some vendors may be at odds with fair officials, they aren’t trying to start a fight — they just want to be able to sell a Coke with a sandwich.

“I personally am not interested in being in conflict with the fair,” Cocca said. “I love the fair. But because this is a problem, I think, for patrons and for vendors, you know, I'm willing to say it.”