2025 Restaurant Application & Agreement

If you have a brick-and-mortar location in Alpharetta or a neighboring city, we invite your restaurant to apply to the 2025 Taste of Alpharetta! 

Now in its 33rd year, Taste of Alpharetta is an annual tradition for 30,000 festival-goers, families, and foodies! No food trucks or food vendors without a brick-and-mortar facility are accepted to the event.

Restaurants will promote and sell their highlighted specialties by charging up to six tickets (tickets are $1.00) per sample. This allows you to market your restaurant to more than 30,000 people in one evening!

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT RATE

Take advantage of our Early Bird Discount Rate on your booth space by signing up before January 17, 2025, and get $50 OFF the regular booth space fee.  

REVENUE SHARE

All participating restaurants will receive a revenue share for the TasteBucks food tickets redeemed at your booth. Our revenue share model is based on a sliding scale, so the more you sell, the higher percentage you get paid!

FOOD RESCUE 

The City of Alpharetta is teaming up with a local food rescue partner, so any leftover food samples you have can be collected at the event conclusion and delivered to people in need.

CULINARY COMPETITION and PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

All participating restaurants are eligible to sign up to participate in the Taste of Alpharetta Culinary Awards, which dishes out awards in a variety of categories based on our blind judging competition on-site at the event. In addition, all participating restaurants will be eligible for the People’s Choice Awards, voted on by the fans attending the event.

IMPORTANT DATES
Early Bird Discount ends – Jan 17

Application Deadline - April 1

Culinary Competition Application - April 1

Notification of Acceptance - April 2

Mandatory Restaurant Orientation - April 16

Taste of Alpharetta – Thursday, May 8

Sales Reconciliation - May 15
Checks Mailed Out - May 26-30

For any questions regarding this application process, please contact Claire Thurber at cthurber@alpharetta.ga.us.

By reading the information below and submitting this online Restaurant Application & Agreement, you are agreeing to abide by all rules and regulations set forth by the event organizers in the 2025 Taste of Alpharetta and made a part hereof by reference.

1) MANDATORY RESTAURANT ORIENTATION will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 2025, from 3-4 pm, at City Hall. Mark your calendars for this REQUIRED kick-off meeting. More details in upcoming emails!

2) RESTAURANTS will be notified of acceptance on a rolling basis until April 2nd. To apply, restaurants must have a brick-and-mortar restaurant location within Alpharetta city limits or a neighboring city. Criteria for acceptance include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Completed application received by the deadline
• Past compliance with Health Department & fire code regulations
• Attendance at the mandatory restaurant orientation on April 16
• Alpharetta mailing address or neighboring city
• Restaurant's hospitality at your booth. The City of Alpharetta reserves the right to accept or decline an applicant.

3) RESTAURANTS MAY RESERVE ONLY ONE SIZE food tent space (either a 10x10, 10x20 or 10x30 food tent space).

• For each 10 x 10 food tent space, you will receive (1) 10x10 open-sided tent, (3) 6-foot tables, (2) chairs.
• For each 10 x 20 food tent space, you will receive (1) 10x20 tent [or (2) connected 10 x 10 tents], (5) 6-foot tables, and (4) chairs.
• For each 10 x 30 food tent space, you will receive (1) 10x30 tent [or (3) connected 10 x 10 tents], (6) 6-foot tables, and (6) chairs. 

If any of the rental items are missing or damaged at the end of the evening, your restaurant will be billed. Bring tablecloths, menu boards with prices listed, tent lighting, decor, restaurant signage (for the back or side of the tent), and visual displays for the booth. We recommend battery-powered in-tent lighting.

Restaurants may request to bring/use their own tent. To request approval, please submit a picture of the tent to cthurber@alpharetta.ga.us for approval. Tents a restaurant provides must be branded with your restaurant name/logo and meet construction size, quality, and fire resistance standards. You must also provide adequate tent weights for any tent you bring to the event.

City staff strongly recommends the following to all restaurants:

• If your sales were over $3000 in 2024, please reserve a 10x20 or 10x30 food tent space. This will help alleviate long lines for your patrons. If you are new to the event this year, you may choose any tent size to meet your needs.
• If a restaurant group registers two or more distinct brands, it will receive a $50 discount for each additional qualifying restaurant.

4) SET-UP BEGINS at 12:30 PM. BE READY TO SERVE by 4:45 PM. Restaurants are expected to bring/prepare food to operate during all festival hours through 10 pm. Specific load-in instructions and details will be provided at least 2 weeks before the event. ALL VEHICLES OFF FESTIVAL SITE BY 3:00 PM!

5) FOOD SAMPLES and TICKET EXCHANGE: Each “Taste Buck” food ticket value is $1. Your food samples may be sold for a minimum of one TasteBucks ticket ($1) and a maximum of six tickets ($6). Food may NOT be given away or exchanged for cash. Please make sure that food samples are no larger than 4 bites.

6) TASTEBUCKS TICKET REDEMPTION/PAYOUT: All TasteBucks tickets must be electronically processed using Grubbux. You will need to provide a minimum of two (2) mobile devices (phone, tablet, etc.) per 10x10 space on the event day dedicated to ticket processing. If preferred, you can rent tablet devices at a rate of $120 per device. Rental requests must be received by March 21. *Please note it is not required to rent; this is an option if you do not want to use your personal device*

Revenue Share Model

All sales from $0-3000 will be split with the city at 50%. The remaining amount will be paid out to businesses based on the following structure:

• $3,001-$3,999 will receive 60%
• $4,000 and $4,999 will receive 70%
• $5,000 or more will receive 80%

Example: If a restaurant's gross sale is $4200, the first $3000 is split evenly with the City at $1500 each. The remaining $1200 will then be split with 70% paid to the vendor and 30% to the City for a total payout of $2340.

A completed W-9 Form must be provided to receive the reimbursement. Funds will be mailed via check approximately fourteen (14) days after the event, along with complete documentation of revenue share.

7) CULINARY COMPETITION & PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS: There are two possible ways to showcase your chef’s talents this year.

Culinary Competition - (signup required on your event application)

• Culinary Judges will vote on Best Appetizer, Best Entrée, and Best Dessert based on Presentation, Creativity, and Taste.
• A small, sample sized submissions must be prepared and delivered to the Judging tent on-site at the event.  
• Details regarding drop-off times for specific categories will be sent to all participating restaurants two weeks before the event.
• Applicants opting into this competition will receive an email with detailed instructions, rules, and drop-off times for submissions after April 12.
• Winners will receive an award to display in their restaurant, inclusion in the event press release distributed after the event, and recognition on the Taste of Alpharetta website & social pages.

People's Choice Awards (signup required on your event application for certain categories)

• Attendees will vote online for Best Bite (Best Overall Restaurant), The Rookie Award (< 2 years old), Tried & True (> 2 years old), Best Vegetarian Dish, and Best Street Food.
• All participating Taste of Alpharetta 2025 restaurants will automatically be eligible for the Best Bite (Best Overall Restaurant). 
• To be entered into our additional categories [The Rookie Award (< 2 years old), Tried & True (> 2 years old), Best Vegetarian Dish, and Best Street Food], you must apply for these categories on this application.
• Winners will receive an award to display in their restaurant, inclusion in the event press release distributed after the event, and recognition on the Taste of Alpharetta website & social pages.

8) RAIN OR SHINE the Taste of Alpharetta will be held.

9) MENU BOARDS with ticket prices for your booth space must be supplied by each restaurant (no electrical sign, but please bring lights!). The festival is expecting 30,000 attendees, so post signs high for visibility. Be creative and showcase your restaurant! We recommend at least an 11" x 17" sized menu on coroplast with grommets to zip tie to your tent.

10) FESTIVAL ATTENDANCE: An average of 30,000 festival-goers attended the 2024 Taste of Alpharetta. Please prepare approximately 1,000-2,000 sample-sized portions for the 2025 Taste of Alpharetta.

11) BOOTH ASSIGNMENTS and load-in instructions will be completed and emailed prior to the event. Many factors are considered, such as electrical requirements, number of booth spaces needed, type of cuisine served, and application deadline. We will try our best to accommodate special requests.

12) VEHICLE PASS: At the mandatory orientation, you will receive a vehicle LOAD IN PASS to drive onto the festival site for unloading. Only two passes per restaurant. Your booth number will be listed on this pass. Please display it on the dashboard for load-in. Vehicles without this pass will not be permitted to enter the event site. Restaurant staff should park and walk to the booth and do not need a pass to enter the event site on foot.

13) SOFT DRINKS/WATER: Restaurants are prohibited from selling or giving away soft drinks, sports drinks, water, alcoholic beverages, or drinks of any kind. The ONLY exception is restaurants whose primary product is non-alcoholic beverages (e.g., smoothies, fresh-pressed juice, etc.), which indicate beverages to be offered on their application. Any exceptions will be made on a case basis by the organizer.

14) CLEAN-UP: Restaurants are responsible for their own in-tent trash receptacles and bagging all trash. ALL trash, papers, or boxes must be placed in a dumpster. Please reference an event map for the dumpster location. DO NOT dump grease or hot coals on the ground. If you are using fryers, you must provide a receptacle for spent grease and take it back to your restaurant for disposal. If you use a charcoal grill, you must provide your own receptacle (metal) for discarding hot coals and take this back to your restaurant for disposal. If trash is left at your booth, a fee of $100 will be deducted from your ticket sales.

15) ELECTRICITY: To ensure adequate electricity at your booth, you must accurately mark your electricity needs in this application. You are responsible for bringing two 100-ft. extension cords for EACH outlet requested, as they are not located directly behind your booth.

16) PUBLIC SAFETY: The city of Alpharetta’s Police and Fire Department requires that all sidewalks behind your restaurant booth not be blocked. Please do not use the sidewalks for food prep or grilling. We have provided additional space between the booths for this use.

17) FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES for temporary events established by the Fulton County Health Department will be strictly adhered to. Guidelines can be found by entering the following address in your browser: http://bit.ly/FultonCoHealth. Hand washing stations at each restaurant booth will be REQUIRED in 2025. Details to follow in the application.

18) LIABILITY WAIVER AND RELEASE: The organization or business assumes all responsibility for, and risks and hazards of, participation in the rental activity planned by the organization or business. In consideration of the City of Alpharetta providing permission to use the space requested of organization or business, do hereby release the City of Alpharetta, including all officials, officers, employees, sponsors, organizers, supervisors, volunteers, participants, and all other agents, of any and all claims, demands, rights, and causes of action of whatever kind and nature, arising from and by reason of, and all known and unknown, foreseen and unforeseen, bodily and personal injuries, damage to property, and the consequences thereof, resulting from participation in the rental activity planned in the City of Alpharetta.