As Vikings' season kicks off, a look at the true price of tailgating
MINNEAPOLIS — It's going to cost more to fire up the grill this year, but it's not stopping football fanatics from tailgating this fall.
In the Lee household, football is celebrated all year round. Big green-and-gold fans, Nate, his wife Amber and their four boys are avid tailgaters.
"We love it. Fall is in the air," Nate Lee said.
The family spends a lot of time watching their eldest, a junior at University of Wisconsin River Falls, play the game.
"The only thing better than the tailgating is the actual game," Nate Lee said.
Tailgating is a tradition the Lees hold close, as do the Clarks.
"It's just a fun little community that we've built over the last several years," Janna Clark said. "It's fun to get out there and have some fun before the real fun of the game starts."
Janna and her husband tailgate every Vikings game, no matter the weather.
"We started with a pretty small setup: a grill and a couple of chairs and a cooler. Over time we've really upped our tailgating game if you will," she said. "We currently got a big tent, a big grill, television, generators that we can run our PS5 and TVs and crockpots and all kinds of devices off of. It's really become almost as much fun as you can have in your living room or bar sitting out in the parking lot."
In recent years, food costs have been climbing, making the pregame fun more spendy. By the end of 2023, the price of food is expected to be up 5.9%. This summer, though, food-at-home prices inflated the lowest year-to-year increase since Sept. 2021.
University of Minnesota marketing professor Joe Redden says don't let the numbers fool you
"One thing I would say is that it can almost be a little deceiving looking at last year," Redden said. "Versus last year, it doesn't seem like massive increases. But certainly, if you look at where we were versus two years ago, three years ago, we're paying a lot more for things."
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Depending on the game, and party size, a tailgating event could cost a couple hundred dollars.
"We've been fortunate enough where we've been able to budget for it and plan for it," Nate Lee said. "It's on our mind what we are going to do for tailgating all year long. So we prepare for it."
"We don't eat or drink a lot when we get into the stadium, so we sort of rationalize it that way," Clark said. "It's money we're spending there rather than money spent at the game because that can get pretty expensive."
But it's a price, football fanatics are willing to pay.
"It would probably take a lot for us to stop tailgating," Clark said.
If you're hosting or attending a tailgating party this year, Redden shared a few tips to help save money. First, shop early and keep an eye out for discounts, particularly sales on meat. Next, consider buying generic brands versus name brands. Lastly, if you bought too much for your party last year, consider buying less this time around.
