volinbham
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Had to pass this one along - old joke but good interpretation.
Fulmer's arrival means big business for Tuscaloosa restaurants, food retailers
Thursday, October 17, 2007
Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Its a small-to-mid-size town, depending on your definition of "small," that features a thriving University life nestled in the middle of a laid-back southern town not unlike those youd find in Georgia or North Carolina. And every Saturday, as is the case at any big-time football university, life-as-usual in this quaint West Alabama town is halted. Because, after all, the Crimson Tide is about to take center stage.
Every home-game Saturday in the fall, hundreds of thousands of people from all across the state and the Southeast flock to town to see the Crimson Tide and their 12 National Championships go to battle on the gridiron each week.
One of the biggest games every year is the annual 3rd Saturday in October, the legendary rivalry between The University of Tennessee and The University of Alabama the two most successful, tradition-rich programs in the long, proud history of southern football.
And so, for most fans, the Tennessee-Alabama game is seen as one of college footballs most storied rivalries.
But for many Tuscaloosa restaurateurs, its like biennial Christmas.
Because every two years, UTs arrival marks one of the biggest business weekends of the year for the Tuscaloosa restaurant and food industry.
The reason?
When the Vols visit Tuscaloosa, they bring their 300-plus pound football coach with them. And the economic ramifications are enormous.
Bigger than Phillip Fulmers waistline?
I wouldnt go that far, said local restaurant owner Phillip Weaver. But in 2005 Buffalo Phils did $16,700 on Fulmer's take-out orders alone. And that was Friday, before they lost the game. After the loss, the word is Tuscaloosas Hagendaas sales spiked 800%.
In short, when Phil Fulmer comes to town, he brings his obesenicityishness with him. And the results are overwhelming.
PART I: Restaurant Preparation
Similar to the Christmas season for many retailers, when many stores make the lions share of their yearly profit in a short amount of time, SEC-area restaurants brace year-round for a Tennessee visit. Which makes the Volunteers by far the most anticipated visiting team on any SEC schedule. At least as far as the food industry is concerned.
But its not as simple as just bringing in a few extra staff people.
Oh, Ive worked in all types of restaurants and retail businesses, said Maude Hedfield, a waitress and manager at City Café, a popular Tuscaloosa restaurant. And Fulmer week takes the cake. Theres just so much preparation involved. You have to order massive amounts of food weeks and weeks beforehand, hire temp people to help with the volume, make sure all your doors are wide enough for standard Fulmer compliance, quadruple reinforce the benches, tables and chairs to prepare for the extra weight load, rent moving trucks and 18-wheelers in the case of to-go orders, fly in live hippos to train your wait staff on how to properly serve something that eats at such intense volumes, and purchase liability insurance in case a waiter or waitress loses a hand trying to feed him which Ive seen before. In the restaurant industry, we call it getting Fulmered.
It was just too much. And I grew to hate it. Which is why I came here, added Hedfield. Were closed on weekends.
Part II: Consumer impact
Fulmers arrival in Tuscaloosa reaches much further than just his own personal economic impact. Days before Tennessee visits an opposing campus, many local residents flock to the grocery stores to load up on food for fear that once Fulmer arrives there wont be anything left on the shelves. The rush for food usually begins mid-week and lasts right up until Saturday, according to those in the grocery business.
Oh, its just like whenever a big storm or something is coming through, said Winn Dixie manager Stan McGuffie. Every two years, we just sit around in the back offices around early October and say to each other Well, guess we better start getting ready for Hurricane Fulmer.
But no, personally, I totally understand the rush, said McGuffie. Hes just so fat. So very fat. I mean, I get real nervous before he comes to town too. Like, crazy nervous. Shoot, forget the grocery store. I start getting all scared of the food I already have in my cabinet. Yknow, like maybe Fulmer is just like this really fat, resourceful ninja or something. And, like, hes going to come in town and get really hungry. And what if hes driving by my neighborhood when that happens? Cause Id like to think my neighborhood is pretty centrally located, yknow? And then, what if hes like Stop the bus, I smell flavor-blasted Cheetos and then he makes a few moves yknow, like a big orange Jet Li or something and all of sudden he swoops in my pantry and takes all my snacks and all my chocolate Pop-Tarts and my all Zapps Cajun Crawtators? I mean, it gets to me just talking about it, man. It scares me. I just wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats and stuff and I end up clutching my snack food and watching Spongebob until I can go back to sleep."
"Its not that Im scared of Phil Fulmer the football coach. Im scared of Phil Fulmer the obese food pantry ninja.
Many local residents even flock to the local fast-food restaurants on Thursday and early Friday in hopes of placing orders before Fulmers representatives clean the place out. The end result is millions of dollars in the pockets of Tuscaloosa food retailers from high-end restaurants to fast-food joints to grocery stores to gas station candy racks.
Fulmer's arrival means big business for Tuscaloosa restaurants, food retailers
Thursday, October 17, 2007

Its a small-to-mid-size town, depending on your definition of "small," that features a thriving University life nestled in the middle of a laid-back southern town not unlike those youd find in Georgia or North Carolina. And every Saturday, as is the case at any big-time football university, life-as-usual in this quaint West Alabama town is halted. Because, after all, the Crimson Tide is about to take center stage.
Every home-game Saturday in the fall, hundreds of thousands of people from all across the state and the Southeast flock to town to see the Crimson Tide and their 12 National Championships go to battle on the gridiron each week.
One of the biggest games every year is the annual 3rd Saturday in October, the legendary rivalry between The University of Tennessee and The University of Alabama the two most successful, tradition-rich programs in the long, proud history of southern football.
And so, for most fans, the Tennessee-Alabama game is seen as one of college footballs most storied rivalries.
But for many Tuscaloosa restaurateurs, its like biennial Christmas.
Because every two years, UTs arrival marks one of the biggest business weekends of the year for the Tuscaloosa restaurant and food industry.
The reason?
When the Vols visit Tuscaloosa, they bring their 300-plus pound football coach with them. And the economic ramifications are enormous.
Bigger than Phillip Fulmers waistline?
I wouldnt go that far, said local restaurant owner Phillip Weaver. But in 2005 Buffalo Phils did $16,700 on Fulmer's take-out orders alone. And that was Friday, before they lost the game. After the loss, the word is Tuscaloosas Hagendaas sales spiked 800%.
In short, when Phil Fulmer comes to town, he brings his obesenicityishness with him. And the results are overwhelming.
PART I: Restaurant Preparation

But its not as simple as just bringing in a few extra staff people.
Oh, Ive worked in all types of restaurants and retail businesses, said Maude Hedfield, a waitress and manager at City Café, a popular Tuscaloosa restaurant. And Fulmer week takes the cake. Theres just so much preparation involved. You have to order massive amounts of food weeks and weeks beforehand, hire temp people to help with the volume, make sure all your doors are wide enough for standard Fulmer compliance, quadruple reinforce the benches, tables and chairs to prepare for the extra weight load, rent moving trucks and 18-wheelers in the case of to-go orders, fly in live hippos to train your wait staff on how to properly serve something that eats at such intense volumes, and purchase liability insurance in case a waiter or waitress loses a hand trying to feed him which Ive seen before. In the restaurant industry, we call it getting Fulmered.
It was just too much. And I grew to hate it. Which is why I came here, added Hedfield. Were closed on weekends.
Part II: Consumer impact

Oh, its just like whenever a big storm or something is coming through, said Winn Dixie manager Stan McGuffie. Every two years, we just sit around in the back offices around early October and say to each other Well, guess we better start getting ready for Hurricane Fulmer.
But no, personally, I totally understand the rush, said McGuffie. Hes just so fat. So very fat. I mean, I get real nervous before he comes to town too. Like, crazy nervous. Shoot, forget the grocery store. I start getting all scared of the food I already have in my cabinet. Yknow, like maybe Fulmer is just like this really fat, resourceful ninja or something. And, like, hes going to come in town and get really hungry. And what if hes driving by my neighborhood when that happens? Cause Id like to think my neighborhood is pretty centrally located, yknow? And then, what if hes like Stop the bus, I smell flavor-blasted Cheetos and then he makes a few moves yknow, like a big orange Jet Li or something and all of sudden he swoops in my pantry and takes all my snacks and all my chocolate Pop-Tarts and my all Zapps Cajun Crawtators? I mean, it gets to me just talking about it, man. It scares me. I just wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats and stuff and I end up clutching my snack food and watching Spongebob until I can go back to sleep."
"Its not that Im scared of Phil Fulmer the football coach. Im scared of Phil Fulmer the obese food pantry ninja.
Many local residents even flock to the local fast-food restaurants on Thursday and early Friday in hopes of placing orders before Fulmers representatives clean the place out. The end result is millions of dollars in the pockets of Tuscaloosa food retailers from high-end restaurants to fast-food joints to grocery stores to gas station candy racks.