Recipe for Award Winning Tailgate

After ten years hosting Tailgate parties the Roach Crew has streamlined the process of tailgating, but what does it take to host an award winning tailgate?  

You have to have dedication, and lots of it.  It all starts in the off season.  Usually around the time that Off Season workouts start the Roach Crew setup its own off season work out.  This is the time when repairs and updates are made to the Roach, and additional equipment are added.  There is a few weeks of planning then a weekend is set aside and we all get together and clear out the Roach and sort through everything and inventory and replenish and replace.

During this time any repairs are made to the truck, over the years this has involved, breaks, tires, transmission, electrical systems, and tons of other items.  Most of this work is done by the crew, but we have a good working relationship with Tire Discounters and they provide oil change and other services to the Roach each off season.

Then it comes to the Monday before the first game.  This is when communications begging to pick up for the week.  A driver is assigned, food preparations are assigned, and other duties are worked out.  The driver then works out the pickup schedule and emails it out to everyone letting them know when and where to be.  From Monday to Thursday a lot of the details are worked out via email.  Friday and Saturday are the days to prepare food, get supply’s and restock the coolers for the coming Sunday.  On Saturday after noon the Roach is fired up and all systems are tested and checked to insure smooth sailing Sunday morning.

Sunday morning comes, most of the crew is up by 7:30 am putting the finishing touches on food, and checking off their to do lists to ensure everything is accounted for.  Around 8 am the Roach begins it trip to PBS picking up crew along the way.  Around 9-9:30 the Roach is in the Lot and the crew is setting up.  The grill and fryer are fired up, the music is playing and the flags are flying.  This is when all of that hard work, and hours of preparation pay off.  Just after the final flag fly’s, the first beers are cracked.  It’s a reward for hours of preparation.  

Forty Five minutes before kickoff, the pack up begins. All the coolers, tables, serving gear, cooking gear, and games must be repacked stacked and locked up before game time.  After the game, we open up the Roach but done setup, pass out a few beers wait for traffic to die down then take the trip back dropping off crew as we go until to Roach is back in its home and the unload, and cleaning begins.  Once the coolers are empty and clean, it’s time to close the door on another successful tailgate.  Then if we are lucky Monday morning it starts all over again.