Joe Seeby said Wisconsin State Fair 2026 Sporkies finalist status can turn into a fast sales surge for Saz’s BBQ, with finalists often moving 6,000 to 10,000 orders over the 11-day fair. This year’s Sweet Lemon Berry Cheese Curds finalist did not finish in the top three, but the sales lesson remains: recognition can change how much a vendor has to make and how quickly it has to make it.
Joe Seeby on 11 days
"As long as you're a finalist, you probably will do around 6-10,000 orders throughout the 11 days," Seeby said. He also said Saz’s sold 28,000 lemonade bites in 11 days in 2024, the most Sporkies a vendor has ever sold in State Fair history.
In 2024, Saz’s Deep-Fried lemonade bites took first place. Seeby said, "Almost anytime someone was ordering, you had a Sporkie going out the window," and the line kept moving with an entire station dedicated to the treat.
Sweet Lemon Berry Cheese Curds
This year, Saz’s was serving about a Sporkie a minute even at the slowest periods on opening day. High schoolers working the line handled fryer baskets while another cook tossed a separate batch of the crispy morsels in cinnamon sugar, and a KitchenAid mixer ran nonstop to make the whipped lemon cream cheese sauce for dipping.
Seeby said finalists give Saz’s name recognition and a sales boost, but they also compress the work into a short window. "It being on Tuesday and finding out you win, does create some challenges," he said. "Maybe the fair can change the Sporkie judging to Monday," he said about the Tuesday judging timeline.
Sporkies judging timing
The Sporkies are usually judged on the Tuesday before the fair opens, and winners have just two days to prepare for sales that can potentially triple after the judging. In 2024, Sysco helped Saz’s source every Hawaiian roll it could find in the state, and Grebe’s and Ultimate Confections sent staff to help mix lemon curd.
Seeby said he keeps a backlog of six to seven years' worth of Sporkies ideas from customers, friends and staff. From that list, the development team selects 20 ideas to play around with, then the 10 best ideas go to a panel of judges that narrows them down in a Chopped-style competition.
Saz’s and The Sporkies
Saz’s has had four Sporkies finalists in the past five years, and since 2023 it has been on the podium twice and voted a fairgoer fave three times. Seeby said the best ideas are unusual without going too far: "You kind of want an idea that is a little bit out there but doesn't scare people away," he said.
For Saz’s, the stakes are immediate. A finalist can bring a rush of orders, but the fair’s short lead time leaves only two days to turn a winning idea into enough food for the crowd that shows up next.
