Good Question: How Long Do New State Fair Foods Last?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It is one of the most anticipated announcements of the year in Minnesota: the new State Fair foods.
Thirty-one new dishes are on the list. Often, these foods get a lot of buzz in their first year, but do they last once something new comes along?
Read More: The New State Fair Foods We're Most Excited To Try
The sisters behind Sausage Sister & Me announced the Sonoran Sausage: ONE.BAD.DOG on Tuesday. It's a Tex-Mex sausage with pepper jack cheese and bacon, on a cornmeal-dusted bun with corn salsa and avocado ranch sauce.
Best known for their Sriracha Sliders and Twister Sisters, Cheri Peterson says they have also had a few duds.
In 2014, the Sausage Sisters introduced the Dessert Chocolate Salami to good reviews. It was made of chocolate, crackers, sugar and nuts -- and no meat. But Peterson says she had a hard time convincing customers it didn't have salami.
Gallery: New Foods At The 2017 Minnesota State Fair
"We tried for three years and we just finally had to give up [laughs]!" Peterson said.
The state fair estimates most new foods last three to five years. Of the 2013 class, Coco Cheese Bites, Comet Corn, Chocolate Chili Ice Cream and O'Gara's fried bread pudding are gone.
Mancini's Pig Wings, Deep-Fried Olives, Lobster Mac & Cheese and Doughsants are still around.
Most often, low sales are the deciding factor on whether to retire a food. Foods that are too labor intensive can also suffer.
Read More: State Fair's 'Swindler' Sandwich Renamed After Being Called Anti-Semitic
Many booths, including Sausage Sister & Me, try to introduce new foods each year -- and that means getting rid of old ones.
"That's my job as the bad guy," said Dennis Larson, license administration manager at the Minnesota State Fair. "If you're going to add something, what are you going to give up? Because you just don't have room on your menu anymore or in your operation."
The new foods do well, but don't perform anywhere near the icons at the fair, like chocolate chip cookies, corn dogs or French fries. Those products have been on the fair's top 10 list for more than 35 years.
No new foods have cracked the Top 10 in the past 20 years.
