AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
The North Carolina State Fair is on the horizon, and our taste buds are so ready.
Read more Tickets go on sale this week for Raleigh’s Holiday Express — but act fast
While some longtime staples are returning, other beloved food vendors won’t be on the fairgrounds this year. Here’s a roundup of bygone businesses as we look back on what some of them served.
In recent years, The News & Observer has written about these three popular state fair vendors that aren’t around anymore:
This year, The N&O asked readers, food experts and fair workers to recommend the best places to eat at the fair. Oak City Fish & Chips and Ezzell’s Somethin’ Good are among a handful of nominated vendors that won’t be returning.
Oak City Co-Owner Isaac Horton told The News & Observer the economy and the fair’s new commission structure could have impacted sales just as prices rise for customers. In the past, Horton said the business paid a flat fee of $4,500 for an 11-day stint as a fair vendor. But now, Oak City could pay up to $30,000, a more than 550% increase.
Ezzell’s Somethin’ Good, which sold bacon-wrapped pimento cheese sandwiches and other Southern-inspired dishes, in a Facebook post said it wouldn’t be returning due in part to these pricing structure changes.
“The 15% is the lowest of any major fair in the country,” fair manager Kent Yelverton told The N&O in response. “Most fairs do charge more than that. We are one of the last fairs to convert to a percentage.”
Here are other nominated food vendors that aren’t serving customers on the fairgrounds this year, according to the State Fair:
Read more How much do UNC System students pay to subsidize college sports?
Other fan-favorite food vendors — including Hill’s Roasted Corn and John the Greek — are set to continue their decades-long streaks of serving customers at the fair.
Brody’s Mac & Cheese and Kreyol Flavors are among vendors making their debut on the fairgrounds this year.
Roughly 200 business will be selling food at the 2026 fair, a number that’s similar to years’ past.
“Every year we have around a dozen vendors choose not to come back,” spokesperson Heather Overton told The N&O via email. “This year there has been around two dozen vendors that are not coming back.”
Drew Jackson’s reporting contributed to this story.
Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.
You can submit your question by filling out this form.
This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 7:45 AM with the headline “These 8 NC State Fair food vendors aren’t coming back this year.”
Read more Apple iPhone users may be owed part of $250M settlement. How to claim in NC