Anime NYC x Food Fleet: A Record-Breaking Event
Saucy Bao at Anime NYC
Where Fandom Meets Flavor: Food Fleet at Anime NYC
Each year, we see small businesses step onto stages they never dreamed possible and witness their gratitude as fans wait hours inline for their food. For our partners, Anime NYC is not just a weekend; it is a career-defining moment.
Anime NYC is where worlds collide. Fans come for the art, the culture, and the characters they love, but what surprises the mis how much the food becomes part of the story. For Food Fleet, this is where the magic happens: when flavors stand shoulder to shoulder with anime icons.
Big Stage, Bigger Impact
This year, Food Fleet brought together 34 of New York’s favorite vendors to play on the biggest stage yet. Across four days and 120,000 attendees, they served more than a million dollars’ worth of meals, snacks, and treats. But the real story was not in the numbers. It was in the transformations and obstacles overcome.
It was Saucy Bao who turned 35 feet of convention center floor into a glowing neon playground, complete with anime screens, plushies, and animal-shaped bao that had fans lining up four days in a row. It was Yakitori Tatsu, whose weekend hinged on a last-minute fridge, hotbox, and countertop we secured for them. That equipment turned stress into success. It was Happy L Foods selling 3,500 squid on a stick. It was Ivy from Tanghulu fixing her own equipment with fierce pride, determined not to miss a beat.
Overcoming Challenges and Delivering Results
On Thursday, load-in delays and POS glitches slowed everything down. Spirits dipped. By Friday, the tide had turned. Our eight-person team worked behind the scenes to troubleshoot, redistribute handheld POS systems, and monitor sales in real time. The results were immediate. Lines sped up, vendors found their rhythm, and the Javits Center floor came alive. Benton Box alone set a record with $95,000 in sales and cut wait times to 90 seconds. Across the floor, ticket times dropped to just one to three minutes.
The Real Win: Empowering Small Businesses to Shine
For our partners, Anime NYC is never just another event. It is the big leagues. It is a chance to see their brand embraced on a scale by fans who treat their food like part of the show. Gratitude is tangible. That is why we do what we do at Food Fleet. When small businesses shine on a stage this size, whole communities feel it.
By the Numbers
Attendees: 120,000
Vendors Managed: 34
Gross Revenue: $1.1 M
Units Sold per Hour: 4,000
Top Vendor- Benton Box: $95,000