Are you getting your money’s worth?

Since 1886, the State Fair of Texas has graced Dallas with a burst of Texas culture, thrill rides, fun for all ages, and an array of over-the-top food items.

While the image of the State Fair remains the same, prices have not. Some longtime vendors said there’s a reason prices have had to change with the times.

Zable’s Concessions started selling Belgian waffles at the State Fair of Texas in the 1960s. Back then, a fairgoer could enjoy a fluffy square covered in homemade whipped cream, fresh strawberries and powdered sugar for just 85 cents.

At the 2025 State Fair, a waffle will now set you back $14.

Mark Zable picked up the reins from his father and now runs the concession stand. He said they still use the same fresh ingredients, equipment and labor. The cost of running the stand every year has changed, he said.

“Sixty-five years is a long time, I mean back then just the cost of goods were so much cheaper,” Zable said. “Ten years ago heavy cream was costing me like a dollar. My strawberries have gone up. My flour goes up. Eggs have really, really gone up.”

As prices rose for ingredients, so did the Zables’ costs.

The jumps in prices and attendance have been prevalent in many local social media feeds since this year’s State Fair season launched on Sept. 26. Citing economic worries about things happening outside fair gates, Zable said it’s understandable why people might not have the financial means to go all out at the fair this year.

“I think that there’s a whole mix of things that have caused people to slow down spending this year,” Zable said. “I think it’s the economy. I think it’s the government shutdown. I think there’s a whole lot of things that have all been compiled and it’s hitting everybody at once. There’s definitely some less spending going on.”

Some vendors have logged only small price increases this year. In 2024, the Biscoff Delight from Drizzle cost $15 — the same year it was a first-time Big Tex Choice Awards finalist.

This year, the cookie-coated dessert on a stick costs $16 at the State Fair. If you’re craving cheesecake but don’t want to pay fair admission, you could go to Drizzle’s Irving location, where the Biscoff Delight only costs $12.99.

After taxes, however, Drizzle owner Stephen El Gidi said the brick and mortar store and the fair price for the Biscoff Delight are very similar.

“If you were to put a tax on it, it would come to $14.30 or $14.35, which is in line with what we did last year,” he said.”

El Gidi said the extra dollar comes from Drizzle’s 2025 Big Tex finalist, the Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake, which costs $18.

“The cost of the pistachio and the chocolate has risen,” he said. “For us to be able to provide a fair price point for the goers and the fair attendees, was to split the cost of everything all across the board on the menu, rather than if we were to realistically afford to sell the Dubai chocolate cheesecake, which covers our costs, our fees, our employees and everything overhead, we would have to charge 24 tickets or 24 coupons.”

A quick glance between the fair price and the store price might lead some to believe a huge jump in profit is occurring. But, after factoring in the costs of being at the fair and running the stand, El Gidi said this isn’t the case.

“It’s not really like we’re not getting rich off of it,” he said. “No vendor at the State Fair of Texas is getting rich off of being at the fair. We do it because we love seeing people smile, people happy, trying something new, trying something exciting, something that’s not there all the time. That is why we do what we do.”

Thrill ride costs jump

The price of some rides has also soared. At the 2007 State Fair of Texas, the fair introduced the Texas SkyWay. It is a similar gondola ride to the Swiss Skyride, which was permanently closed in 1979 following an accident where a man died, a woman was paralyzed, and 17 were injured, according to The Dallas Morning News archives.

In 2007, the SkyWay cost $5 for a two-way ticket to sail 65 feet in the air across the fairgrounds and back. The SkyWay now costs 14 coupons ($14) for a one-way trip and $28 for a roundtrip.

Strategies to cut costs

To make a fair visit more affordable, there are many discounts that fairgoers can use. Thrifty Thursdays, taking the DART, and admission discounts are just a few ways to cut costs.

“Every year, we do offer a lot of discount opportunities to give people options in order to, when they can come out, to try and save money,” said Karissa Condoianis, a fair spokesperson.

While prices may make fairgoers more anxious, Christi Erpillo, 72, and Johnna McKee, 64, said getting good quality food, especially at Fernie’s Funnel Cakes, is assured.

The sisters’ parents started working at the fair in 1967. Three years later, the family owned Fernie’s. The stand is named after their mother, Wanda “Fernie” Winter, who died in 2021.

Their family has been at the fair for 56 years. McKee even went into labor while making funnel cakes at the fair 38 years ago.

The two sisters now run the stand, which they said was the first place to bring funnel cakes to the State Fair.

The quality of their funnel cakes is often imitated, but never imitated, they said. Affordability, the customer service and their love for their family business is another reason why their stand is a favorite for fairgoers.

“We don’t really call them customers, we call them guests because they’re guests coming into our home,” McKee said. “There’s so many people that come in and say this is our first stop, this is our last stop, it’s a tradition.”

A regular funnel cake at Fernie’s costs $10. The price has increased since the 1960s, but the sisters try to make most of their items, not just funnel cakes, something anyone can share among friends or family. Nothing they sell at the fair has ever cost more than $18, Erpillo said.

“We want a family to come out and enjoy the experience of being in our home and being our guest,” McKee said.

Walking into the fair surrounded by $20 turkey legs, rides with hefty coupon fees and pricey cocktails may be overwhelming. The fair does offer cheaper food options, numerous free activities, and some items have actually decreased in price or stayed the same.

As the years passed, Zable’s Concessions did consider other ways to cut back on costs, Mark Zable said.

20 years ago, he asked his father why stick with the same homemade recipe when they could use frozen strawberries and Cool Whip or other ingredients to make their waffles cheaper for customers. His father’s answer was advice he plans to always adhere to.

“He instilled in me that if you use quality products with quality ingredients, people will come and buy our product,” Zable said. “That’s the way we’ve kept it. We still buy fresh Driscoll strawberries, and we still use heavy whipping cream. There’s nothing that’s changed.”