If you've ever planned a dinner party, a backyard barbecue or even a wedding, you know how hard it can be to satisfy the palates of a diverse audience.

Now, imagine what Tracy Spoerl goes through.

For more than 30 years, Summerfest's concessions manager has helped slake the hunger and thirst of the nearly 1 million people who trek through the gates at the Big Gig.

Entertainment director Bob Babisch books the bands. Spoerl takes care of what people eat and drink while listening.

"Bob and I always argue about that," a smiling Spoerl said inside her office in the Summerfest administration building. "Do they come for the music or do they come for the food? I think they really do go hand in hand.

"You can't please everybody, but that's what you try to do. You want to appeal to a diverse audience. Bob is always committed to finding best bands. We try to find the best food products for our customers."

We spoke to Spoerl about a number of topics in this Milwaukee Talks interview:

OnMilwaukee.com: Summerfest is known for food staples like Saz's mozzarella marinara and Venice Club's eggplant strips. What is new this year? It seems like the biggest addition is Sazama's Lakeside Grille (a sit-down restaurant serving upscale dishes on the south end of the grounds near the M&I Classic Rock Stage).

Tracy Spoerl: We're excited about that. Saz has been a vendor with us for a long time and he's always willing to try new things. It has been a number of years since we did the sit-down approach. We saw it as an opportunity to give a different type of experience. It's upscale casual. If you look at the entryway, it's very casual.

The best thing about it is that it's on the water. It's not exactly like being down in Florida, but you have that feel of Fort Lauderdale. Don (Smiley, Summerfest's president and CEO) really pushed this concept. He drove that boat. we've never talked about it, but he's spent time in Fort Lauderdale and I think he likes that feel.

What really makes this unique is the view. The view is spectacular. We can really take you to a different place, in a way, but you can still come and enjoy the music. I see it as a wonderful respite. I could hang out there all day.

OMC: There have been some other changes on the south end.

TS: Near the M&I Stage, we don't really have permanent buildings. I asked Saz if he'd consider doing a Saz's Express II. I asked if he would bring some of his popular products, the mozzarella marinara and the sour cream and chive fries, and maybe add a few more products. Like I said, he's always willing to try things and he said, "Sure."

That's been received very, very well.

OMC: What else is new?

TS: Rupena's. We had an opening in the Miller (Lite Oasis) area and you ask yourself, Who has got the experience? Who has got a good brand name?" That's Rupena's. I've watched them at State Fair and other places and they have a fine reputation. We decided to put them in the Miller area. The location is not real visible, but with his chicken on a spit and the smoke -- with everything being so fresh -- he's doing a nice job for us. He's got a relationship with Starbucks and he's doing some coffee drinks with Seattle's Best. It's just the little things. He put lights on the building -- these are the vendors that are fun to work with. They don't do things halfway and I think that's why they're successful.

OMC: You and Bob (Babisch) have been doing your jobs for so long that it would probably easy to just relax and stick with what has worked for 20 or 30 years. But, you always try to change things. Is that what keeps it fresh?

TS: You have to do that. You have to recognize the products that people like, but you have to try and add new products that are new and different. It's like the music. You can't please everyone, but you have to try.

OMC: This year, the festival took over the beer operation, which had been handled for about a decade by Major Goolsby's. How has that transition gone?

TS: I think anytime you make a transition, there might be hiccups. But, we've got an excellent team here. A lot of people have been here long-term, and I think that helps. I can't imagine running with a green team. I don't know how you do it.

If there were issues or problems (on Day 1 of the festival), it didn't hit me. You want good service. When you make a conversion like that, just like when Goolsby's took everything over, it helps when there are enough seasoned people out there. It wasn't that long ago we were running 50 percent of the bars. not like we started fresh.

When you're servicing that many people, you're bound to get hiccups. At the end of the day, customers want good service. That's what we try to provide.

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