Quick and good, the fastest food booth at the State Fair

It's difficult to find food at the Minnesota State Fair that isn't really, really good.

But it's also hard to find a stand that gets you that food in a quick manner.

There is one place that seems to have lines that are one to five people deep.

And it's not because it's unfamiliar, or in an out-of-the-way place on the historic fairgrounds.

Bratwurst Mit Kraut has been smack dab on the corner of Carnes and Nelson for decades, right on the doorstep of foot-long hot dogs, Mancini's, and Sweet Martha's Cookies, along with the arcade, Giant Slide, and steps from the WCCO radio building.

So, you've probably seen the layout, and have seen what appears to be a lack of interest from throngs of fairgoers at Bratwurst Mit Kraut.

But they're busy, profitable, and long-lasting... more than five decades, by one man's count.

The answer is speed.

Brat-to-bun-to-customer lightning speed.

Which reduces wait times, and long lines that many folks talk about with wonder.

"We hear it a lot," said Gary Wonderling, the key guy in the three-person conveyor belt inside a building barely big enough for maybe two people and a huge rolling grill.

"You gotta have a good team, and you just keep working together," he said, demonstrating the process with two co-workers. "You gotta have a continued flow, one gets the brat in the buns, one keeps monitoring the brats, and one waits on the customer."

Visiting with customers is Gary's favorite part of the job, which he says he's been doing for maybe fifty years, and possibly just as many more after 2023.

"I'm sure I'll be here," Gary said with a hearty laugh.

All while slathering sauerkraut onto a brat-and-bun combination that's made its way through an assembly line that's hard to duplicate.