Who will win the Beignet Wars?

The most important thing to know about all of this is that the fix has clearly been in for Cafe Du Monde to take the thing over for a while now.  I do not know the specific reasons for that. I'm sure they are as lame as one might guess. I also am not especially partial to the choice of one brand of sugar-fried-dough over another so whichever side works out whatever bribe wins them the site is fine with me.  But one thing I do know is the judge is correct about this.

While the judge acknowledged that bids can be rejected for "substantial" noncompliance, he wrote that "the late arrival to a mandatory pre-bid meeting cannot be construed as a substantial deviation from the bidding specifications where the lessor calls the bidder to see if the bidder is attending the meeting, the bidder responds by sending a representative, albeit late, other bidders are likewise non-compliant and the bidder addresses the deficiency before the bids are due."

If we establish a precedent that parties are legally liable for showing up late to meetings in this town, we're all going to be in a lot of trouble. 

Anyway, is there a way for Gayle Benson to get a piece of this somehow? Seems like Tom would have wanted it that way.