Would you pay $3,000 to sit down?
It’s easy to overspend when you’re starting a restaurant. Did you know that this exciting, yet expensive, business venture can cost over $200,000? That means new owners are spending roughly $3,000 for every seat in their dinner.
Having a mobile catering service means being able to avoid most of the common expenses the food industry struggles with. Instead of overspending, you can have exactly what you need to turn a profit and keep the customers happy. Read on to learn how you can get your delicious food out on the road.
Getting the Right Paperwork
Let’s start by looking at the licensing and permit portion of your business. For most locations, you’ll need 2 types of licenses–a food vending license and a business license.
You’ll also need to acquire the proper permits and liability insurance. Here’s a short list of the important documents you’ll need:
- Food vending license
- Business license
- Liability insurance
- Permits
A great place to start collecting your documents is by contacting the health department in your local area. Ask them about the specific licenses and food handling permits your town requires.
Service and Food Standards
What’s the first expense you think of when you imagine your mobile catering business? For many owners, they begin to consider the cost of food items. Yet, in reality, the area you need to spend the most time and attention in is the quality of your food, and its reputation.
Online Reviews
It’ll cost you time and money to market your business and build the brand and reputation you want. Yet, all it will take is a few bad online reviews to bring all of your hard work tumbling to the ground.
For this reason, you’ll need to make sure the driver and employees working in your vehicle have the right type of customer service attitude. If you are going with a 3rd party driver, spend time to make sure their customer service beliefs align with yours.
Food Standards
Make sure there are policies and procedures in place to maintain food quality. The very last customer of the day deserves the exact same high-quality customer service and food that the first customer received. One of the benefits of having in-house drivers is being able to closely monitor quality-control standards.
Mobile Catering Service Operating Costs
Now, you need to decide who will be driving your mobile catering service. If you decide to find drivers from within your company, you’ll need to budget for upfront managing costs. When you go with in-house drivers, you can expect to have fixed prices, and expenses.
However, if you decide to hire an outside group, you’ll need to budget capital to pay the third party provider. Having a third party can be very beneficial, especially when you don’t have to manage the drivers or their schedules.
However, outside parties also come with unexpected expenses. It’s possible the third party will change their rates, or charge you an additional fee for something unexpected. Expect to have fluctuating, unsteady expenses if you choose to outsource the work.
Customizing Your Vehicle
Now you know more about how to start your mobile catering service. Delivery Concepts is here to help you as you begin your new business venture. We are proud to be able to offer our clients some of the best affordable delivery solutions.
Each of our custom designed trucks will be specifically tailored to meet all of your needs. We understand that everyone is going to have different requirements, depending on the type of catering service they’ll be providing.
Since everyone needs something different, Delivery Concepts understands the importance of really listening to our clients’ needs. Temperature requirements, fitted interiors, and more will all vary from vehicle to vehicle. That’s because when we build your truck, every detail will help set your company up for success.
Don’t wait to make your dream a reality. We look forward to hearing from you!
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