Opinions Please?

[Munch]

Hi Everyone.

I would like to know your opinions/thoughts. A bit of market research if you like.

I am considering starting a mobile catering business.

Hubby being a chef and me a pretty good cook if I do say so myself.

I have to earn some money somehow!

Anyway, my idea is Soups and Stews. Nice winter warmers and lovely light ideas in the summer. Great GP and easy peasy

Doesnt seem to be much competition, if any.

What do you think?

Be honest but gentle please

[Alison]

Where are you intending to take it? Round here there is vast competition between the various mobile lunch providers, both old fashioned bacon butty vans which park up and the newer sandwich vans. As you say nothing much of what you're planning and I'd definitely look at it but am guessing that the cost of coming to the customer would add quite a lot on in relation to price and you'd need to do quite a range, maybe soup of the day or something with a nice bit of bread?

[Munch]

Still not 100% on location. We started thinking maybe a town street..... but not sure of the councils opinion on that yet!

But yes maybe offices would be an idea or static in DIY car park or trading estate.

I am thinking a good selection of fresh, locally sourced soups and stews.......... about 4 soups and a couple of stews. Changing daily with specials, and of course crusty bread!

[RedThorn]

Here in Aus mobile food and coffee wagons are very popular, they nip round all the site's like a delivery round...

[taff]

are you thinking of local fairs? like weekly fairs/markets etc? Good idea if you are, if I were at a market, it was cold, I'd get some soup/stew.

[shobhna]

My 2p worth.
Are you thinking fo doing this at county days, steam rallies, motor club rallies, motor bike shows etc.
I did find out once that you need to be allowed to be on these sites and the competition is steep, though I don't know who you would approach to find this out.
That is where the money would be, 2 or 3 days of hard work but a good return on that work.

It is something I have given thought to now and again, thinking that Indian food would go down a treat too. :-)
Good luck with your investigations and good luck with the business. I think once you can get a fixed pitch at these various events, then you know that you are on to a good thing.

[Munch]

My 2p worth.
Are you thinking fo doing this at county days, steam rallies, motor club rallies, motor bike shows etc.
I did find out once that you need to be allowed to be on these sites and the competition is steep, though I don't know who you would approach to find this out.
That is where the money would be, 2 or 3 days of hard work but a good return on that work.

It is something I have given thought to now and again, thinking that Indian food would go down a treat too. :-)
Good luck with your investigations and good luck with the business. I think once you can get a fixed pitch at these various events, then you know that you are on to a good thing.

I have been reading up on pitching etc on this site... been quite informative, have you seen it? you may find it useful too.

Starting Up and Running a Mobile Catering Trailer

[RedThorn]

The one's here are like a modified panel van with both sides being hinged to go up.. dunoo if I'm explaining myself right...) simular to Starting Up and Running a Catering Van off your link... they don't stay put in one place but travel from one office parking lot to the next for 10 am and 12-1pm runs....

edit: They don't cook in them, sarnies, coffees and cooldrinks in summer...

The flappy bit is like the diplay fridges in supermarkets where they display heir sarnies...

[Alison]

The one's here are like a modified panel van with both sides being hinged to go up.. dunoo if I'm explaining myself right...) simular to Starting Up and Running a Catering Van off your link... they don't stay put in one place but travel from one office parking lot to the next for 10 am and 12-1pm runs....

That's more the sort of thing I was envisaging but obviously there are other options.

[Seahorse]

Are you near the coast/a fishing port? Jumping on the H F-W bandwagon and selling sustainable fish and chips might be a possibilitiy?

[veggiechicken]

Selling at car boot sales maybe? Its always cold at those! As a veggie I steer clear of any stall selling hotdogs, bacon rolls and burgers - which are the normally available hot foods. There is very little veggie food available at most outdoor events.

[di]

Great idea, one thing to bear in mind though is how you'd present it? Are you thinking soups in plastic cups or soups/stews in a bowl with spoon....not wanting to put a negative slant on your plan but was just thinking how easy it is to walk eating a burger but how you'd want to sit down to eat a bowl of soup or stew.

[veggiechicken]

You're right Di. Eating soup is not easy at the best of times and soup from a plastic cup is not very pleasant. Good soup deserves respect! Changing tack a little, I remember eating sweetcorn chowder in a San Francisco market that was served in a hollowed out loaf of bread. You ate the soup and finished off by eating the bowl too - no washing up and little waste. Definitely a sit-down job though!!

[Mikey]

I think it all comes down to where and when as to how successful this could be. If you have to go mobile, then liquids are by nature's a problem. So I can't see this working as a mobile van visiting industrial sites etc.

I think the points about farmers markets, might be a good one, if you had the means to include produce from other suppliers they might also be inclined to do you a good turn, if you said it was 'such and such's beef stew', there would be mutual benefit. They'd sell more beef off your back, you could get it at a greatly reduce price.

I think stews work in larger polystyrene cup with a plastic spoon, but you might need to consider somewhere for people to sit and eat it. Hot food is always good where you have cold venues, such as pasties, hot rolls.

I would much rather have a hot sliced beef roll in a doorstep sandwich with home made mustard/horseradish sauce. You could sell the sauces aswell as the sandwiches, a great add on sale.

I'm with veggiechicken on this I don't buy burgers at these venues.

[Potstubsdustbins]

In my line of work we are always out and about so use the greasy spoons and cafes a heck of a lot. There is tremendous variation in quality and cleanliness and although competition seems fierce it really isn't that bad if you are good at what you do because so many are very, very bad at what they do.

We have our favourites and will travel passed other vans to get to one were we know it will be good food. Two prime examples of doing it well are at junction 27 on the M1. Coming north if you want a full dinner or breakfast you turn left into Ma Larkins a large porta cabin were you can sit to eat. If you want to eat on the go you turn right to Junction 27 best cobs in the area. Both are lovely and clean and the food is great and both are licenced by the local authority. They have been there for 15 years as I know to.

Those that do it badly are easy to spot, very few parked cars/lorries is a dead give away. There are two vacant pitches close by one on the Hucknall by pass and one near Coxmoor golf club. Both people who ran these sites retired about two years ago and since then there has been a steady procession of different vans come and go, none of them lasting more than a couple of months.

If you do good food, like a bit of banter and are prepared to work hard I can see no reason why you would not make a success of it, after all everyone has to eat.

Colin