Become a Concession Vendor

People have been starting and running their own businesses for years. Some of the most successful people in business today are people who took a small idea and made it into something big. This was the chance they needed to make themselves into something big. There are many types of businesses out there from offering a service to make people’s lives easier to selling a product such as with the food service industry. Recently popular in food service is purchasing a concession trailer as a mobile food kitchen. There are several positive aspects of owning a mobile concession trailer as opposed to a stationary restaurant at a static location.

One advantage to having a mobile kitchen is a word in its title “mobile.” Rather than staying in one location, someone with a mobile kitchen can attend events and sit in places for business in areas all over. This allows for high-paying events to be in reach for the business owner. The traditional stationary restaurant does not have the luxury of moving from on place to another based on potential profit. This is definitely one advantage to having a mobile kitchen over a stationary restaurant.

Another reason being able to move a restaurant can be a great advantage over a stay-in-place restaurant is that, if business is bad in a certain area, a mobile kitchen can get up and move to a location that will provide more customers and therefore more cash flow. With a restaurant in a building in one location, if a restaurant is failing because of the location such as scarcely populated area, or food that does not go together with the area, the owner can not just get up and move his business. He must figure out another alternative to moving in order to save his business.

One final reason that purchasing a concession trailer can be advantageous over a restaurant in a building is the fact that it is very affordable compared to the cost of a stationary restaurant. Hundreds of thousands of dollars may be required to successfully get a traditional restaurant off the ground. For as relatively little as $25,000 – $30,000, you can purchase an almost new, spacious concession trailer equipped with a grill, deep fryers and other cooking equipment suitable for running a restaurant. This is a fraction of the cost a traditional restaurant would cost just to get it ready to run, much less order food and other miscellaneous supplies.

There are several reasons that a mobile kitchen could be more beneficial to purchase than a regular restaurant. Some of them include that mobility is a very advantageous thing to be able to do with a restaurant, particularly if you are not having any luck in the location you are currently at. Another reason is that concession trailers cost much less to purchase, supply, insure, and maintain than any traditional restaurant you can find. Having a concession trailer does not have to be the end of the business line for you. Purchasing a concession food trailer can be just the stepping stone you need to move on to purchasing a traditional restaurant.

Aspects of Creating a Mobile Concession Business

 The ability to be one’s own boss and make lots of money doing it is all part of the American Dream. An up and coming segment of the small business world is food concession vending. This is a form of food service that does not involve being stationary. Mobility is the key to the food concession industry. The ability to pick up and move whenever you have an event or want to switch locations is paramount in this business; which brings attention to the fact that there are several things needed to begin a concession business. One of the first important things is location. Another important aspect is choosing the type of food you will serve. One more vital thing to consider is advertisement.

One of the first things to consider when starting a food concession business is the location where you will set up your vending equipment. You’re best bet is to set up in a highly trafficked area where many people live and work. One of the biggest parts of your clientele is potentially the work force around the location. Even better would be to find a highly trafficked area that also had little choice of food. People are more tempted to think outside the box and eat from your concession trailer. Many of these workers do not have a lot of time for a lunch break. Quick, simple, cheap, and delicious food is the key to drawing people in and creating loyal customers.

Another thing to consider when you start a concession business is what type of food you will serve. You must first consider the part of the country you are in. Goulash may not appeal to New Yorkers. Another thing you must consider is financial history of the area you are serving. Some people may neither desire or be able to afford sushi or caviar for lunch so be careful about offering food out of the economical means of those to whom you are planning to sell. Another thing to consider about food is how easy or difficult it may be to prepare in a mobile style kitchen and how long it will take to prepare. You definitely don’t want the items you are selling to take a long time to prepare. If so, people will be more tempted to just go into a sit-down restaurant to eat. Quickness is definitely a way to go for the food concession business.

One other thing you may want to weigh when setting up a food vending business is advertisement. Roadside signs and billboards are a great way to go, albeit expensive. A great way to make sure you have great advertising is to have exceptional food and service. With these to attributes, your company will be advertised by one of the best and most powerful means of advertisement: word-of-mouth. Get people to enjoy your food and the friendly face you offer in the middle of a possibly hectic workday. Having a great relationship with your customers is definitely a must when dealing with the food service industry. Other forms of advertisement include fliers, sale signs, and coupons. Bags, napkins, and containers with your company name and logo on them are also great ways to advertise. For the business with the larger budget, t-shirts, hats, and bumper stickers might be a way to go.

Whatever decisions you might make about your mobile concession business, there are certain things you must consider to make having a successful company easier. In the mobile food service industry, important options include location of your vending equipment, type of food served and advertising your business in order to make it more successful. By considering these things, you will have a better chance of making a name for yourself in the food industry.