Setting up a sandwich business(very small may I add!)

sammiebmouse · 25 April 2009 at 5:26PM

Hello lovely people,

I'm looking for some help/advice/wisdom please :rolleyes:

I am going to be starting up a small sandwich making company, which I will be doing from my own kitchen. I will be making a selection of sandwiches daily for the local shop.
They have requested fifteen per day to start off and see how they sell.
I intend to make them fresh every morning,using local suppliers as much as possible(though will need to try keep costs down). I will do market research to find out the most popular fillings.

I have enrolled on a food hygiene course and also need to contact the council? to get them to check my kitchen is clean etc? (anyone who knows the correct procedure, please shout:D

I need help with the business side of things please, so if anyone can point me in the right direction or tell me what my next steps might be....I'd really appreciate the help

Thanks in advance

Browntoa · 25 April 2009 at 5:32PM

found this

http://www.gosport.gov.uk/sections/environment/environmental-health/commercial-team/food-safety-and-hygiene/food-premises-registration/

When do I register?

Anyone starting a new food business must register with their Local Authority at least 28 days before opening

Registration of premises used for a food business, including market stalls, delivery vehicles and other moveable structures, is required by law

chickmug · 25 April 2009 at 8:08PM

I say go for it and the best of luck. I have dealt with many that have started in their kitchen or garage and expanded quite rapidly into a much larger business. On the other hand play hard to get and keep it to the size YOU want.

Those who have enjoyed the most sucess have made sure they don't just offer cheese and pickle but mouthwatering choices. You can expand into business buffet lunches and I know one firm that did this and got a web site up on which their clients ordered and they delivered.

weeclick · 26 April 2009 at 10:51AM

I'll throw my pennies worth in..... As some advice I'd say with sandwich fillings go for something different, I know when I used to run into the shops on my lunch break I was fed up with chicken mayo, cheese and tomato, or tuna salad.....so maybe try something a bit more appealing? Also consider the health side of things and what people would want being so health conscience!

Maybe in the future, if you sandwiches do well with this shop you mention try wraps, ciabatta or even salad bowls!

Regarding all the health issues etc for your kitchen, email your local council see if they can point you in the right direction. I recently spoke to my council about child protection (Im a photographer) and not only did they give me more advice than I expected but also managed to get a few clients within the council from it as well - so you never know where your call for help will lead you!

Best of luck!

sammiebmouse · 29 April 2009 at 8:27PM

Thanks to all who took the time to reply to my post!
I've sent off my application for food registration, and am going to do a food hygiene course.
Fingers crossed it will all go well.
Now I need to look into the business side of things. Do i need to register for VAT, a company number etc as I am now self-employed-ish?
Research research!

weeclick · 30 April 2009 at 12:26AM

sammiebmouse wrote: »

Thanks to all who took the time to reply to my post!
I've sent off my application for food registration, and am going to do a food hygiene course.
Fingers crossed it will all go well.
Now I need to look into the business side of things. Do i need to register for VAT, a company number etc as I am now self-employed-ish?
Research research!

VAT doesnt have to be registered until you reach something like £63,000 or £64,000 which I dont think youll be hitting for a while! You can register voluntary if you think you could gain more money back than what you would have to pay then maybe this is the way for you - but once you register you cant go back so think about it carefully and weigh up all the pros and cons before you decide

Slinky · 30 April 2009 at 4:41PM

You can de-register after you've registered but on the small scale you're on to start off with you might not want to bother.

Aren't a lot of food items zero rated anyway? In which case there wouldn't be input tax to claim back.

tiddly_widdly · 1 May 2009 at 7:45PM

You dont need to register for VAT until you hit 67,000 but you do need to register as self employed within 3 months of trading, however small your turnover may be. You could also apply for small earnings exemption at the same time then you dont need to pay national insurance straight away.

Buzzbox · 4 May 2009 at 4:51PM

I used to work for a sandwich business and found that a lot of people, surprisingly so do not like mayonaise... try something else as a filler, you might have better luck.

Also, try and use catering tricks by making the sandwich look colourful...nothing more boring than a dull sandwich!

Setting up a sandwich business(very small may I add!)

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free