Advice on starting up a burger/catering van

crazyshady

I have been looking to start something like this for a while but never really got round to it. Having had a look round ive noticed some which are affordable. Mostly trailers but that shouldnt be a problem right? I was just wondering if any of you owned one or have done in the past. Where they any good? Good business venture? Good profit in it? I realise theres hygiene tests and trading licenses etc but are those hard to get? If i do get one it will be second hand, is there anything i should look out for when buying one?

And my main question is pitches. Im in Glasgow and those of you from up here will know the big car boot sales at the weekend. Ive also heard these types of things are sometimes ran by drug dealers and that trading near someone else could get you a sore face or worse. Is it really that seedy? Where does someone like myself go to make an honest living? I am near quite a few industrial sites, is it possible to go park up near them?

Any help at all would be good.Ive also looked around the net and noticed many people suggesting nightclubs. Not my thing! I dont fancy parking up outside nightclubs at the weekends. Not what im looking for.

chika

There are always loads of burger vans at the car boot sales and the clientele are cheap people who don't want to pay a decent price for anything (nowt wrong with that!) So maybe car boot sales aren't your best bet. There always seem to be some vans on the industrial estates selling breakfast and lunches, if it was an estate that was a bit of a walk away from the nearest shop then you might do alright.

Otherwise I'd reconsider outside a club, Normally when I leave a club I'm starving and due to alchohold consumption I don't mind paying a fiver for a burger at all.

Also if you go for it please can you do some decent veggie stuff - falafel is gorgeous, really easy and you'd sell loads! Good luck!

squidge60

tbh alright we live in devon but my oh knows someone who does a burgervan and he earns a VERY good wage for a few hrs a day.where hes set up theres a biggish shop and a few small firms so no doubt hes got his regulars.if it was me in the right situ i would give it a go .good luck.:D

crazyshady

Yeah i think it would be quite good. The ones ive been looking at have been trailers so theyed be attatched to the car. That shouldnt make much difference though right? As i say there loads of industrial estates around but my problem is the pitches. Do i need permission to park? Permission from the companies etc?

Having looked on www.glasgow.gov.uk/ i cant see anything relating to licenses on it. I just want to know once you have this public trading licence thing is it just as easy as parking up where you want or do you need permission and have to pay to do it?

sidthesexist

Usually you need a hygene certificate before they let you run one of these (should be some courses locally? and i believe the certificate has to be displayed?) and some councils get funny about where they are sited there was one on the way out of Oxford that my dad knew the owner of a while back and he said that Oxford council were charging him a few thousand in Licence fee's just so he could operate from there. Your best bet is to go and talk to your local council and see what they say? and maybe the local health and safety people to find where the hygene courses are? oh and seriously think about adding a decent doughnut machine when you buy a trailer as soon as people smell them being cooked they usually suddenly get an attack of the munchies

truereddevil

Different councils deal in different ways first of all speak to your local council my friend runs 2 of these in our local town you do need to get your health and hygiene license and you also need a food licence that lets you sell food after a certain time my friend doesnt have to pay for jis plot but some councils can be funny about this and charge a yearly rate

beduffrich

I have a guide to starting a burger Van that I have been selling on ebay. Send me a pm and I'll let you have a copy

mannersme

beduffrich wrote: »

I have a guide to starting a burger Van that I have been selling on ebay. Send me a pm and I'll let you have a copy

could you please send me your ebay username so I can buy a copy of this info
Thanks

craig_bainbridge

hi im looking to start a burger van business i read your post how are you finding it and do you have any ideas where i could get more advice from
thanks
regards
craig

PurpleSmile

My older sister has a burger type van that does spit roast chicken in Blackpool. She opens March - October and earns about 22k profit after deductions and tax.
But it is very hard work, she works most days.
Ovbiously 22k is a fair enough wage for the months she works, but if she never worked full time then she would have to pay someone else and the profits would be down.

paulwf

craig_bainbridge wrote: »

hi im looking to start a burger van business i read your post how are you finding it and do you have any ideas where i could get more advice from
thanks
regards
craig

A good first start is to read through the relevant parts of the Business Link website which will explain the legal structure of the business, tax, business plans and all that sort of thing. You can then call them up to book on their courses which are free and fairly informal and in most areas (contact your regional/national equivalent if they aren't).

There are loads of catering trade shows and general business events, get some of the trade mags and take it from there.