I'm planning opening a pasty shop - what are the profit expectations?

Pagg

lostinrates wrote: »

I have a plant sprayer, its quite old and it dribbles. I've never replaced it though.

It's scandalous that you get Grandad to decorate for you, with him being not quite the full quid in his old age.

lostinrates

Pagg wrote: »

It's scandalous that you get Grandad to decorate for you, with him being not quite the full quid in his old age.

Even more scandalous as he's dead.

fc123

Conrad wrote: »

Dizzy

Yep having a stall makes a lot of sense, but I don't know anything about how one gets a permanent static stall, in fact I'm not sure there is such a thing here, only day markets. Do you mean travel around from market to market?

That's it Conrad...Farmers Markets...to try it out. A perfect compromise to see if you enjoy the cooking, serving and hungry general public (who can be tricky) and get an idea of margins etc.

We have one opened recently in front of the shiny, clone shopping mall.
OH bought amazing pork pies from there...and yes, I do eat amazing, proper water crust pastry with outdoor reared pork pies...but only a little bit .

There are loads of rules now on prepping food for sale so may not be able to do it from home? I don't know...worth checking out.

I don't know what the set up costs of a kitchen are...but they feel pricey.


And someone said to me today that take away cups of tea are the highest margin product.

And thanks for the nice PM too.

dopester

fc123 wrote: »

And thanks for the nice PM too.

It will take me some convincing to feel comfortable with a pasty shop / mobile food venture.

I hear tales of ever more people setting up mobile-food selling units, thus increased competition at the lower end of the market with lower profit margins to be had anyway.

Also that episode of Apprentice with the eventual winner.. all about the profit line for her wasn't it.. using the cheapest possible ingredients... selling to trusting office people, put me right off buying from unknowns. I'd suspect the operators of many mobile food units are similar minded - even if Conrad would offer the actual quality others don't. I'll wait a while if I'm hungry if I've got doubt.. so a new mobile food unit in some carpark might not win my immediate trust.

Conrad is pretty smart. I don't think he gets enough credit for his overall wisdom. Going back a bit in time, when the majority, including Sir Fred Goodwin, were blinded by the glory of new paradigm... and could only see boom and glory and forever rising asset values and profits... Conrad had the wisdom to see things a little differently, which was rare and unusual (in a good way).

Check out these series of posts Conrad made in the 2nd half of 2005 (there are probably many others too).
---

Conrad wrote: »

Ive sold all my B2Ls over the last 12 months.
With investment you need to understand a basic principle; 'Buy on the rumour, sell on the news'. Now that B2L is big news and everyones at it, I made the decision it was high time to bail out. The last property sold has dropped 15% in value in the last 12 months. This unstoppable motion is spreading and will really be big news over the next 12 months. There is lots of new development flooding the market, and too many people are trying to sell to too few buyers.

Conrad wrote: »

Almost no one is selling in my patch despite it having one of the best schools in England. Those who have sold have accepted large reductions. One person sold for £750000. The house was worth £900000 18 months ago.

Wait and see what happens over Xmas. You may well find many Xmas bargains due to the lethal cocktail of forced sellers and vastly reduced numbers of buyers and for the first time in years, almost no B2Ls propping up the party.

Conrad wrote: »

Only Northern Rock allow significant over - borrowing, but this is for residential loans only.

I often arrange 95% mortgages on second properties.

Just for the record Ive sold all my B2Ls. I think bargains will be around in the not to distant future. Money is flooding into the SM away from property. I think Ill get back into property once Im sure the bottom has been found and its gone out of fashion. What easily goes up can easily come down, even property.

Davesnave

fc123 wrote: »

That's it Conrad...Farmers Markets...to try it out. A perfect compromise to see if you enjoy the cooking, serving and hungry general public (who can be tricky) and get an idea of margins etc.

We have one opened recently in front of the shiny, clone shopping mall.
OH bought amazing pork pies from there...and yes, I do eat amazing, proper water crust pastry with outdoor reared pork pies...but only a little bit .

There are loads of rules now on prepping food for sale so may not be able to do it from home? I don't know...worth checking out.

I don't know what the set up costs of a kitchen are...but they feel pricey.

Farmers' Markets are usually a bit hard to get into if you are not a farmer and they have some strict rules themselves, never mind H&S. However, there are often stalls elsewhere within normal markets, though they too will sometimes be fussy about who they let in, to avoid upsetting the existing sellers.

Prepping in your own kitchen may be a no-no, but it is possible to do that at home if you have a dedicated area which has been inspected and you have been on the relevant food hygiene course. Thousands of WI ladies (and some gents too!) do this every week.....

....Now there's an idea!:eek:

Snooze

dizzybuff wrote: »

To be honest why not do some scouting , ask local companies if they are prepared to let you come with a hot van.. There is one little company round here who ahve a sorta mobile food van , Hot pasties cooked the hour before and sold in the company car park.

Generally food is 200 profit , but you need basic hygene certificate, enviromental health inspectionsetc if you set up shop.. Start as a cottage industry , from home , hygene still needs to be upto standard but overheads would be small . Then once you have the customer base , get a local market stall or butty run . Get a street traders licence and start from there , find a pitch get a vana and oven and start from there ...

Many small companies have started like that . Buzzrocks in Manchester is a fab carribean that started as a mobile van ..

Get the customer base and they will follow you .

Its all trial and error

Hope this helps.

Oh by the way the customer may not care where the food comes from . But as long as it tastes nice ur on a winner.. One good selling point may be that all the food sourced is from british suppliers and of british origin ..

I hear this line trotted out somewhere on a regular basis but I don't personally know anyone that gives a hoot where the food comes from as long as it tastes right, looks right and the price is right - myself included. My cornish pasty could be full of Outer Mongolian wild dog for all I care, just as long as it tastes like a cornish pasty and vaguely looks like one.

And no I don't care for the "you should be ashamed of yourself for not supporting your local x" yada-yada either, before anyone thinks about starting that one.

:cool:

R

Davesnave

And no I don't care for the "you should be ashamed of yourself for not supporting your local x" yada-yada either, before anyone thinks about starting that one.

Dog eat dog, eh? And if you become the majority, you probably will....Roll on Soylent Green!

sammyjammy

Conrad wrote: »

Cheers everyone so far - very interesting.

Trying to work out what apart from pies and pasties compliments such an outlet best - is it worth bothering with sandwiches - for those summer days / the other half watching thier waste?

My local one doesn't make sandwiches during the day but it does do bacon/sausages butties and coffess for the going to work crowd.

Not much of a pasty fan myself (despite coming from Cornwall) but my local WCP shop is always packed.

moneybuster

Just been to rhyl and the local pasty shop shut down, my local chippy as well feeling the pinch as she has not had a penny out of the shop since 06 because of the rent increases, 2000 pound uofront 2 months in advance.

regards MB

Jonbvn

carolt wrote: »

Which is important, as OH wants to do sailing, canoeing, etc with them....

Couldn't he get a boat/canoe like other people;)