Takeaway

the_belgiumtrump

I have been thinking of starting a takeaway that would be towards the kebab shop / indian takeaway idea.

Im wondering if anyone here is in this business or has experience within it or simply has any tips for me on what the main steps are and pitfalls.


I know i would be looking to get 2 chefs, a delivery driver or 2. Advertisement will not be a problem for me.

Im not sure on what costs i should be looking for. I understand i will have gas/electricity bills, wages and food bills.

What other costs are involved from the beginning and throughout? ie rent?

I dont have much money to invest so i was told there is places that are already set up and running and i could go in there and run the place. Pay rent to the owner and keep whatever the profits are. However im not sure if this is any good and if i would be making much money.

tonto33

we supply and fit out takeaways last one we done was kebab shop came in at £15k including all equipment etc

steve1980

Have you ever run a takeaway? Have you ever had a business?

I'm assuming the answer is no to both. It's not as simple as opening up and getting a few staff.

You say you don't have a lot of money to invest. How much do you have?

chalkie99

It was only 2 days ago you were worrying that you could not pay back £1600 college fees if they came after you so trying to start a business like this is a bit of a non-starter I am afraid.

motorguy

the_belgiumtrump wrote: »

I have been thinking of starting a takeaway that would be towards the kebab shop / indian takeaway idea.

Im wondering if anyone here is in this business or has experience within it or simply has any tips for me on what the main steps are and pitfalls.


I know i would be looking to get 2 chefs, a delivery driver or 2. Advertisement will not be a problem for me.

Im not sure on what costs i should be looking for. I understand i will have gas/electricity bills, wages and food bills.

What other costs are involved from the beginning and throughout? ie rent?

I dont have much money to invest so i was told there is places that are already set up and running and i could go in there and run the place. Pay rent to the owner and keep whatever the profits are. However im not sure if this is any good and if i would be making much money.

As someone else has asked, have you any experience in this field and have you any business experience?

paulwf

What role will you play in the setup?

Most small takeaways I see are family run, there are long hours to be put in and few days off. It would probably work best if you were the main chef, this will keep your costs down and ensure food quality is high whilst keeping wastage to a minimum.

Just about every area I've lived in has been swamped with takeaways and more keep appearing all the time. You don't seem to be suggesting anything different, just a generic setup with a couple of chefs shipped in, so you'll be entering a very crowded marketplace.

lincroft1710

paulwf wrote: »

Just about every area I've lived in has been swamped with takeaways and more keep appearing all the time.

Couldn't agree more!!! Our town has one street with over a dozen takeaways/restaurants with takeaway facilities, six of them are next door to one another in a row.

the_belgiumtrump

It was only 2 days ago you were worrying that you could not pay back £1600 college fees if they came after you so trying to start a business like this is a bit of a non-starter I am afraid

I have got that sorted. I spoke to my head of department and they digged into a bit for me. SAAS have paid for the fees and when i contacted them they said that the fee was paid so i was to ignore the letter i had received months ago.

Have you ever run a takeaway? Have you ever had a business?

Correct i have not got any experience in this however my family have been in this business in the past for many years so i do have some support but im worried that there knowledge in this may not be the greatest these days as things change so im not sure how much it has changed in the last 10 years.

You say you don't have a lot of money to invest. How much do you have?

I would be able to borrow £20k from family so i would need to consider this as a cost for outgoings as i would be paying it back monthly.

Couldn't agree more!!! Our town has one street with over a dozen takeaways/restaurants with takeaway facilities, six of them are next door to one another in a row.

Yes i know what you mean but there is some spots i have looked at which really lack kebab shops/takeaways - even my own area there are 1000+ houses and not 1 single kebab shop close for another 2.5miles. My friend lives close to a indian takeaway and he has only ever received 1 leaflet from them within a year which i believe is very poor as i would consider dropping leaflets everyone month (i know that it could cost alot but this would definitely keep people aware of your business).

What role will you play in the setup?

At this time i would really only be able to take orders, pack up etc basically at the counter. I do lack knowledge with cooking which is a massive blow especially since the business works around food.

I have been told that i should work a few hours if possible in a takeaway and learn some bits and peices - learn to cook some foods and see how the management works.

we supply and fit out takeaways last one we done was kebab shop came in at £15k including all equipment etc

That sounds really good - i take it its completely ready for someone to walk in with staff and food and get to business?


Im mainly just wondering what my outgoings would be incase of any nasty suprises at the start to hit me financially.

pcombo

Just what the country needs, more indian take aways/chinese etc to make the country fatter.

Take aways are now almost as bad as bookmakers they just keep appearing out of no where.

the_belgiumtrump

nobody forces anybody to go for a takeaway or go and spend there money in a bookmakers.

Savvy_Sue

the_belgiumtrump wrote: »

At this time i would really only be able to take orders, pack up etc basically at the counter. I do lack knowledge with cooking which is a massive blow especially since the business works around food.

I have been told that i should work a few hours if possible in a takeaway and learn some bits and peices - learn to cook some foods and see how the management works.

with respect, I think it will take more than a few hours to learn what you really need.

the key thing in anything to do with retail - whether it's food or fine furniture - is that you have to be open when you say you will, and with takeaway food, you have to serve the full menu or pretty darned close to it!

so, you employ a couple of chefs and you box up. chef 1 takes a week's holiday. chef 2 gets a bout of d&v: cannot work for at least 48 hours after the last episode. chef 2 phones you 2 hours before you're due to open: "sorry boss, I've just thrown up, probably only last night's vindaloo, I saved some for my brekkie and I think my fridge is on the blink. back in 2 days if you're lucky."

somehow you have to open, prep and serve whatever is requested. sure, you can phone an agency for a chef - unless it's 5 pm when you get the call.

if the food isn't up to scratch that night, people won't come back. if you don't open, people won't come back. so you have to be able to do whatever it takes to keep the place open, IMO. and you have to be ready to work very long hours - because after closing time you've got a final clean and prep for the next day.

now, if you've already worked those very long hours and learned your trade, as it were, you may sees ways of doing things better, and you may get a handle on what your costs will be, but until you've seen at first hand how many staff are really needed to keep a place going, how vital portion control and safe food handling are, you would do better to borrow the money in cash, set fire to it and then work out a repayment plan.

I could be wrong, but I suspect people involved in successful food enterprises were either born into the family business or have a true passion for it. I don't think they do it for the money ...

sorry just seen you have some family connections. are they still running takeaways? if not, why not? what's different for you?