Takeaway

Savvy_Sue

the_belgiumtrump wrote: »

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).

footfall, footfall, footfall.

there may be 1000+ houses with no kebab shop within 2.5 miles, but do the residents of those houses have a multitude of routes home? is there passing trade from the local pubs / clubs? do people in that area consider kebabs when they cba to cook? (I don't ...)

Esqulax

Gonna throw in a couple of cents:
You'll need more than 1 or 2 drivers.

On a night where the roads are clear etc. a diver will take maybe 20 mins round trip (Assuming he finds the address straight away, and its a small area a a few miles radius)

In reality, this is more like half an hour to 40 mins on average as drivers get fuel/drinks/have a smoke when they're out on delivery.
For a something your size I'd say have 10 drivers on the books, with 5 or 6 on a fri/sat night.
Also drivers can be unreliable. Thinking about it in broad terms, fast food delivery is normally a part-time dealy for students, a second income for others, a stop gap until the job market picks up (Taxi drivers f'rinstance) or a first job.
Granted there are exceptions, but for the most part delivery driving is to make money before you head on to other things.
So keep in mind your staff turnover will be higher than say a restraunt.

Work in a takeaway a bit away from the area you're in to get experience. Id recommend a good 3 or 4 month stretch so you can really get to know what its like on busy nights, quiet nights etc.
Maybe dont tell them what your plans are as they wont like competition.

Most takeaways (Indian, Chinese, Chippys) tend to be owned and run by families, and because of the nature they'll have one person on the front counter/answering phones, and 3 or 4 in the kitchen as thats where the magic happens. A lot of the time, they'll be family so theres less likelihood of falsely calling in sick, and if someone is its easy to get a replacement in.

Its a pretty risky venture, and with a lot of places opening later and later - I guess as a result of licencing laws allowing pubs to serve longer - theres a lot of hours to be worked.
Best of luck with it, but do be very very... harsh or generous (I'm not sure which) when it comes to budgeting for things like staff, as the costs can hit quickly and hard

lynzpower

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/hygleg/hyglegresources/sfbb/

You will need to understand and be competent in the above

Environmental health will want to assess your practices, and the premises, to ensure that food safety law is complied with and your product is safe.

IN some authorities, if you are registered as unemplyed, you may be able to get free basic food hygiene training.

Trading without these is likely to be a recipe for disaster. Dont do it!

and as for how the takeaway trade has changed over the years.

The food chain has become a lot more complex over the years, chicken shipped from the far east, veg from all over EU and beyond. that means fresh food tends to last for less time.

Frozen foods however, dont really have these same issues, and many/most takeaways of the chicken shop/ burger type will have most foods bought in preprepared off site eg frozen chips/ burgers/ onion rings

fast food is still a growth area and it is something the FSA are concerned by so a search for fast food is useful over a third of Uks meals are eaten out of the home and this continues to rise.

In some local authorities there are planning restrictions on takeaways ( ie within radius of schools) on Public health grounds ( ie you cant in this area)

here are also tax issues re:vat, whether food is to be eaten on or off premises, how many seats you have etc http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000160&propertyType=document

lincroft1710

there may be 1000+ houses with no kebab shop within 2.5 miles,

But are there suitable premises amongst those 1000+ houses, where you could open a takeaway, i.e. one which has or would be granted Class A3 planning.

I should add that a friend opened a takeaway - doing great on late night trade until McD opened up, lost most of his customers, and IMHO his food was much better than McD. Another takeaway venture saw its core clientele move away from the area.

About 50% of the takeaways/restaurants in our town seem to change hands within 5 yrs, some even a shorter period and I don't believe it was because owners became millionaires and could afford to retire!!!

paulwf

You also need to consider what hours you prefer to work...I couldn't face changing the oil in fryers at 2am so don't work in takeaways. If you love working nights, and especially weekends and bank holidays, then go for it. You also have to consider that kebab shops probably attract more than their fair share of drunks, can your handle yourself if they kick off?

I can think of more pleasurable ways of earning a living but each to their own.

FatVonD

I had friends that owned a kebab shop.

They then bought a Southern Fried Chicken that took more money than the kebab shop so sold it. They then gave the Southern Fried Chicken shop to a younger brother and bought a Fish and Chip shop as apparently they make more money than either of the other 2 businesses (with more social hours.) Can you cope with all the hassle that comes with running an establishment that most people only visit after the pub?

Owain_Moneysaver

Kebab shops tend to appeal to less discriminating customers and compete on portion size and price.

A good fish & chip shop can compete on quality and have a sizeable trade in people getting F&C for their main meal instead of cooking. So you can get significant family trade in the early evening, whereas kebabs tend to be after-pub.