Buying Food for my Burger Van

nooksky

Hi,
I'm in the process of buying a burger van and would like to know where is the best place to purchase food like burgers and sausages and rolls etc?
We do have a makro but was thinking of any other places that are good?

Thanks

superkev

Nooksky, have your thought about having a signature dish for your business, like rice and chicken curry or vegtable/meat noodles ( veg noodles 10p a packet in tesco). would love to have my own burger van... cool:0)

mini_mad_dad

as a regular user of burger vans across the country the one thing i would advise ( if you dont mind ) is dont scimp on cheap burgers! cheap is obviously good for you but 9 times out 10 they are crap and one thing that sticks in my mind about burger vans is where can you get the best tasting food (and a friendly face along with a nice cuppa). super kev has the right idea too, i regualy drop into a burger van located in crawley that serves a mean curry (if i am in the area then it the curry i always have), i can name several others across the country that do really good food and then there are the ones i could tell you that i wont eat at due to the grease and lack of qaulity of food. good tasting food is a must for any burger van us lorry and van drivers do appreciate good food, warm tea and a smiley face! good luck with your venture and your hunt for good food. you might wanna try a couple local burger vans to where you are gonna set and see what you may be up against? one i day i might write a book about the countrys best burger vans and worst bit like the mitchelin 5 star rating he he

Blacksheep1979

makro or costco mate, parents use costco (not for business use though) and some of their stuff is excellent quality and good value.

thebuff1

Agree with all posts here so far.
I shop loads at Costco. Appx £30 for individual member per annum, not sure what it is for business. I love this place, you get a 3 year guarantee on your electricals.
They often have vouchers with special offers. Last week I specifically purchased items in their voucher booklet and did not realise until at home that the vouchers had not been scanned, I called them and they refunded the £40 difference - can't see other shops doing that.
Anyway back to food, I understand the beefburgers are lovely, they make nice cumberland sausages, however, as has been said before, whilst not wishing to tell you what to do, I certainly believe serving pants food will not gain you regular customers which surely (pardon the pun) is your bread and butter work?
Have you considered and costed purchasing from a good family butcher, they know their stuff and will probably work a deal with you. It may pay you to say that they supply your meat, sausages.
I make my own burgers, using 2lb of mince, I get a min of 9 decent sized burgers which I cook from frozen as they hold together better they are quick and easy and making your own may set you apart from others.
Personally, I would go out of my way to a particular cafe or burger van if they did say an amazing burger and or really good not watery hot choc.
I'm sure others have personal preferences.
Good luck, let us know how you are getting on

nooksky

Thanks for all your comments Im off to check the local Makro and Costco, have now today purcashed a burger van which is in a bit of need of tlc but will be up and running in no time i hope.
I want to purchase good quality meat so customers keep coming back ! I will keep you updated on how it goes

Eagle_1

and make sure its not a naffy coffee, its gotta be Nescafe

Shame you werent in the North East cos George Bolams (Sedgefield) is brilliant. Oh and if anyones local you gotta try Bolams dinners in the cafe, jeeze the portions are huge. Bolams is also open to Joe Public, I buy my steakburgers there and they are dirt cheap

Id deffinately reccomend you try a few other burger vans, see whats on their menu and keep up with them. Theres a burger van near us and they do gorgeous chicken burgers(only cooked to order), its chicken fillets with, lettuce, toms, mayo etc and they look gorgeous.

Good luck

basill

mini_mad_dad wrote: »

as a regular user of burger vans across the country the one thing i would advise ( if you dont mind ) is dont scimp on cheap burgers! c

OOps, I use the vans a fair bit too, Pleeeease avoid the super cheap bread rolls that taste of nothing but sugar. Lumps of french stick or the choice of crusty or smooth rolls have me returning for more. IMHO its worth the extra for nice bread every time. I wont return to a place that uses the cheap, sweet tasting bread. Most towns and villages have a baker who will no doubt do you a deal for regular supplies of quality bread, I`m sure my favourite breakfast van takes this route.

Good Luck,

B

Little_John

And the most important thing is to not use crap ketchup and brown sauce. everywhere uses the cheap stuff that the wholesalers sell as their own brand. it turns food pink, is very thin doesnt taste of tomatos or whatever it is HP/daddies tastes of they taste like vinegar. everyone knows its not good so they use loads. buy decent stuff and I would return.

try your local cash and carry for stuff like frozen chips there is little difference between frozen chips but for the burger/sausage/bacon/chicken it is better to buy better stuff, Im not saying go buy tesco finest but something better than the 2p a burger stuff that repeats on you all day.

Crawf

Hi

You definently want to get along to all your local cash and carrys or even in near by towns for some of the bigger oines ike Batleysetc.

The likes of Booker, Bestway, Hancocks, Batleys, Makro, Costco, Blakemore.

Loads of cash and carrys are memners of wholesael organisations like Landmark, Nisa, what happens in these places as they always have deals on for the likes of crisps, cans of juice(coke,pepsi etc) and you may find the manufacturer will give a promotion to one organistaion one month and the next month to another so it pays to have an account at all your nearby cash and carrys and you can stock up on your supplies at the cheapest place at that time, they usually all have mailing lists which come out each week with special offers.

Best of luck.

consumermonkey

I agree, quality over quantity every time. Mind you I was at a van at chepstow racecourse a few weeks ago and the food was great, tea was good, the quantity was great and the prices were good too.