Is Street Food For You?Fact: Running a street food business isn’t for everyone. It’s an attractive idea, but for some people it just won’t work. You’ve got to be a certain type of person to run a street food business. You’ve got to have a few specific personality traits…
You've got to have a passion for food (OK, that was obvious)When you decide to run a street food business you decide to change your life. You’ll be cooking food, breathing food, sleeping food (and probably eating a fair bit of it too).
You're gonna need to have great people skillsYou’ll be juggling all sorts of people: customers, suppliers, event organisers, staff, your girlfriend who you’ve roped in on her day off... Most of the time it’s really fun. But other times people can just be a nightmare. Sad but true. And in this industry, customer service is everything. So you need to have a smile on your face in every situation. Get in front of the mirror and start practising now.
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You need to be ready for a bit of a slogBut don’t back out just yet – it’s a slog with great rewards. Be ready to get up early (like, 4am early) and start working in the cold and dark. A proactive, get-up-and-go attitude is what you need. Think promotion, finding work, staying on top of social media – oh and a lot of cooking.
You can’t be a quitter!Vans break down. Staff fail to show up. Equipment doesn’t last for ever. There will be setbacks, so you can’t be a quitter. The highs will outweigh the lows as long as you don’t let the bad stuff get you too far down in the dumps.
You’ve got to be money-savvyA street food entrepreneur has the potential to earn a lot. You’ve just got to keep on top of the finances to make sure you’re getting there (or pay someone else to do it for you).
Starting a street food business...How much is it going to cost?
The more you spend, the more you’re going to need to sell to make a profit. Obvious, right? You’d be surprised how many traders forget this simple fact.
Your initial start-up costs for a street food business are going to include equipment and installation, your unit, insurance, fixtures and fittings, initial stock, launch marketing, possibly a licence fee, pitch fees and potentially road tax. And then you’ve got all the little bits and bobs that you can’t resist (you know, like pompoms and bunting and stuff). There’s quite a lot to spend money on right? Let’s break down what physical stuff you could get with different initial investment levels…
Now you know why so many street foodies are cooking under canvas… We’d recommend you do the same at the start of your street food journey. If you decide this business isn’t for you and you’ve only forked out for a gazebo, you won’t have shot yourself in the foot too much.
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How important is training, really?
If you want to make your street food business a success (and not kill any customers in the process), training is really, really important.
In fact, you’re required by law to make sure your staff have the appropriate training in food hygiene and food safety for the job they’re doing. It’s pretty obvious that the easiest way to do that is for you and anyone working for you to get official training qualifications.
In fact, you’re required by law to make sure your staff have the appropriate training in food hygiene and food safety for the job they’re doing. It’s pretty obvious that the easiest way to do that is for you and anyone working for you to get official training qualifications.
So what's ideal?
It’s pretty simple really. There are 3 different levels of food hygiene training available…
Level 1 Food Hygiene
An introduction for all non-food handlers
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Level 2 Food Hygiene
Basic requirements for all food handlers
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Level 3 Food Hygiene
Required standard for owners & supervisors
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As a business owner you should really be taking HACCP and health & safety training too, so you can get to grips with your food safety management system.
It doesn't have to be loads of hassle
There are loads of online training providers out there. NCASS Training courses give you and your staff the UK’s only triple-accredited qualifications and – even better – loads of places on their courses are included in NCASS membership packages too.
