so, you want to sell your Q

Yep - you've got the correct.

Start with the DOH. They'll give you the framework for what you'll have to have to be legal - that usually entails a commercial kitchen that will be certified by the DOH & regulations on your serving set up. (For example - I have a commercial kitchen but no trailer. When I do a mobile gig - DOH specifies what kind of tent, water supply, holding temp, etc. I need at the mobile location.)

Once you have the DOH regs, you'll need to check with local building & fire codes to build out your kitchen. Once the kitchen is in place - you'll need to talk to your insurance agent about covering the kitchen, mobile set up, liability, etc.

Also may I add - write up a business plan, even though you may think this going to be small scale, a plan will cover all aspects of having a "business", you'll be amazed what you will uncover while getting going, etc...
Good luck & post pics when you get going !

When you say small scale what exactly do you have in mind? Do you mean weekends or once a month or what?

boogiesnap said:

i'm thinking offering services for small backyard gatherings, kids parties, maybe promo cooks at freinds stores, maybe a friday lunchtime roadside. stuff like that.
no festival vending, brick and mortar, weddings, or stuff like that. don't have the equipment or experience.
see if i can get any traction or interest and possibly then, move into larger gigs or everyday lunch, as well as investment.

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Whatever what you decide to do, I wish you much success.

I can only speak for my area but if you were here you would need a HD Certified Kitchen annual HD fees are about $300 business license, litter tax and other fees are about $250 annually and insurance $1000. I have many more bills than that accountant, s corp, chamber of commerce, advertising ect, but I would say just to do the small things you could expect $1500 in annual fees to be in business not counting equipment and things. In my area the money making time is May thru October so that is 6 months of pay days.

So figure you need to make $250 per month during those 6 months to pay the legal fees of being in business. If your good with that hen I would go to the HD and ask them what you need in your area to get a permit to operate and they will help you. This would be the minimal start and I would recommend having $5000-$10,000 cash on hand. Good Luck!

I wish you luck and love the idea of you posting the notes from your journey. You are chasing my dream. Can't chase it myself right now due to other commitments, but watching you will be a treat. Thanks and once again good luck!

The 5-10k will cover unseen costs and epuipment needs and things like that. You may do it on less but the last thing you want to do is be set up ready to go and broke to your A$$. When I started it was like $11k in trailer/kitchen, $600 trailer logo's, $2k trailer sinks refrig water heater plumbing, $4k equipment, $1k starting S-Corp, $500 licenses, $2k in stock/supllies, $2k 1st food/supplies order to vend, $500 advertising, and more but it can be done with less than I did, I did not cut any corners. I went into it with everything I could afford and if it did not work then I would not have to think well what if I had done ....

boogiesnap said:

while i'm rambling, how does a commercial kitchen work for a BBQ'er as we are not actually cooking there? is it for prep? must ingredients/meats, etc. be stored there exclusively?

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You don't THINK you'll be cooking there, but your HD might just tell you that you have to. You also might find that you are not able to use your current smoker.

At a minimum you will need the commissary to dump your graywater.

And yes, you also may learn that your meats might need to be stored there also.

I think you're in for an education...but a good one.

And don't forget the tax man! Here is FL I had to setup a Doing Business As (DBA) name, then apply to the state and feds for my tax numbers. The number from the Feds is yours forever!! It's the EIN (Employer ID Number) that you need to get a business license, business bank account, state tax number, etc.

boogiesnap said:

agreed for sure.

well, we'll find out what they say about it tomorrow, if i can get through to the right person.

and yes, my cookers do not have a "hold" button. so, again, we'll see.

i'll be calling my local county HD and comply, what happens if i travel to another county and they have totally different regulations?

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BBQ pits are not required to have a 'hold' button. That isn't needed and will not be an issue. It's a matter of what regulations your state has for pits...NSF or non-NSF pits. Every state is different.

Counties will not have totally different regulations. They all simply enforce the state code. However, you just may need to register in multiple counties if you plan on doing business in them. That is a question for you to ask when you have the conversation with the HD.

Boogiesnap, here's another idea that might better suit you starting out.

Find a local, small-scale restaraunt or bar & grill in your area, and offer to partner with them on a weekend barbeque menu - a type of "add-on" to their normal business.

While it may sound a bit difficult, it may be just the ticket to what you're trying to accomplish.

If I were to do it, I might approach it this way: Think of your pitmaster skills as a service. Offer to provide the equipment and labor to prepare and cook the food for a set fee. Allow the restaraunt to cover the food costs, and reap the benefits from an expanded menu. Work with the owners and/or managers on exactly what you would require as far as quality and quantity of food.

In essence, you're like the house band, or in today's world, a karaoke guy. You're not a directly employee of the restaraunt or bar, but you provide an add-on attraction to their business. You maintain a certain level of responsiblity, and work in cooperation with the existing business to expand their offering. And by doing so, you're paid for your services.

Not saying it would be easy, but it may be a more simple and direct approach from a business-standpoint to get to where you want to be - which is offering your 'Q to the public.

Good luck on your ventures!

Dont let anything get between you and your dreams! You could be the next big BBQ guy in your area! If there is a will there is a way! Trust me.

1st thing I did last winter is contacted my accountant and got a plan together. I contacted the HD with my ideas and they sent me in the right direction. My HD required I get Serve Safe certified, which I did.
My cooker was NSF already and I had most all the small stuff I needed. I was able to use a certified kitchen to do my prep work and use their coolers. I hooked up with a meat supplier that let me keep my meats and salads in his coolers till I needed them.

We hit the ground running and had a great 1st year. 4 weddings and a bunch of smaller catering events. We got a small vending trailer and did our county fair and a few other smaller events in the area. I ended up having to buy a new truck so my tax exposure won't be too bad. By mid-summer I bought another cooker to keep up with the volume and be a backup just in case. That was a great idea because I got a bad batch of pellets and it took my original one out for a few weeks.
I know this is not typical but it shows what can happen if you play your cards right and get really lucky.

Good luck on your venture, don't let anyone tell you it can't be done.
It's a huge amount of work but all worth it when people tell you how good you food is.

Jack