vending bbq

[Show me smoke]

I have some questions...was thinking of vending bbq at a couple of festivals this summer and fall...What does one need...do you collect sales tax? In kansas I do not need a licence according to the health dept. unless i do more than 10 per year. What other things does one need to do or think of?

[bizznessman]

Originally Posted by Show me smoke

I have some questions...was thinking of vending bbq at a couple of festivals this summer and fall...What does one need...do you collect sales tax? In kansas I do not need a licence according to the health dept. unless i do more than 10 per year. What other things does one need to do or think of?

We have served at festivals for 5 years in western KS. Ad you stated, regarding not needing a food license for festivals, we have limited our "bizz" to that venue only. A few other things to be aware of when doing festivals in KS are as follows.

1) Find out if the festival has a blanket insurance policy that covers vendors for liability (i.e. food born illness, etc) If not I would suggest you buy a policy for each event you attend. There are insurance companies that specialize in this for vendors specifically. The policies that we have bought averaged $150 for $1M in coverage.

2) You are responsible for sales tax on your product sales. Check with your festival to find out how they handle this. The festivals we attend do not report or collect sales data. We are responsible to report/pay our sales tax due ourselves.

3) Check to see what ALL of the fees are for attending as a vendor. Ours have a "space" fee, fee for electricity supply (if needed), etc. Be sure to ask up front as these will affect your bottom line.

4) This is just a suggestion borne of experience. Accept CASH only for payment. Unless you are doing this as a regular business the CC charges (using the Square or other tech means) will eat into your profits. Accepting checks is just asking for a loss.

5) Check with your HD to ensure that you are aware of all requirements for the event you are attending.

These are the basic items that we have come across.

[Show me smoke]

I called the dept of revenue today, and yes they want their money. The festival in Baldwin says a sales tax number must be included in your entry. Do you have this number? I guess you have to register with the state to get it?

[Pyle's BBQ]

Do you have to prep your food in a commercial kitchen in KS? Also, look into the equipment requirements. I know in Iowa we are required to have a hand washing station at our booth.

[bizznessman]

Originally Posted by Pyle's BBQ

Do you have to prep your food in a commercial kitchen in KS? Also, look into the equipment requirements. I know in Iowa we are required to have a hand washing station at our booth.

If the food is not cooked on-site then yes KS requires it to be cooked/prepped in licensed kitchen. We serve basic items at our events (pulled pork/brisket, baked beans, creamed corn) that we cook on-site therefore the licensed kitchen is not required. Our local HD rep has approved this but it would be advisable to check with the local HD to ensure this is allowed in the area the event is occurring. There can be local (county, city, etc) rules/regs as well so those should also be researched.

Yes, a hand wash station is required. The KS HD has a document that lists the requirements and specs of these types of items.

[bizznessman]

Originally Posted by Show me smoke

I called the dept of revenue today, and yes they want their money. The festival in Baldwin says a sales tax number must be included in your entry. Do you have this number? I guess you have to register with the state to get it?

Yes, you will need to apply for a Sales Tax Number and then report using the forms they supply.

Your local HD rep should be able to supply most if not all of the info you will need to have successful events.

There are some hoops to jump through and bells to ring......but once you get all the info and are prepared it isn't too bad. We really enjoy our events!!

Here are a couple of URL's that may help you.
http://www.kansas.gov/businesscenter/starting/
https://www.accesskansas.org/businesscenter/index.html
http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/st16.pdf
http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/st36.pdf
http://www.ksda.gov/includes/documen..._Food_Code.pdf
http://www.ksda.gov/includes/documen...aurant_App.pdf
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/content/334
http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/pub.../RRRFM2010.pdf
This link contains many useful URL's
http://www.ksda.gov/search/?search=F...ents&x=26&y=13