catering/Vending

Diesel Dave

Diesel Dave

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In the woods
I have started a business, legally with all required permits and inspections.
We do BBQ, sides and desert along with canned drinks.

We've catered parties all summer, about 1 a week, and have decided to purchase a concessions trailer. Now this trailer is outfitted as a complete kitchen. This is primarily because we have outgrown the use of the kitchen we have been using. Food was prepared in a commercial kitchen that we were able to rent for our events.

Meeting with the health department today and will get all the final info I need for vending in our county/state.

I can only thank the great folks here for the info on getting this done and the useful posts I've searched through to make it this far.

Now this trailer has a restroom for our use, and has an outside entrance for customer emergency use. This gives us much more latitude in where we can set up. I'm looking into places on the main drag in ours and adjoining counties. Since my license will allow us to set up anywhere in the state. Costed a bit more but I felt it was worth it.

Now a quick question, would you fine folks recommend just setting up in one prime location or try to set up gigs for next year to travel to. Like festivals, small fairs and possibly NASCAR races?
I have all of these within a 50 mile radius of our home base.

Just looking for opinions on this as we have put a good amount of money out ordering this new set up.

Thanks in advance for any and all info and opinions
 
Brother Dave, I wish you well in your new venture!

I know how hard you work and you could pull off both I'm sure.Try and get a prime spot & go for the traveling gigs next year. This way, you could have yourself established in one location with the presumption you would be out of town on some special gigs down the road.

Good luck, My Brother!!
 
Thanks bother :thumb:

That's the route I was thinking of taking. But input from the Brethren is always a BIG plus in my opinion.

Give me a call sometime
 
Here are some pics they have sent me unfinished with the equipment


Here's a list of the equipment:
- 1 Deep DBL Fryer
- 4 Well Steam Table
- 1 36-2G Stove
- 4 Shut Off Valves (Stove, Steam ,Fryer, Gen Onan)
5 Total w/Main Shut Off
- 4 Flex Lines for (Stove, Steam, Fryer, Onan Gen )
- 1 Gas Line
- 2 Propane Cage on Front Side
- 2 100 Propane Tanks w/ HF Regulator
w/ Manual Throw Switch and two Copper Lines to Tanks
Tank’s Share Propane for System and Generator (Onan)
- 1 Arctic Air Fridge
- 1 Arctic Air Freezer
- 1 Onan Commercial Generator
- Direct Connect to Electrical Panel w/ Butterfly Switch
- Remote Start w/Hour Meter On Wall (Kitchen Area)
- Extra Gas Line to Generator
- Anti- Fatigue Mat in Black or Red
 

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PatAttack said:
Brother Dave, I wish you well in your new venture!

I know how hard you work and you could pull off both I'm sure.Try and get a prime spot & go for the traveling gigs next year. This way, you could have yourself established in one location with the presumption you would be out of town on some special gigs down the road.

Good luck, My Brother!!
Click to expand...


I agree with Pat, do both if possible.

One possible suggestion regarding the "Prime Spot". Find several of these "spots" and have a rotating schedule using Twitter or Facebook to notify your customers of when you will be at each location. This will allow you to cover a wider market and possibly increase volume.

Then when you are doing festivals, fairs, etc use the same social media to tell your regular customers where you are during those events. :mrgreen:
 
Thanks everyone

bizznessman, I appreciate the input. I was considering using the social media idea like you mentioned. And considering that I'd be moving when there was an event, I would not let down my regulars.
 
just a thought Dave

There is a guy who setup in a BP gas station parking lot off the I 96 Brighton Grand River exit. He has a huge pile of wood behind his trailer so I know this is his regular spot. Maybe you could do something like that? I did not talk to him, maybe next time you are up that way you could pick his brain
 
Thanks, it's a custom trailer built by yourtraileronline.com and dang switched the numbers, it's 7'6" tall :tsk:
 
Here is my take based upon talks with food truck operators I have known out here.

1. IF you can tie down a great location (e.g. 10 minutes from both an office/industrial area and a major shopping core, or 10 minutes from an office/industrial area and on the major road home) then tie it down. That is gold. However, the likelihood I found was that these don't often exist. So, then look at what your major advantage is over B&M, and that is mobility (because in truth, your costs will be higher). Don't give that mobility up. The owners I knew had rotations of 3-5 areas they set up for lunch traffic, and 3-5 areas they setup for dinner traffic. Create traffic for these with Social Media

And social media, is more about pictures and hype, than about pricing and adverts. The more you can get your customers to blast you, the more you can make. According to the guys I talked with, roadside was better for this than festivals or events. With the exception of street food events, they found that the most traffic was the daily eaters who looked forward to their one time per week chance to grub on something they didn't normally get.

for example: there was a woman who ran a Korean Burrito truck out here, originally she was 5 days a week in S.F. and she made money. Then, one day, she switched, and was only in S.F. two days a week, and Friday nights. The other days she was in other towns well away from S.F. When I asked her strategy, she said that she makes less per day for the three days she is not in S.F. than if she was there. But, her demand and sales skyrocketed when she limited availability, to where her sales just on the three says she was in the City exceeded her previous 5 days records.

Another thing I noted in my business plans (I wrote up two, one for a BBQ truck and one for a pie and coffee truck) was that I was not going to be lured into the trap of thinking that areas that do not have restaurants need restaurants. In truth, areas that do not have restaurants often are like that because they do not support them. To me, it became obvious, that the key all of these guys worked on was to offer something distinct, then to fill that hole in a location that had lots of traffic. Compete against other restaurants and beat the market with great product.
 
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