Food Cart Business

Food is one thing that will never cease to be in demand as long as life is in existence. Food is needed at every point in time or country and food cart is one of the easiest way to make food readily available. It is also one of the affordable ways to enter into the food business.

One of the greatest advantage of this business is that it is mobile and you tend to sell faster because you are taking the food right to the door step of your customers. Another advantage is that if you find yourself in a poor location, you can easily move your cart to a better location where you will be able to make better sales. From an entrepreneurial standpoint, kiosks and food cart have a lower overhead than restaurants and can be moved if one location does not generate enough business. Rather than having to determine where to open a restaurant and worry about the old real-estate adage "location, location, location," the owner can actually drive to a new location if business is poor.

The third advantage is that the start-up cost for this business is cheaper than a restaurant. So, if you are planning to start a small business but don’t actually know which business to start, you can as well give food cart business a trial. But before you start, you have to start off on a good note, here’s how to start a food cart business.

1. Conduct a feasibility research

The first thing to do before starting a food cart business is to conduct a research. The research should include your start-up cost, projected expenses, revenue projection, marketing strategies, human resources and a list of the challenges the business will have to overcome to achieve success.

2. Decide on your business location

Areas of high traffic such as schools, malls, large commercial areas, busy intersections, terminals and supermarkets are good locations to operate your food cart business. But make sure you carry out a thorough research in the area of your location because it is your location that determines the level of sales that you will make.

3. Register your business

In other to ensure an easy and undisturbed running of your food cart business, you have to register the business with certain government bodies like DTI for sole proprietorship or SEC for partnership, bureau of internal revenue, food regulatory authorities, etc. You have to also get a clearance from the department of health.

4. Construct your cart

For a start, go for an affordable but admirable cart but before constructing your cart, you need to consider the type of food you want to sell. If you intend to sell burger or other foods that requires you prepare it on set, you might require a larger cart.

5. Brand yourself

After getting your cart ready, the next step is to brand your food cart with your business logo or business name. Consult a graphic designer to help you in designing your logo or color scheme on your cart.

6. Get Connected

Running a food cart business is not all about vending food on a mobile cart during lunch hours in a crowded area. You may need to advertise yourself both online and otherwise. By so doing, you get to connect your business to vast corners of the world. So many food cart business owners make their money by catering special event and cooperate functions.

7. Hire highly motivated personnel

Great care must be taken when hiring the right employees to help run your food cart business. You need to hire a hardworking and trustworthy person with a good hygiene. You must ensure the applicant is good in simple arithmetic. Lastly, a cheerful attitude and a presentable appearance is important to draw customers.

A food cart business is an easy business venture and it is advisable for young entrepreneurs. This is because it requires little capital and it is easy to run.