Decisions For Starting a Mobile Kitchen Business
Are you looking for a new venture but not looking to break the bank? Well it is possible to start a restaurant with a rather small budget and a lot of hard work. A mobile kitchen can be a great way to make some cash while doing away with being held to a single location.
It is important to decide how your mobile kitchen will serve your customers. You could make frequent stops, never staying in one location for long or you could be in place for weeks or months at a time. How you go from here will be a deciding factor on how to continue with your design. If you will be mobile frequently then you need to factor that into how the kitchen is built. Though you will not have to worry about mobility as much if you will be in one place for long periods of time.
The size of your restaurant and other options, as in storage, will need to be factored in with how many meals will be served. So try to be precise when estimating this and leave room for growth. Also when will you be serving? You need to estimate for slow and busy periods during these times.
Who are you planning to market to? The menu is important especially when planning your location and the community around you. What type of restaurants is hot there? What is desired there that you could fulfill? All of these are relevant when deciding your menu as it can be the most important decision you can make.
What type of mobile kitchen will you build? The two types we will talk about here are box trailer and trucks. A mobile truck is a step truck that has been converted over to a kitchen. These are usually even more limited in space and but can make frequent stops throughout a day. A box trailer converted to a mobile kitchen is a more semi-permanent idea and can have more storage space and have the ability to serve more customers. They can vary in size, shape, and function as they can meet the needs of almost any type of restaurant.
Will there be a power source available or will a generator be needed? Needing a generator can be expensive but makes your operation much more mobile. Also, what will be your cooking source? You can use all electric, from a power source or generator, natural gas, or propane. All of these are sufficient to use but each have pros and cons. So you will need to weigh the facts to find what will work for you.
Simply put, how much can you spend on this project? While a mobile kitchen is not close to the cost of a brick and mortar restaurant, there is definitely still a budget. You should expect to spend $40k to $100k on the mobile kitchen alone, depending on the options you choose.
Another expensive part of this venture will be the equipment needed to start serving. You will need refrigeration to keep your goods from spoiling. You will also need different types of cooking equipment, anything from convection, ranges, or microwaves. You will need prep equipment as in stainless steel tables, pizza prep tables, etc. You will also need beverage equipment to serve your customers with fresh cold drinks.
It is important to decide how your mobile kitchen will serve your customers. You could make frequent stops, never staying in one location for long or you could be in place for weeks or months at a time. How you go from here will be a deciding factor on how to continue with your design. If you will be mobile frequently then you need to factor that into how the kitchen is built. Though you will not have to worry about mobility as much if you will be in one place for long periods of time.
The size of your restaurant and other options, as in storage, will need to be factored in with how many meals will be served. So try to be precise when estimating this and leave room for growth. Also when will you be serving? You need to estimate for slow and busy periods during these times.
Who are you planning to market to? The menu is important especially when planning your location and the community around you. What type of restaurants is hot there? What is desired there that you could fulfill? All of these are relevant when deciding your menu as it can be the most important decision you can make.
What type of mobile kitchen will you build? The two types we will talk about here are box trailer and trucks. A mobile truck is a step truck that has been converted over to a kitchen. These are usually even more limited in space and but can make frequent stops throughout a day. A box trailer converted to a mobile kitchen is a more semi-permanent idea and can have more storage space and have the ability to serve more customers. They can vary in size, shape, and function as they can meet the needs of almost any type of restaurant.
Will there be a power source available or will a generator be needed? Needing a generator can be expensive but makes your operation much more mobile. Also, what will be your cooking source? You can use all electric, from a power source or generator, natural gas, or propane. All of these are sufficient to use but each have pros and cons. So you will need to weigh the facts to find what will work for you.
Simply put, how much can you spend on this project? While a mobile kitchen is not close to the cost of a brick and mortar restaurant, there is definitely still a budget. You should expect to spend $40k to $100k on the mobile kitchen alone, depending on the options you choose.
Another expensive part of this venture will be the equipment needed to start serving. You will need refrigeration to keep your goods from spoiling. You will also need different types of cooking equipment, anything from convection, ranges, or microwaves. You will need prep equipment as in stainless steel tables, pizza prep tables, etc. You will also need beverage equipment to serve your customers with fresh cold drinks.
