Catering sized portions?

[Tiny]

Chaps,
Cant do the quote response thing so forgive the disjointed nature of this post.

Keith,
Not true about Mcdonalds, each individual franchise has to stand on its own P and L account, no help from the mother ship they all stand alone.

£3.50 for an artisan produced pp roll? Absolute billy bargain, I reckon you would be beating folk away with a stick at that price, for me the break point is to go in just under the fiver, and offer some kind of "big pig roll" for a premium upsell, someone will fork out the extra , probably me!

Really depends what the point of the venture is, if it is to make a few quid at farmers markets then all well and good, but if the intention is to make a living then it is a different proposition.

There is lots of talk about the average wage in terms of benefits so if you use the Govt figure of £26k then the maths is pretty simple, based on a 52 week year and a 5 day week you are looking at clearing a cool £100 a day pure profit.

using our £5 a sandwich if you assume you sell 50 this is a £250 take, knock off 20% for your pitch and you are on the road, at 1/4lb per sarnie you are looking at 12.5lb cooked weight of pork, prob 20lb before the off, factor in charcoal and depreciation, fuel and the like and I am not sure you have your £100 left.

All this saifdI admire those that do and wish you well.
Cheers
Tiny

[keith157]

Sorry Tiny I phrased it wrongly. Yes Maccie D's franchises do stand alone, I was referring to the Company profits. They are well aware that some stores will make more than others and so are willing to accept a more modest income from smaller stores than from somewhere like Hatfield (until Heathrow opened the most profitable McDonalds in Europe). The percentage is the same it is their return that differs.

[Toby]

There are big difference around the country when it comes to pricing, Brands hatch was £6 for a pulled pork roll, and £8 for a Pork brisket combo. Cartmel was £4 for a pork roll and £6 for a combo. I honestly believed I could have put the prices up slightly at cartmel as people were paying £4 for a jumbo hotdog at my pitch. I looked at the highest prices being charged by everyone else (burgers and dodgy hog roast) and I went slightly over. We had quality food on offer against the stodge from the vans and people knew that.

[aris]

Most of the 'events' I've been to recently where they have a captive audience for food, they charge £4.50-8 for a meal. Competing on price while keeping your quality high is a race to the bottom.

If you have a reputation for quality, consistency, cleanliness, and a unique product - event managers should be calling you up, not the other way around. They need to know you exist though - so you need to get in their face so to speak. Good marketing - professional image.

Im not sure if the food truck phenomenon has started in the UK as it has in the US just yet - but I think we're ripe for it. You have to differentiate yourself from he burger van image people have of any food sold from a mobile vehicle as the expectation is much less from them. I have seen some quality food sold at events - like lovely roast pork baps. All very professionally done with staff in nice uniforms, pork sliced in front of you, and baps that did not look as if they came from tesco (people can spot a supermarket bap from a mile away!)

[forgotlunch]

Don't forget higher profit add-ons - e.g. £1.00 - £1.50 for water

[keith157]

Don't forget higher profit add-ons - e.g. £1.00 - £1.50 for water

Where have you been going Mostly £2.50-£3.50 around London or anywhere there is a captive audience, e.g. a theatre!!!!

[Mj2k]

I can't make my model work, so think I'm stuck in the corporate mouse wheel with a dream of what could be.

Trying to convince my wife of a weekend venture when I'm working 60 hours a week just isn't going to cut it & think my net income would be significantly lower - bitter long term manager for me for the rest of my career I feel

[keith157]

60 hours pw plus setting up a catering company.......Next you're going to want to retain your sanity as well

[Tiny]

MJ2K,
Only way to do it is to force your way up that corporate ladder, play the politics, smooze with the best of them and hopefully earn enough so you can be like one of those smug gits from programs like "escape to the country" who are obviously minted and are looking to set up there artisan hamster grooming service for her and he will be "working from home a couple of days a week"

Then you can dream of the oak smoke my friend..........

Off to my 10 hours in corporate land today, but they cant stop me reflecting silently over the pros and cons of hickory smoke during the face meltingly dull managers forum today.

Keep the faith
Tiny

[Mj2k]

Artisan hamster grooming, now there's a plan Tiny!

Management politics, ah the pain of my life. The other business plan is to go solo & offer category consultancy, doing the job I love without the politics - this business plan works, it's just less 'fun'!

Enjoy the meeting - I too dream of smoke when meetings get dull.