Costing and Pitch Considerations for Starting a Mobile Catering Business

The mobile catering business is currently thriving, with as great a demand as ever for convenient and flavoursome food. If you’re thinking of breaking into the street food scene and running a mobile catering business, there are several aspects to consider, including costs and venues, before you get started. 

One of the main issues you will encounter when setting up a mobile food unit is sourcing a suitable pitch to trade from. Within this, there are many considerations you need to bear in mind: from footfall, local demographics and menu choices, to name but a few. One of the key considerations, however, is the pitch’s cost. But how much does a burger van pitch, and pitches for catering businesses generally, cost?

In addition, where are the best locations to position your street food van for best success? We discuss all the important considerations of choosing a pitch and provide more useful advice for starting a mobile catering business below.

How Much Does a Food Van Pitch Cost?

The price for a pitch for a mobile catering business, such as a burger van, will vary depending on several factors. As such, catering van pitches can cost as little as £20 a day, to as much as £15,000 for large events and festivals. At Access Point, our venue rental charges can range from as little as £100+ VAT per week to over £1,000+ VAT for specialist sites.

There is no catch-all answer to how much a catering van pitch costs, as they are determined by many factors, including your activity, location, trading days, the type of pitch, duration, the type of product you serve, the size of the unit, and availability of power. Customer traffic can affect the rent of a site, but it is not always an indicator of success. With all this in mind, you should consider a catering van pitch that best suits your budget and offers the best return on investment in line with your operating costs.

There are several ways a fee may be paid. This is often in the form of a monthly licence fee, payable in advance. However, some event organisers may ask for a percentage of sales instead, which is typically around 10-15%, though it can be as much as 30% in some cases.

We do go into further detail in our Help Guides section that can help with your choices. There is no hard and fast guide to the level of rent you will pay. At Access Point, we exclusively work to a rent-only model. Some operator agents may offer a rent-and-turnover option, typically on the show or summer fair circuit.

How to Get the Best Value from Your Pitch

Though the cost of some pitches can be expensive, there are some methods that you can use to make sure that you get the best value for your pitch. These include:

• Booking in advance: Booking your pitch can become more expensive closer to the time when it will be busiest. As such, you should ensure that you book your pitch as early as possible for the best value.
  
  
• Fully understand what the pitch includes: Pitch costs can vary depending on what they include. For example, a more expensive pitch may include facilities such as electricity or waste removal. Another pitch may be cheaper but may not include these, and then cost more in added extras. So, be sure to check the full package before comparing costs.
  
  
• Calculate your potential return on investment: Before selecting your pitch, you should estimate your potential earnings against the cost of the pitch to ensure that the amount of time you spend trading is profitable and that it fits your budget.

Generally, you should test operating in different locations to see what works best for your business. When starting out, it’s best to start small, build a reputation, and then invest in the pitches that bring you consistent profit as you scale up.

Accounting for Other Costs

While the cost of a catering van pitch is important to consider, you should also account for all of the other operating costs as part of your business. There are several services that you will need to account for, including public liability insurance, which is legally required by councils and event organisers. You may also need to pay for a street trading licence as a requirement for offering goods or services from a vehicle in certain council areas.

Other costs that you will also need to plan for within your budget include:

• Food stock
• Equipment
• Electricity or generator fuel
• Water access
• Waste management
• Staffing
• Marketing and signage

What Locations are Food Trucks Most Successful In?

We highly recommend researching what type of pitch is best for your business to find the ideal location in advance. You should consider where you will reach your target customer base best, which areas have the highest footfall, and how convenient and practical the location you choose is. However, location itself is no longer as imperative as it once was, as delivery firms allow you to attract consumers to your unit and not just rely on passing trade.

When starting, you need to decide if you want to get on the show or exhibition circuit or whether you’re looking for a more permanent pitch where you can put down some roots and build customer loyalty.

Fixed, permanent sites tend to be more cost-effective, as it is often the case that a great food offer can increase the decision-making a consumer makes when determining where they want to shop. So, the venue owner would take a smaller rent due to the incremental customer levels. They may not have the level of attendance that shows and fairs have, but it’s more about giving the consumer a great experience so that they come back and repeat it!

What Are Popular Venues for Street Food Vans?

With the above aspects in mind, there are various venues that make for the most ideal locations for your street food van that are likely to suit specific business models. These are our best recommendations of popular venues for street food fans that have high traffic and create many opportunities for sales:

• Wickes/DIY
• City/town centres
• Retail/shopping Parks
• Parks

Wickes/DIY

Advantages: Wickes catering spaces offer a built-in audience for your style of food. Tradesmen and family DIYers alike will be more than happy to pick up a hot sandwich and a tea when shopping for supplies. 

Best suited to: Mobile units that can take advantage of the early morning/afternoon trade, even then moving the unit to an evening location for additional sales.

Concerns: Fast turnaround of food is required, so they are unsuitable for food that takes too long to prepare. Keen pricing is also important.

City/Town Centres

Advantages: A high volume of lunchtime crowds, including everyone from city workers to families, will provide plenty of opportunity to make sales. Your brand will also be highly visible to develop or strengthen its prominence.

Best suited to: Businesses that offer a unique option that differs from the regular sandwich will appeal to those looking for something more exciting to eat.

Concerns: There will be plenty of competition in a city centre, meaning your brand and offerings will need to stand out. Licensing requirements from local councils will also add some extra costs you will need to cover.

Retail/Shopping Parks

Advantages: Retail and shopping parks have plenty of weekend and lunchtime traffic, with families being great to market towards. You will be able to appeal to many peckish shoppers who may be hungry or looking for a quick bite.

Best suited to: Businesses looking to trade at weekends, with Saturdays and Sundays having the highest footfall. Vendors that serve widely appealing food suited to families will do best in retail park promotion spaces.

Concerns: Some locations will expect a rent fee or a revenue percentage. In addition, you’ll need written permission from landlords or supermarket management to operate.

Parks

Advantages: Consumers are after a variety of food, so your menu should find willing customers. People have more dwell time than in a shopping environment, so a more varied menu can work well in parks. You can even set up a small seating area so people can sit and have their food without rushing on the go.

Best suited to: A wide variety of alternative food styles works well, so street food trucks that look enticing work well. More of a semi-permanent location, so you have a chance to build up a customer base.

Concerns: Location in the park is important, and it will be passing foot traffic. Also, consider being on a route that food delivery companies can access, so you can also build up a base with the local population.

Our Useful Venue Locator

Researching the ideal catering van pitch to find your best-suited option and organising this with the space owners can sometimes be a hassle, though not if you use a convenient and specialised online service.

At Access Point, we make it incredibly simple for catering businesses to find pitches that offer the best positioning for their business. Using our helpful Venue Locator, you can easily browse pitches that most suit your location requirements, making this step of organising your mobile catering business as simple as can be! With our large and diverse list of clients to choose from, you have plenty of options to select your best venue.

Mobile Catering Pitches at Access Point

At Access Point, we can provide you with the options of many popular pitches for your mobile catering business. Whether you’re interested in moving from area to area with short-term sites or are looking to build up a reputation with a loyal customer base with a long-term site, we can help you find the ideal location that best works for your business plan.

Be sure to take a look at our Snackbox case study to find out their experience in using our services for mobile catering pitches.

Good luck out there with your venture! We’re always here to help and advise you to find the right spot for your wonderful business when you get in touch with our friendly team.