Own Fast Food trolley/cart on street?

Igor2155

Hello

First of all sorry if I posted in wrong section.

Now, I was talking with my friend, and he proposed me to buy a trolley/cart with fries/chips/hamburges/hot dogs, but I dont know completly where we should go to get a permission for this business? What about safety during preparing food? What are the costs of permission and where we should go ? (we want stand basically in Dublin, Bray or Dun Laoghaire)

highlandseoghan

The two links to the websites below should help you get a lot of the information / answers that you are looking for.

www.fsai.ie/food_businesses/starting_business.html


www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/CasualTradingLicence/Pages/default.aspx

Is it a mobile cart that your thinking about or a catering trailer?

bigneacy

Mobile cart needs to be HSE approved for the area in which you will operate. Needs to have a Handwash tap with running water and a receptacle for waste water. The HSE will ask you where you will store the food, how you will keep the food warm and what you will do with the waste food, along with all the usual other food safety rigmarole. You can find numbers for your local HSE inspectors online. You'll need to demonstrate a basic understanding of food safety and have things like gloves, tongs etc.

Next step is you need to get a pitch from which to trade. You can't just rock up and start selling wherever it suits you - you will end up being sent home and possibly having your rig seized by AGS. So really, your two options here are county/town/city council (yearly fee+other costs) or private property(daily/weekly/monthyl rent and/or a cut of the takings). The latter won't be easy to find in an ideal location. You will need public liability insurance up to €6.3m to deal with the councils. If you are outside the big cities it can be hard to get permission for such a thing as usually they only have pitches for market stalls and catering trailers, and if you are in the big cities the competition is fierce and there was word of "protection money" of sorts that had to be paid to some unsavoury characters.

Igor2155

Hello

Thanks for answering, however I do not understand this:

You will need public liability insurance up to €6.3m to deal with the councils

What does it exactly mean?

My friend has a cart which is big 3m x 2m, he have all needed HSE authority documents, I thinking about open parking spaces (guarded) and I could rent a place for let say 30 euro per day, but I dont have any ideas where to stand, I thought about Blanch Shopping Centre Parking but they will kick me off very fast...

CucaFace

Igor2155 wrote: »

Hello

Thanks for answering, however I do not understand this:


What does it exactly mean?

My friend has a cart which is big 3m x 2m, he have all needed HSE authority documents, I thinking about open parking spaces (guarded) and I could rent a place for let say 30 euro per day, but I dont have any ideas where to stand, I thought about Blanch Shopping Centre Parking but they will kick me off very fast...

He means you should have insurance to be operating legally.

It would probably cost you around 500/600 for the year perhaps.

You should contact a broker to get you a quote.

stedabee

I have also been thinking about setting up a catering van too and would be very interested in doing so with you. If your serious about it and have funds id be willing to have a chat? I have always wanted to have a van that just sells chips and its called ........Mr Chippy , have wedges sweet patato twisty fries and so on. I think it would make a killing in town on weekend nights.

ironclaw

stedabee wrote: »

I think it would make a killing in town on weekend nights.

Ever stop and think if that was the case why theres only about 3 stalls between Templebar and the end of Harcourt St? You'd be competing with to name but a few, every single real chipper, all the Chinese Restaurants and the major food chains. All of which operate to 5am and speaking as a clubber myself, most people go to the nearest place they know of.

You'd need to put a fairly unique spin on it or be out of this world in the case of value (You can get a chicken fillet roll for as little as €2 in some places) and portion size. Remember your market is students. 90% of them would have less than €10 for the entire night in their back pocket.

stedabee

ironclaw wrote: »

Ever stop and think if that was the case why theres only about 3 stalls between Templebar and the end of Harcourt St? You'd be competing with to name but a few, every single real chipper, all the Chinese Restaurants and the major food chains. All of which operate to 5am and speaking as a clubber myself, most people go to the nearest place they know of.

You'd need to put a fairly unique spin on it or be out of this world in the case of value (You can get a chicken fillet roll for as little as €2 in some places) and portion size. Remember your market is students. 90% of them would have less than €10 for the entire night in their back pocket.

Might only be 3 stalls because some people dont have €10k to set up a chip van, i see your point but i know for sure there has never been a all chip shop van that does every sort of chip and topping imaginable. Each weekend im out there seems to be plenty of money being spent on drink let alone the queues in Burgerking and Mc'd at 3 in the morning so i dont think theres a shortage off money.

Last weekend for example i waiting for 40 minutes in Mc'ds to get served, i bet if that chip van was on the street and you were selling garlic and cheese fries and a can of coke €3-4 you wouldn't have a problem selling. I have plenty of friends in the nightclub scene both barman and managers and believe me theres plenty of money being spent on weekends.

highlandseoghan

I think your idea of a chippy is pretty cool. When I go out and its the early ours of the morning and I knew your van did decent chips Id be there.

However the issue I see you having is getting your licence to allow you to trade. The reason there might be only 3 mobile units where your talking about could be because there is only 3 spots allowed.

You need to apply to get your casual trading permit. It's not just a case of pulling up in a spot that looks busy and start trading.

stedabee

highlandseoghan wrote: »

I think your idea of a chippy is pretty cool. When I go out and its the early ours of the morning and I knew your van did decent chips Id be there.

However the issue I see you having is getting your licence to allow you to trade. The reason there might be only 3 mobile units where your talking about could be because there is only 3 spots allowed.

You need to apply to get your casual trading permit. It's not just a case of pulling up in a spot that looks busy and start trading.

Cheers highland, actually I totally agree on the 3 spot permit. I actually was meant to add that in my last post and to be honest I'm pretty sure there strict on who can go where. Top of grafton street is a great spot but that is well taken but I'm sure you can manage to get another decent one somewhere.

Ye I've had this idea for a while and what really appeals to me is the simplicity of it, I know I few chip shop owners and have friends in the catering business so sourcing good chips shouldn't be hard! The name would be Mr Chippy for sure and you would have everything from thin straight cut, thick, twister, sweet to roastes, then curry, taco, garlic and the rest. Honestly I think it's a idea which no one to my knowladge has tried and we all know how satisfying taco chips can be after a few drinks haha!

upandcumming

ironclaw wrote: »

90% of them would have less than €10 for the entire night in their back pocket.

From where did you pull that?

ironclaw

upandcumming wrote: »

From where did you pull that?

Emm. Experience?

Student culture is to pre-drink as much as possible for cheap at home or what not. Then get to a club as close to 12 as possible (As its mainly free-in before then) And save whats left to buy a top up drink and then the taxi home. I know few people that would blow more than €20 on a night out in total. That includes pre-drinking.

Yes there are those that go out and spend a fortune but its few and far between in my experience

upandcumming

ironclaw wrote: »

Emm. Experience?

Student culture is to pre-drink as much as possible for cheap at home or what not. Then get to a club as close to 12 as possible (As its mainly free-in before then) And save whats left to buy a top up drink and then the taxi home. I know few people that would blow more than €20 on a night out in total. That includes pre-drinking.

Yes there are those that go out and spend a fortune but its few and far between in my experience

How many people did you know in college? I've spent €20 only on some nights, but most of my nights out in Dublin, I've spent closer to €40. Spending €20 or less is the exception rather than the rule.

Regardless, this isn't the issue. I've never seen more than 3 or 4 people standing outside that chipper thing at the bottom of Harcourt St. I've never looked it, always go to Babylon or Harcourt Diner.

bigneacy

ironclaw wrote: »

Emm. Experience?

Student culture is to pre-drink as much as possible for cheap at home or what not. Then get to a club as close to 12 as possible (As its mainly free-in before then) And save whats left to buy a top up drink and then the taxi home. I know few people that would blow more than €20 on a night out in total. That includes pre-drinking.

Yes there are those that go out and spend a fortune but its few and far between in my experience

Students are a very small proportion of the population - there are plenty of people between 18 and 30 that are not students and have steady paying jobs. Most people I know who aren't students wouldn't dream of going on a night out with less than €50. And almost as many aren't shy of spending up to €100 on their weekly/fortnightly or monthly night out.

I know when I head out (which is not very often at all). I would always be buying drinks for myself and my other half - as well as getting a few drinks for whoever happens to be out with us. If we're going for a meal or a show or something i'll be lucky to find change from €200.

I'm not saying thats the norm or that he can rely on people like me who go out once a month or 2 months but Its certainly not the norm that 90% of people (even students) go out on less than a tenner.

And anyway - even if they have a tenner they're hardly gonna walk past "Mr Chippy's" for the sake of another €2!!!

bigneacy

upandcumming wrote: »

How many people did you know in college? I've spent €20 only on some nights, but most of my nights out in Dublin, I've spent closer to €40. Spending €20 or less is the exception rather than the rule.

Regardless, this isn't the issue. I've never seen more than 3 or 4 people standing outside that chipper thing at the bottom of Harcourt St. I've never looked it, always go to Babylon or Harcourt Diner.

Are we still talking about Dublin here?? I'm sorry to the OP - if you're talking about Dublin I genuinely don't believe you'll get a pitch and if you do its not going to be in an ideal location.

If some miracle happens and you get a pitch in the city centre, in a good location with plenty of footfall it will not be long before you are approached by a "welcoming commitee" who will be very concerned about your security and the welfare of both yourself and your food cart - but don't worry they'll keep and eye out for you and your business for a small (big) weekly fee and/or a % of takings.

My advice - stay clear of Dublin. Go for a closeby large town with good nightlife; i.e. kilkenny, waterford etc.

tacofries

stedabee wrote: »

I think it's a idea which no one to my knowladge has tried and we all know how satisfying taco chips can be after a few drinks haha!

UUUMMMMMMMMMMM taco frieeeeeessssssssss

stedabee

tacofries wrote: »

UUUMMMMMMMMMMM taco frieeeeeessssssssss

Haha at least someone sees my point!

ironclaw

bigneacy wrote: »

Students are a very small proportion of the population - there are plenty of people between 18 and 30 that are not students and have steady paying jobs. Most people I know who aren't students wouldn't dream of going on a night out with less than €50. And almost as many aren't shy of spending up to €100 on their weekly/fortnightly or monthly night out.

I know when I head out (which is not very often at all). I would always be buying drinks for myself and my other half - as well as getting a few drinks for whoever happens to be out with us. If we're going for a meal or a show or something i'll be lucky to find change from €200.

I'm not saying thats the norm or that he can rely on people like me who go out once a month or 2 months but Its certainly not the norm that 90% of people (even students) go out on less than a tenner.

And anyway - even if they have a tenner they're hardly gonna walk past "Mr Chippy's" for the sake of another €2!!!

Agreed there is the demographic with good steady jobs. I didn't realise they were included in this discussion. But of the people who are happy to spend €50+ on a night out, how many go out on weekdays?

If your targeting students, thats Monday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday is a mixed bag but I'd put it into the 21+ bracket. So far more people with disposable income on those days.

There are students who go out more than once a week, in fact I'd say most students do. But no one that I know of has €50+ to spend each and every night even if they went out once per week. Most lads I know throw something on when they get home. Again, just in my experience.

If you thinking of opening in the Harcourt / Candem St area, I'd recommend going in for a few nights (1.30am to 3am) per week over the entire course of the week. And look at the fast food locations. Probably the best market research you can do.

If you did decent, unusual food I can't see you making a loss. But I think it would be a challenging environment to say the least.

stedabee

Igor2155 wrote: »

Hello

First of all sorry if I posted in wrong section.

Now, I was talking with my friend, and he proposed me to buy a trolley/cart with fries/chips/hamburges/hot dogs, but I dont know completly where we should go to get a permission for this business? What about safety during preparing food? What are the costs of permission and where we should go ? (we want stand basically in Dublin, Bray or Dun Laoghaire)

Hi Igor

Sent you a new pm, mixed up mails with another member!