by Kelly Church
One way to get into the food service industry is by purchasing a mobile kitchen. The mobile food service trade is becoming increasingly popular among would-be restaurant owners. It is not coincidence that many people are starting these types of businesses. There are definite advantages to starting a concession business as opposed to starting a stationary restaurant. Three of the advantages are that they offer reduced financial risk, are easily transported, and starting small with one can lead to eventual ownership of a conventional restaurant. Running a traditional eating establishment, in many cases, is the ultimate goal in someone who invests in this type of industry.
The first and probably biggest of the reasons to purchase a concession trailer or similar vehicle is the reduced financial risk involved. While the financial risk for purchasing something like a concession trailer is still substantial, it is certainly far less of a monetary investment than starting a brick and mortar restaurant. Purchasing a trailer might cost 25,000 dollars, where an eatery may cost upwards of a quarter of a million dollars or more. With money problems being one of the biggest reasons an eating establishment fails, having less invested would certainly be a plus. After all, the less money you have in the purchase price of the unit, the more money you can invest in day-to-day operations.
Another reason to purchase a mobile kitchen is because they are easy to transport. In the moveable food service industry, just as with any industry, location is a very important component to success or failure. Often times after you have secured a location that you think will be great for you and your business, you will find out that it is not right for you. There may not be enough customers. Maybe it isn’t in a place that can easily be seen. Something like this could be fatal to a stationary restaurant, but with a food truck, or something similar, when the location is not right, all you have to do is transport your company to a new location. Mobility is also helpful if you choose to make a living moving from event to event to sell products.
One final reason to look into starting this type of food service business is that it can be a great stepping stone if a conventional eating establishment is what you are looking for. Starting small and working your way up is a very smart way to get into the restaurant business. If you put just a little bit of an investment into a mobile kitchen and it works, translating that into a stationary restaurant can be easier than just jumping right in. For example, if you are looking to open up a pizzeria, having concession trailer that sells pizzais a wonderful way to create a springboard into that business. This way, there is not so much risk involved.
There are definitely many reasons to purchase a mobile kitchen instead of a conventional restaurant. Just a few of these reasons are that they are less expensive to invest in, they are movable, and they can be a springboard into a real restaurant. For these reasons, buying a transportable food service business is a great investment to make if you are looking to get into the restaurant game.
Purchasing a restaurant is a goal for many aspiring entrepreneurs. However, coming up with the funding and concession food ideas for such a venture is a lot easier said than done. There is an alternative to shelling out all that money for a traditional-style eatery. Purchasing a mobile kitchen such as a concession trailer can be a much smaller investment to make and still help you get your feet wet in the industry.
