Food Vendors

Concession Trailer, Vending Cart, Lunch Truck Business Information Center

Historically the basic operating methodology for a vending cart operator has been to identify a location that day in and day out had heavy pedestrian or vehicular (providing a parking location is readily available) traffic, set-up their cart and wait for their first customer to stop and buy something. Location has always been the primary key to success.

The new blossoming market for vending cart operators is private events. Everything from birthday and anniversary parties, company picnics, little league sports events, and boys and girls clubs outings. Rather than the vending cart operator standing on a street corner or operating out of the parking lot of a local big box retailer, the group or individual holding the event contracts with the vending cart operator to supply food services at their event.

There are many advantageous to this new market. The vending cart operator is usually contracted and paid by the group or someone on behalf of the group. The group will generally commit to a minimum number of products to be sold and have an agreed to price per item. At the end of the event, the operator simply submits the bill to the group and receives payment. The operator does not have to deal with cash at the same time that he is providing food service. Operators who have locations that are weekday busy – Monday through Friday, now have the opportunity to put there vending carts into operation evenings and weekends and because there is no additional capital outlay to service the new market, the net profit increases dramatically.

If there is any investment at all, it is relatively minimal and is only in advertising, making sure that potential clients, in this new market, are aware that the vending cart operator exists and how to contact them. In this case, I believe that Yellow Page listings are the best and most economical method to obtain recognition.

Although the initial popularity has been hotdog and barbeque product vending carts, the market is expanding to include smokers, other cooking methods and food products. If you are a vending cart operator, private events are definitely a market that you should consider.

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