How to start a street food stall
by Startacus Admin
Once again we’ve decided to unite two of our absolute favourite things in the world…startups and food. Anyone who is a regular pilgrim to Startacus wont be surprised by this - just take a look at 
this lot of culinary curios. This time though our enthusiasm is verging on the ludicrous as we take a look at all the yummy details of starting your own street food stall...
Why are we so excited about this particular post you may wonder? Well it’s because a street food stall is much more than just a place to get tasty treats on the go…unlike a lot of other businesses, street food trading is a self employment opportunity which is a realistic and achievable prospect for a huge number of people. The overheads are relatively low, it can be started without an enormous initial investment and (in true style of the popup venture) can be a great way of testing the market for a larger scale business in the future.
Having said all this, running a street food stall is still running a business and when staring yours there's a huge amount of things that need to be considered. Hopefully this guide will help get your business underway.
What food stall to start?
It’s fair to say that in the past few years we as a nation have become a little more adventurous with the food that we eat when out and about. Gone are the days when “street food” simply meant a sloppy burger and chips drenched in vinegar…a stroll down a city centre high street is now like taking a gastro tour of the world with everything from kangaroo balls to reindeer burgers being ours for the munching!
We aren’t suggesting that you go out and open a stall selling Rudolph Wraps with a side of Skippy sauce but there really is no limit to the type of food that you can sell… the basic rule to follow is, if people will buy it, you can sell it!
Market Research
Just as with any other business, before deciding to open a street food stall you will need to complete comprehensive and detailed market research. Not only will this research help you to determine whether or not you can feasibly set up the business but it will also help you to make some key decisions about it. Some of the things you should be trying to address in your market research are:
-
Where should you locate your street food stall? Do you want to have a permanent/semi-permanent location for it? Are there particular areas where street food traders seem to be focused where you live?
-
Will you be located within a market or will you be on the street?
-
A street food vendor is highly dependent upon passing trade so it is absolutely essential that the area has a good footfall. Have you visited the area on different days and at different times to assess the level of passing pedestrians?
-
Be aware that footfall can change quite significantly throughout the year e.g. during non-term time, during the festive period... how could these changes affect how busy you will be?
-
It’s really important to gauge the kind of food that the people in your area will wish to have from a street food vendor. You can do this by investigating what kind of food is sold in the area already and by holding a focus group, or simply by asking people for their opinions.
-
Do you plan to sell food which is in a similar vein to that which is already available or are you going to offer something different?
-
When it comes to a semi-impulse purchase like street food, price can play a large role in a customer's decision whether or not to buy. What kind of prices are similar stalls in the area charging? Will you be able to provide your food at a price which is competitive?
Continued on page 2.... Huckletree's new Web3 HQ aims to put London’s West End at the forefront of Britain’s tech superpower ambitions. Kingussie High School scoops first place for Junior and Senior categories at this year’s Growing Future Assets Competition. The lowdown on Manchester-based Arctic Shores and its innovative recruitment solution to help candidate potential count as much as skills and experience. With the demand for tattoo removal now greater than ever, specialist NAAMA Studios makes a bid for a further £11m in funding. By combining machine-learning with zero-party data, new tool launched by MarTech startup Qudo ends the ‘era of assumption’ for marketers. Want to be your own boss and earn some money whilst travelling? Here are a few ways to do just that... Innovative app marketing and analytics startup, App Radar becomes first platform to provide app marketers with Generative AI-powered insights into their own apps and competition. Shropshire-based agri-robotics startup upp is automating broccoli harvesting and 'upcycling' the 80% waste into sustainable protein. Alba secures licence to help transform banking for small and medium sized businesses in Scotland via its high-tech and customer-focused solution. Making a few small changes in March could make all the difference for your business. Daniella Genas, founder of Be The Boss shares some tips on doing just that.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
.jpg)
.jpg)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Huckletree opens new London hub for tech companies pioneering Web3 solutions 16th Mar 2023 Huckletree's new Web3 HQ aims to put London’s West End at the forefront of Britain’s tech superpower ambitions.
- Scottish Highlands Home to the Next Generation of Future Female Investors 15th Mar 2023 Kingussie High School scoops first place for Junior and Senior categories at this year’s Growing Future Assets Competition.
- London-based NAAMA Studios on a mission to raise £11m funding 14th Mar 2023 With the demand for tattoo removal now greater than ever, specialist NAAMA Studios makes a bid for a further £11m in funding.
- Qudo democratises data-powered marketing with new ‘freemium’ research and activation platform 14th Mar 2023 By combining machine-learning with zero-party data, new tool launched by MarTech startup Qudo ends the ‘era of assumption’ for marketers.
