A focus on BURGER VANS and burger trailers.
The burger and /or chip vans are without doubt the busiest at most events and probably take at least half if not two thirds of the trade available to mobile caterers.
Location is everything for mobile catering.
More than anything else, the location of food van will determine the size of the takings. At a good location, the van will always be busy. If you are buying an existing site or van be careful – watch them trade over a period to make sure the numbers are what they claim.
Profit on burgers can be substantial
A single day a week at a good car boot sale can take £500 even £1000 pounds operating just one day a week. The profit margin is also good and can be 70% even 80% depending on offerings and prices.
Burger van and trailer licenses
Licenses need can depend on location, but certinly include food hygene certificates from the local food standards agency, and generally a street traders license too.
Concession Trailers
In addition permissions and or concessions are needed at an event. Dont pay too much for these. Only a proportion of people eat at events, and the turnout is generally lower than organisers claim. Don’t pay for concessions without a guaranteed limit on the number of catering trailer concessions.
Burger Van equipment
The essential cooking equipment needed in a burger vans or trailers is a griddle, a bain marie to keep food warm, a boiler for hot drinks and a fridge freezer is essential. Cooking with gas is the norm. Dont bring a deep fat fryer unless you are cooking chips because room is a real problem. All equipment is generally gas, so a CORGI qualified fitter is needed to install or replace it.
Storage
Storage is a key in a burger van or burger trailer at a busy event. Soft drinks and hundreds of rolls and burgers take a lot of room.
So do replacement gas bottles and water containers.
General equipment
General equipment in a catering trailer must include safety equipment such as first aid, a fire extinguisher, and a fire blanket if a fryer is used. Make sure the spare tyre is good too.
Burger vans A summary
Just to repeat location is everything with burger vans, and be careful buying second hand trailers or equimpment, it can be an expensive and unreliable mistake. A faulty griddle not only costs to replace, but the entire income from the event