Many budding entrepreneurs dream of opening up their own restaurant. But restaurant startup costs can often be very high. Fortunately, there are some cheaper options for those that want to cook and sell food. Here are three prime examples.
Deliver meals from a ghost kitchen
App-based services like Doordash and UberEats have made it easier for restaurants to offer food delivery services without having to hire their own delivery staff. It has also paved the way for delivery-only restaurants – also known as ‘virtual restaurants’ or ‘ghost kitchens’. Such restaurants don’t require you to physically interact with customers, instead taking orders online and preparing them for delivery drivers.
These are restaurants that you can set up from a unit or even from your home’s kitchen. Because customers do not eat at your premises or directly collect food from it themselves, there is no need to set up a customer area or invest in shopfront signage. You’ll still need to invest in the right kitchen equipment and make sure your kitchen meets restaurant health and safety standards, but you won’t need to pay for tables or waiting staff or any of the other stuff that comes with a regular restaurant. Check out this post for a more detailed guide on how to set up a ghost kitchen.
Sell food from a food truck
Another option could be to serve food from a food truck. Food trucks can serve as mobile restaurants that you can cook and serve from. You can travel to events all across the country if you wish or find a local licensed spot to regularly serve from.
Buying a truck and converting it into a food truck isn’t cheap, but can still work out more affordable in the long run than a restaurant. This is particularly the case if you buy a pre-converted food truck. There are some challenges to consider such as power and payment processing, but modern technology has made these easier – diesel generators and solar panels can give you all the energy you need and you can get a portable card reader here to accept payments from anywhere.
Set up a food stall
Many towns and cities have permanent or temporary marketplaces where you can rent stalls. A food stall in one of these marketplaces can be a cheap alternative to a restaurant. Food carts are also possible to set up in some locations – which can serve as mobile stalls. You don’t have much space to cook from, but for select dishes it may be all you need.
When looking to rent a stall, research into stall hire fees and make sure there are no restrictions when it comes to certain food sales. You will still need to apply for a food licence and any necessary cooking equipment, as well as providing your own power generation. The upside is that you don’t have to pay the high rents and energy bills that come with a restaurant building, nor do you need to pay for tables or customer bathroom facilities.
