Tips for a food business rookie
March 16, 2018 4:51 AM Subscribe
Need help in getting over the anxiety about launching a street food business and any tips the hive mind can provide. More inside.
I love cooking and have always been asked why I never launched a business of my own. Now I have the opportunity to do a test run, inside an Easter market this coming Sunday.
A friend, who has experience in the food business, will lend me his cute "food bike" which has a food cart at the back and will be there with me. It all looks really nice but I am petrified.
One of my issues atm is thinking my stuff isn't good enough to sell and I keep doing test runs and finding a problem in the items I am making. My plan is to serve wholemeal savory muffins (zucchini and parmesan + sweet potato and parmesan) , a savory tart (a heirloom tomato and ricotta tart with a wholemeal pastry) and three options of oatmeal bowls (plain, with apple and cinammon and cocoa). I am still not 100% about the food - for example I am trying to get the muffins right but they are not as soft as I'd like. Also I think oatmeal is a great idea but not everyone here is used to seeing it in street markets - so I'd have to really sell it.
I am really keen on the "good carbs" theme and think it is worth pursuing it - but this test run will be essential to starting finding out.
How can I get over this anxiety and how can I make the most out of this opportunity? I am open to tips on everything from the food itself to the hands-on aspect of running a street food business, talking to people on the day and so on. I have today and tomorrow to prepare and do any additional test runs.
Thanks so much!
I love cooking and have always been asked why I never launched a business of my own. Now I have the opportunity to do a test run, inside an Easter market this coming Sunday.
A friend, who has experience in the food business, will lend me his cute "food bike" which has a food cart at the back and will be there with me. It all looks really nice but I am petrified.
One of my issues atm is thinking my stuff isn't good enough to sell and I keep doing test runs and finding a problem in the items I am making. My plan is to serve wholemeal savory muffins (zucchini and parmesan + sweet potato and parmesan) , a savory tart (a heirloom tomato and ricotta tart with a wholemeal pastry) and three options of oatmeal bowls (plain, with apple and cinammon and cocoa). I am still not 100% about the food - for example I am trying to get the muffins right but they are not as soft as I'd like. Also I think oatmeal is a great idea but not everyone here is used to seeing it in street markets - so I'd have to really sell it.
I am really keen on the "good carbs" theme and think it is worth pursuing it - but this test run will be essential to starting finding out.
How can I get over this anxiety and how can I make the most out of this opportunity? I am open to tips on everything from the food itself to the hands-on aspect of running a street food business, talking to people on the day and so on. I have today and tomorrow to prepare and do any additional test runs.
Thanks so much!
"Fail early, fail often, fail forward" - Will Smith
Failing is an indispensable part of success. Hopefully there will be things that will go wrong on your first time because, heck, that is the ONLY way you can be better on your second time. In fact, you said it yourself - "this test run will be essential to starting finding out". Approach this as a test run, not as The Real Thing.
For what it's worth, your menu sounds fantastic. I would eat the **** out of those muffins.
posted by matthew.alexander at 6:03 AM on March 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Failing is an indispensable part of success. Hopefully there will be things that will go wrong on your first time because, heck, that is the ONLY way you can be better on your second time. In fact, you said it yourself - "this test run will be essential to starting finding out". Approach this as a test run, not as The Real Thing.
For what it's worth, your menu sounds fantastic. I would eat the **** out of those muffins.
posted by matthew.alexander at 6:03 AM on March 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Has anyone besides yourself actually eaten your test products? Perfectionism is common among creators; that's why you need someone else to actually test your stuff. Chances are, your testers actually love your food, and you're stressing over nothing. Also keep in mind that this doesn't need to be the best muffin/tart/oatmeal your customers have ever eaten. It just needs to be good enough to justify the few bucks you're charging for it.
One of the coolest things about food truck/cart culture, to me, is the different expectations. If you've gotten to the point where you've opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant, I expect a certain level of proficiency and consistency. But with street food, there's a culture of experimentation, and so I expect the proprietor to take some risks. Sometimes they work out and it's a great experience; sometimes they don't and it's just kind of meh. But even when I don't like the food, I admire the risk that the proprietor/creator took.
In terms of talking to people, just be casual and friendly. When people ask you questions, you've got the advantage of knowing what you're talking about.
And to calm your anxiety, keep in mind that this a pretty risk-free venture. Part of the anxiety of starting a business is the very real possibility that you might fail and lose a lot of money while being stuck in long-term commitments like leases, etc. This opportunity doesn't have that risk. You don't have a large initial capital outlay (just some ingredients, really), and no obligations beyond the day of the market. Even the worst-case scenario, that your products are terrible and nobody buys them, isn't bad. It's just a bruised ego. And even if your ego is bruised, it does nothing for your long-term prospects. You just refine your recipes and come up with a new brand.
So much of anxiety is the expectation that the worst-case scenario is the most likely. Dealing with it usually means having to make yourself realize that it's not actually that likely. Here, though, even if it is likely (and I don't think it is - your stuff sounds delicious), that doesn't matter. You suffer no consequences. This is a situation people dream of!
One final tip: One thing I've noticed at events like this is that if people see other people eating food from a certain place, they'll be more likely to then buy food from that place themselves. I would suggest having a steady stream of friends to come and buy products from you, then walk around eating them so that other people at the market see your products and get intrigued. Have them seek you out instead of just waiting for them to find your cart.
Best of luck!
posted by kevinbelt at 6:20 AM on March 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
One of the coolest things about food truck/cart culture, to me, is the different expectations. If you've gotten to the point where you've opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant, I expect a certain level of proficiency and consistency. But with street food, there's a culture of experimentation, and so I expect the proprietor to take some risks. Sometimes they work out and it's a great experience; sometimes they don't and it's just kind of meh. But even when I don't like the food, I admire the risk that the proprietor/creator took.
In terms of talking to people, just be casual and friendly. When people ask you questions, you've got the advantage of knowing what you're talking about.
And to calm your anxiety, keep in mind that this a pretty risk-free venture. Part of the anxiety of starting a business is the very real possibility that you might fail and lose a lot of money while being stuck in long-term commitments like leases, etc. This opportunity doesn't have that risk. You don't have a large initial capital outlay (just some ingredients, really), and no obligations beyond the day of the market. Even the worst-case scenario, that your products are terrible and nobody buys them, isn't bad. It's just a bruised ego. And even if your ego is bruised, it does nothing for your long-term prospects. You just refine your recipes and come up with a new brand.
So much of anxiety is the expectation that the worst-case scenario is the most likely. Dealing with it usually means having to make yourself realize that it's not actually that likely. Here, though, even if it is likely (and I don't think it is - your stuff sounds delicious), that doesn't matter. You suffer no consequences. This is a situation people dream of!
One final tip: One thing I've noticed at events like this is that if people see other people eating food from a certain place, they'll be more likely to then buy food from that place themselves. I would suggest having a steady stream of friends to come and buy products from you, then walk around eating them so that other people at the market see your products and get intrigued. Have them seek you out instead of just waiting for them to find your cart.
Best of luck!
posted by kevinbelt at 6:20 AM on March 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
Do the prices you've set make sense given your costs? Do you know how much you need to sell to make a profit?
I have no general advice except not to be this guy - so unless this is a labor of love and you have money to spare, make sure the math works out before anything else.
(Good luck!)
posted by trig at 6:56 AM on March 16, 2018
I have no general advice except not to be this guy - so unless this is a labor of love and you have money to spare, make sure the math works out before anything else.
(Good luck!)
posted by trig at 6:56 AM on March 16, 2018
Also, don't underestimate how important you and your personality are in these kind of situations. How friendly and approachable you are as a seller will likely leave a bigger impression on any purchasers than any slight variations on the taste of your muffins.
posted by ryanbryan at 4:41 PM on March 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by ryanbryan at 4:41 PM on March 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
The trouble with practising anything until you're actually good at it is that the better you are at something, the easier it becomes to perceive and fixate on flaws that those less practised - which in your case is going to be 99% of your customers - would probably remain completely unaware of.
The worst thing that could possibly happen here is that you bring a customer undone with salmonella. Next to that, somebody perhaps failing to like your oatmeal enough to come back for more is pretty small potatoes. So double-check to be sure your food handling is sound, then go forth and fact-find!
posted by flabdablet at 5:38 AM on March 16, 2018 [1 favorite]