Kitchens on wheels. Profitable business: cafe on wheels

Anyone who wants to start their own business in the industrial sector must have at least once thought about the idea of opening a special cafe on wheels. This kind of activity requires maximum costs, but the specifics of the design of such a business requires seriousness, attentiveness, endurance and clarity.

A cafe on wheels can turn out to be very cozy and promising, but this requires time, considerable investments and the right approach in organizing all aspects of service.

Start: registration of the entrepreneur and the place of trade of the cafe on wheels

An important stage is registration with the tax service.

You can register your business as an individual entrepreneur, and indicate in the KVED " retail drinks." As for the address of the activity, the law allows you to indicate only the place of residence, the city in which the entrepreneurial activity will be carried out. If you hire workers, you will also have to register labor contract with each separately in the employment center.

In addition, the tax service will still have to take a certificate of employment obligations. All these documents must be in your hands, otherwise nothing will work.

As for the car, there are also moments here ...

A cafe on wheels, also known as a car or a trailer, carries with it the classification of a small architectural form. In the Department of Architecture, it is imperative to obtain permission to place it.

The SES must provide the entire list of goods and products that will be included in the menu.

Another moment...

If your cafe on wheels is a little modernized, you will also have to contact the MREO service, where your car and all its changes will be registered.

These are just obligatory moments when creating a cafe on wheels, but in the process of registration, many more difficulties may appear, be prepared for this!

The process has moved: the specifics of doing business

Immediately you need to understand what kind of visitor you want to see in your cafe. Basically, such institutions gather crowds of schoolchildren, students and small children with their parents near them. Therefore, initially it is necessary to take into account their needs and financial capabilities.

It requires skill, luck and a strong attitude. You will have to try and make something special out of your cafe on wheels, unlike the others. Additional amenities and climate equipment will have to be purchased in large quantities.

Cafe features: food and drinks

It is immediately worth noting the fact that the sale of alcohol is strictly prohibited! Firstly, the audience is not suitable, and secondly, this requires a separate license and design. You won’t be able to serve special dishes either - after all, you definitely can’t cook delights of national cuisine on the bus.

Therefore, the main focus will be on snacks, sandwiches, pastries, sweets and, possibly, a variety of salads. The dishes will have to be served disposable, the theme of the cafe is a bit inappropriate for expensive tableware, and there will be more loss.

Preliminary preparation: serious costs

In addition to the fact that you will have to purchase the object itself - a cafe on wheels, you will also have to purchase a very large amount of additional equipment.

At a minimum, you need air conditioning, a refrigerator, a microwave and a coffee machine. For visitors to the cafe on wheels, you need to purchase comfortable furniture, accessories, a TV or a music installation. Service personnel must order uniforms, supplies for work, and regularly pay salaries.

In addition, you definitely need to purchase quite a few details and various little things to decorate the interior of a cafe on wheels.
Be prepared for constant expenses for the maintenance of the cafe on wheels itself, maintenance, fuel and wages for hired personnel.

Cafe on wheels: loss or stable income?

According to statistics, this kind of business can pay for itself no earlier than in 2-3 years. And this despite the fact that you did everything right, created the maximum service, reasonable prices and equipped a cafe on wheels in a pretty good, crowded place. The average monthly income should be at least 100,000 rubles, but this is if there are at least 100 visitors per day.

As you can see, it is very risky to fulfill an old dream of opening a cafe on wheels! But if you have an extra few million rubles, a desire to fight off various social and sanitary services, confidence in the future and hope for success - go for it!

For the annual Milan Design Week festival, which starts on April 14 in 2015, Peugeot has prepared an extremely funny and, most importantly, useful concept with a talking Foodtruck name. In essence, this is a mobile bistro or, if you prefer, a restaurant on wheels.

Peugeot claims that it all really works. Moreover, a stylish van with an appropriate trailer will certainly show itself in action during the event, and Sven Cartier, well-known in the culinary world, will help him in this.

His workplace will consist of two grills, 4 induction burners, deep fryers, two refrigerators of 400 and 350 liters of volume, as well as…

video camera. Onaya here broadcasts the image on a 46-inch screen, which will allow customers to watch the cooking. At the same time, they will be entertained by Internet radio, coupled with a powerful Focal audio system (it can also transmit sounds from the kitchen), or maybe a full-fledged DJ, for which a special rack is provided.

Meanwhile, there can be simply darkness of customers - a van with a set of tables and sun umbrellas on board is designed for 30 visitors. If among them there are especially “green”, then they will find complete ecstasy - the concept is equipped with a waste recycling system. Well, such is Peugeot. Cool stuff, huh?

Residents of many cities could notice how a relatively new type of business is developing on their streets - auto-cafes. In the regions, it still amazes passers-by, although in the capital this business has been operating for a long time and is even experiencing a period of take-off. These auto cafes are equipped with a professional coffee maker and other equipment. They can be seen in front of the railway station, in the markets and in other places where there are a lot of people. As a rule, they open at 8-9 in the morning, when regular cafes are still closed. A glass of espresso here costs 0.5 euros, an Americano costs 0.6 euros, and Viennese coffee costs 1.0 euros. At the same time, the cost of a cup of drink, which is sold in the “auto-cafe”, taking into account the costs of coffee, water and a glass, is 0.2 euros.

How much does such a business cost? The turnkey auto-cafe itself costs about 11 thousand euros. You receive completely ready business- it fully includes a vehicle with equipment, while your employees receive full training, and in addition you have a quality service maintenance. Only a good professional coffee maker will cost an average of 2-3 thousand euros.

Such investments can pay off in at least six months (sometimes a year). To start such a business, you need to be a private entrepreneur whose documents indicate activities such as "retail and cafes." But, despite the mobility of a cafe on wheels, it’s not possible to just change your location while driving around the city. The authorities do not issue permission for this - they believe that there are a lot of stationary cafes in the cities where you can drink coffee. At the same time, the authorities have nothing against “mobile” cafes operating in relatively permanent places. In this case, it is enough for an entrepreneur to conclude an agreement with the owner or tenant of the territory where he is going to sell coffee.

For example, an entrepreneur whose auto-coffee shop is located opposite the railway station, de jure stands in the territory of a neighboring car park. In the case of the market, the contract was concluded with its administration. However, despite such a binding to a place, a cafe on wheels is still a mobile type of business. If the trade did not go in one place, you can always drive off to another, having previously agreed.

Also, the entrepreneur needs to be approved by the SES, get sanitary books for bartenders, issue certificates for coffee and other products that are used in the work. The main task for you is the purchase of excellent coffee (and preferably a variety of varieties). After all, true coffee lovers will be able to distinguish "cheap" from high-quality goods. With a good location, you can sell at least 100 servings per day. But, according to experts, there is one minus in this case - this is seasonality. For example, according to marketers, the demand for coffee in the summer is steadily decreasing by 15%, so take this nuance into account in your work.

A coffee shop on wheels or a mobile coffee shop is an extremely popular business today, more and more coffee machines appear on busy sections of streets, near intersections, universities, office buildings, in parks. Is a mobile coffee shop on wheels profitable and how to open such a point in your city? In this review, together we will draw up a business plan for a mobile coffee shop “from A to Z” (calculations for 2018).

Business Niche Analysis

It's no secret that many people are very fond of fresh, hot and aromatic coffee.

This drink energizes and gives a good mood for the day. People drink coffee in the morning to cheer up faster and put their thoughts in order, to get together. In the rhythm of life in big cities, people do not always have enough time to brew delicious, high-quality coffee and have time to drink it. Most often they use cheap freeze-dried coffee, which is only a distant comparison with natural.

On the way to work or study, a person feels this wonderful aroma of a fresh, strong drink nearby and switches his attention there. He really needs this black coffee, cappuccino, latte, hot chocolate, coffee with milk or various additives. Coffee in auto-coffee shops is made in professional coffee machines, which is not inferior in quality to any coffee-type establishments. In addition, it is faster and much cheaper for the end user.

It is best to set up a coffee shop on wheels in busy areas with a large flow of people: street intersections, parks, student territories, office buildings, central streets, exits from the subway or underpasses, bus stops. Due to the fact that the coffee shop is “on wheels”, you yourself can choose the parking place for the car, depending on the flow of people, which should certainly be taken into account in the business plan. In addition, regardless of the location, you will not need to pay rent! However, do not change your location too often, otherwise it will be difficult for people to “catch” and remember you. It is better to develop and launch another mobile coffee shop as an additional business, which often develops into a network.

The mobile coffee shop market is practically not developed, so there is a chance to make decent money out of it by offering customers something that is not available in any coffee shop on wheels! Look at the business and experience of European coffee shops, because this idea came from there. Borrow ideas from more experienced colleagues or come up with your own. By the way, the money turnover that coffee brings is the second largest in the world (the first place is occupied by the oil industry).

To open such a business, you have 2 ways:

buy out the franchise of a company that is already doing it;
try to start a business yourself.

The fact is that a mobile coffee shop is a young business, there are no agreements with the legislation yet. You will either have to study this market yourself, or buy out a franchise. In the latter case, experienced entrepreneurs will explain and teach everything, but you will have to buy out a franchise, which costs about 300,000 rubles. This includes a mobile bus or car, a recipe, the right to use a trademark, and a launch advertising campaign.

Still, it's better to try to open your own own business, to draw up a unique business plan, maybe even by trial and error, but you will gain experience in order to open another van in the future, for example. There is a list required documents to open a mobile coffee shop, you can find it on legal sites.

Buying a coffee car

To open a business, you can buy both a bicycle and a mini-bus, depending on how much revenue you expect.

On average, a car should cost you from 300,000 to 500,000 rubles. Plus a battery to recharge the coffee shop on wheels.

Include monthly expenses in your business plan: car wash and possible repairs - from 5,000, gasoline costs - from 1,000, garage rental (if not available) - from 10,000, depending on the city and location.

To decorate a car and claim it's a mobile coffee shop, you need the services of a designer and decorator, which costs about 40,000.

Acquisition of equipment for a mobile coffee shop

The autocoffee shop should have a coffee machine so that visitors can see the process of making coffee. Do not skimp on the coffee machine and coffee beans, customers want to drink delicious, high-quality coffee at an affordable price. This is the feature of a mobile coffee shop and the demand for business, as such.

A good, professional coffee machine for a mobile coffee shop costs from 50,000 and more, be sure to include equipment costs in the business plan, because.

they are the most significant. By the way, if the manufacturer sells coffee and syrups, then you can negotiate a discount by taking everything in bulk.

In addition, in the hot season you will need an ice maker, its cost is from 8,000.

Consumables: coffee, water, milk, syrups, sugar

Buy coffee in beans to grind it in front of customers.

Every day you will leave about 100 servings of coffee. This is approximately 1 kilogram of coffee. Multiply by the number of calendar days, we get 30 kg of coffee per month.

The following expenses should be included in the business plan as monthly:

Water - one 20-liter bottle per day. 80 rubles for one bottle. It takes 30 bottles in 30 days - 2,400.
Milk - from 3 packs per day or more. 40 rubles per pack multiplied by 30 days = 3,600.
Syrups - purchase of several flavoring syrups at once (10 pieces) for 2 months. 300 rubles per bottle (3,000 for 10 bottles) for 60 days = 30,000. For 30 days - 15,000.
Sugar - 500 rubles. It is possible that sugar can be given to you as a gift by the coffee company from which you buy in bulk.
Paper cup with a lid 100 pieces per day = 15,000 in 30 days.
Considering that you will buy good coffee (about 300 rubles per 1 kg) - 9,000 spending on coffee per month.

Mobile coffee shop staff

To work, you will need 2 sales drivers in shifts (he is also a barista for a mobile coffee shop) - from 25,000 for each in 30 days. It is best if they work from 7-8 in the morning, when the rest of the coffee shops are still closed, and people are already in a hurry to work.

Starting capital and payback

With an average check for coffee - 65 rubles per 1 glass and with 100 glasses a day - you get 6,500 per day. Multiply by 30 (calendar month) - 195,000 profit per month.

Now let's calculate all the expenses, including the product, personnel and transport (possible expenses for repairs) - 103,000.

It remains 92,000 net profit per month. Multiply by 12 - 1,104,000 per year.

The initial investment for an auto coffee shop business plan is from 456,000 rubles (including the purchase of a car for 300,000). That is, you will pay back your business in less than half a year!

Roman Agarkov specially for Intellectis

(mobile kitchen, restaurant on wheels, snack bar on wheels)
We offer a range of mobile fast food trucks based on minibuses, domestic Pickups and isothermal trailers.

Fast Food- (English) - fast food) - format Catering quick service offering hot food to the consumer. It is represented by traditional fast food dishes: hamburgers, sandwiches, fried chicken pieces, pizza, donut donuts, donar kebab (shawarma) and national dishes of China, India, Mexico, and others.

The history of fast food dates back to ancient times. The ancient Greeks and Romans sold olives in jugs and pieces of meat wrapped in a grape leaf in the squares and streets of cities.

The modern history of fast food is connected with the development of transport systems in the world.

Over time, people began to eat more and more food outside the home, in planes, cars, trains. Work in companies and institutions forced people to eat close to the place of work, so as not to spend a lot of time for lunch. In addition, people's eating habits and preferences have changed over the years, leaving the modern person less and less time to buy and cook food at home.

Today, one of the business leaders is public fast food catering, which is developing by leaps and bounds. This is due to the fact that with minimal costs (from 1000 dollars), the return, of course, in monetary terms, will not keep you waiting!

If you are starting your business and are planning to buy a fast food pavilion or convert a car into a fast food restaurant, we will be happy to help you with this.

Consumers, as you know, are greedy for new types of satisfaction of their needs. One of them was a cafe on wheels - this is a cheap and relatively fast payback way to create profitable business. Such cafes have appeared in almost every city, but the niche is still ready for new establishments. It is not difficult to open it - the main thing is to have a competent business plan for a cafe on wheels at hand.

Summary

Why are cafes on wheels so popular with aspiring entrepreneurs? The relevance of this business lies in its mobility. You will not know such problems as an unfavorable location and low traffic, which becomes a reason for the excitement of the owners of stationary cafes. On weekdays, you can be near business and student centers, at intersections and in parks, on weekends you can move to entertainment areas, on holidays you can be close to the crowd.

True, these advantages of business can only be used in cities with a population of 500,000 or more. In cities, it is simply pointless to open less. But even in large cities with a large number of tidbits, do not rush to be everywhere. Your customer base needs to build up, so choose one to three neighborhoods and settle there, and if the flow of customers decreases, try to feed people in other places. And do not forget about the seasonality of this business - in this regard, it is worth developing separate menus for warm and cold times, but there will be fewer buyers in winter in any case.

Cafe on wheels services: cooking, serving and delivering food, serving private and municipal events.

Stages of preparation for the work of a cafe on wheels:

Development of the concept of the institution, writing a plan (you can use our example of a business plan), market analysis, determining the relevance of the institution, choosing the main points for trading.
Selection and equipment of transport.
Selection of equipment suppliers and its purchase.
Registration of a cafe on wheels and obtaining the necessary permits.
Conducting an advertising campaign.
Hiring and training workers.

The target audience

The audience of the cafe on wheels includes the core of the middle class and the least wealthy part of it. He wants delicious ready-made food from a cafe, but in a stationary institution, the mark-up for dishes is high or he simply does not want to sit there. It is also worth focusing on young people, especially students and schoolchildren. The demand for a cafe on wheels appears among that part of the population that is constantly on the move and in business. She has to snack on the go - there is no time for a full meal in a stationary institution. Yes, lunch is more expensive.

A food delivery service of this level has no analogues in every city. Even in comparison with budget canteens and supermarkets with ready meals, a cafe on wheels wins. It is closer and the small queue moves quickly in the fresh air. Often casual passers-by or those who went out for a smoke break become visitors to a cafe on wheels, so the design of the van should be attractive.

Opening instructions

Before dealing with the practical issues of opening, a businessman will have to deal with paperwork. Cafés on wheels have a special relationship with legislation. On the one hand, no one can say that the point of sale is in the wrong place, because it is not stationary. On the other hand, any public catering enterprise must be connected to the sewerage and water supply, so in some cities the administration simply will not allow you to open a cafe on wheels. But, if there are other such establishments in your city, then there is a way to open your own cafe. If not, check this point with the administration.

The order of work is as follows:

Choose the legal form and taxation system. IP on the USN is best suited.
Your OKVED code is 56.10.22.
Obtain the appropriate permit for your activity.
Get permission from the SEC. To do this, you need certificates of conformity for equipment, contracts for disposal and cleaning.
Get permission from the fire department. You will need a copy of the registration certificate for the van.
Sign a contract with a supplier.

You need to be prepared for ground problems. Somewhere, like in Moscow, entrepreneurs buy permission to use land for several months. And there are no guarantees that you will extend it later. Hence the problem with obtaining a loan.

Menu development

First of all, you need to decide whether your establishment will buy ready-to-heat dishes from a stationary cafe or restaurant or cook food simpler on the spot. In the first case, there will be more choice, and fewer competitors. But the ready-made menu comes to you already with an extra charge, so it will be possible to raise income only by a chain of cafes on wheels. And the buyer does not expect intricate options from the van.

It is better to have your menu include snacks and drinks, if possible, main courses. You can specialize in one type of food - shawarma, hot dogs, pizza - or offer a wide range of treats up to 6 courses, as well as their variations. More than that, the tiny van kitchen can't handle it. Yes, and the qualification of the cook must be high in order to know and skillfully prepare a dozen different dishes. As snacks, you can offer sandwiches and sandwiches, pastries and sweets, fast food and dishes of national cuisines.

Choose drinks according to the season: in winter - hot and spicy, in summer - refreshing. But always leave popular ones on the menu, excluding alcohol (your cafe will not be suitable for selling it in terms of the size of the retail space). If you want to serve foods such as pancakes, grills and barbecue dishes, purchase equipment of the appropriate capacity. In general, focus on similar points to understand how to take the audience.

Technical base

The most important equipment for a cafe on wheels is the wheels themselves. It can be a trailer, van or mobile shop. It's best to buy the latest options. The problem is that in six years they will require spending on repairs. "Kupava" and "Tonar" make these, but you can also purchase an already furnished establishment. If you decide to complete the cafe yourself, correlate the size of the equipment with the size of the room. And most importantly, do not forget to screw all the furniture to the floor. The amount you spend on equipment is the cost of opening a cafe on wheels from scratch.

Expenditure	Price (in rubles)
Van or mobile shop (used)	580 000
inverter	2 000
Generator	40 000
Noise isolation	26 000
Step heating	5 000
Design and cosmetic repairs	100 000
Air conditioner	70 000
Convector	2 000
Refrigerator (2)	60 000
Microwave	3 000
Food preparation equipment	150 000
coffee machine	300 000
Production table (2)	14 000
Audio system	17 000
Disposable tableware, napkins and packaging materials (1000)	500
Bin	1 000
Total	1 370 500

Staff

A cafe on wheels does not require a large staff. A driver is enough (you can also assign various technical responsibilities), cook and cashier. Seriously approach hiring a driver: he must be experienced and know the city well. If the driver is careless or makes a mistake with the parking place, the business will suffer losses or get into trouble with the law.

Do not forget about an outsourced accountant who will manage your affairs. It will cost about 5 thousand rubles a month. Below is a table of personnel costs.

Marketing plan

In fact, a cafe on wheels is an advertisement in itself. It travels around the city, flaunts in the most crowded places. But some of the services of such an establishment are worth special advertising: catering for private parties, delivering food right in the van to cook it in front of the client. Use the media and advertising directories as an advertising platform. In addition, leaflets will be effective.

As a way to promote, you can use participation in city holidays. Usually, the administration agrees in advance on servicing such events. Don't forget about special promotions: birthday discounts, the sixth coffee as a gift, and so on. Lead a public in in social networks. Since there are many young people among your audience, affiliate programs will go with a bang.

Financial plan

It is also worth considering the recurring costs of repairs and Maintenance transport. It is necessary to lay about 40 thousand rubles a year for servicing a used car. Our cafe on wheels business plan with calculations shows that the weighted average income will be 270 thousand rubles per month, if we count on 30 people per day and the average check is 300 rubles. There are more visitors in summer, less in winter. This gives 3,240 thousand rubles a year. Well, the profit of a cafe on wheels for a month is approximately 40-50 thousand rubles.

And finally, the profitability of a cafe on wheels. If we divide profit by revenue and multiply by 100%, we get:

(50,000 / 270,000) x 100% = 18%.

Relatively low profitability is explained by high expenditures and a low margin, in comparison with a regular cafe. To increase profitability, it is proposed to sell related consumer goods to increase the average check, develop the brand and recognition of your company in order to increase the margin without the risk of losing customers.

Prospects and risks

There are enough growth opportunities: stable conditions for development, audience interest in new types of cafes. The owner of such an institution has the prospect of opening his own network. The main audience of cafes on wheels - the bottom of the middle class - is constantly growing, so the popularity will increase.

But there are many risks in business:

Strengthening competition.
Tightening of legal norms for public catering establishments.
Insufficient population of the city.
The unwillingness of the city administration to allow the cafe on wheels format to develop.
Bad weather.
Lack of capital due to banks' refusal to cooperate.

It is especially important to study the situation with similar institutions in your city and region in order to understand whether this market is suitable for your city. If there are few young people in it, as well as student centers and city holidays, if the city administration does not welcome cafes on wheels, you should not count on easy money.

Eventually

The project of a cafe on wheels does not require large start-up costs: 1,370 thousand rubles is a relatively small investment. You do not need to rent a cafe on wheels and buy a large batch of equipment - you are limited to a small van and a modest set of equipment. Monthly costs of 213 thousand rubles fully cover the profitability of the business - 270 thousand rubles per month.

We calculated that the net profit of a cafe on wheels will be about 50 thousand rubles a month in the first two years of operation, if you serve 900 customers every month. The profitability of a cafe on wheels is not so great, but, having quickly gained the necessary experience, the entrepreneur has every chance to raise the business. It remains to manage profits wisely in order to soon feed the city with the help of a chain of cafes on wheels.

The post has been changed:

Autocafe on wheels - profitable low-budget business

Cafes on wheels are no longer a rarity in large, densely populated cities. Most of the entrepreneurs involved in the catering industry have already considered the possibility of implementing this business idea in one way or another. In this publication, we decided to consider this project in detail.

Brief business analysis:
Business setup costs: 1.7-2.5 million rubles
Relevant for cities with a population: from 300 thousand
Situation in the industry:low level of competition
The complexity of organizing a business: 3/5
Payback: 1.2-2 years

The owners of many catering outlets have probably complained more than once that their establishment is “tied” to one place. It seems that they chose the location according to all the rules: the first line of houses, busy traffic, the availability of the necessary communications. But it was not there! The tastes and demands of the consumer are changeable, like the sea in inclement weather, and all subtle calculations go to waste. And how many times does this thought arise: “Take and move your point to another place”?

And this is just not a problem! Take and carry, or rather - transport. Today here, tomorrow there, and next week in a completely different area. Cafe on wheels is a solution to this problem. And not only for owners of existing catering establishments, but also for those who do not have enough start-up capital to open a full-fledged stationary cafe.

Can you imagine an inexpensive, cozy mobile cafe on wheels that moves around the city in search of the busiest crowded spots? Everything can be clearly seen in the photo in the article. Meanwhile, such a business on wheels is not new in the cities of our country for a long time. It should be noted that the “mobile” business is generally “gaining momentum” - now mobile coffee shops are far from uncommon, where you can buy a glass of hot, invigorating drink, and for this you don’t need to go anywhere specially.

Car broke down on the road? A mobile car service will come to the rescue! In the mobile planetarium, schoolchildren will get a lot of new knowledge and pleasure from watching, and a disco on wheels will provide an opportunity to have great fun exactly where you want!

Can you imagine what kind of “profit” a mobile cafe on wheels will bring on holidays or weekends? After all, such a stall on wheels can be placed anywhere: on the square, in the park, on weekdays - near educational institutions, station or other place.

And the costs of starting such an enterprise are ten times less than opening a stationary food outlet. One of the most “pleasant” bonuses is the absence of rent for the premises, which is one of the most significant cost items in many business projects.

This is interesting: in the USA, business on wheels has been implemented for several decades, therefore, when you meet fast food on wheels, no one is surprised. Therefore, a 20-year-old girl, Shadi Farsi, decided to bring her “zest” to this business by organizing a fast food on wheels, where girls in bikinis serve visitors (we talked about something similar in the Topless Cleaning article. I must say that from there is no end to visitors, and Shadi, after a year of work, is already thinking about opening a whole network of such kitchens on wheels.

Where to begin

First of all, you need to decide on target audience your future visitors (read how to do this). It is this knowledge that will determine the range of your establishment on wheels, and the routes you will use to move around the city, and the strategy of the advertising campaign, and much more. In general, the best option is to have a competent business plan on hand, which will allow you not only to see the whole “picture” of your future business, but also allow you to foresee most of the difficulties that await a novice entrepreneur.

What do you need to start a business

The most important thing, of course, is the vehicle. No wonder your establishment will be called a mobile cafe on wheels. These can be converted buses, vans, or trailers, like motorhomes. In Moscow, we visited one such cafe on wheels, under which we adapted a double decker - a double-decker English bus. Needless to say, it turned out amazing! A stall on wheels differs from, for example, a mobile coffee shop in that in the first one, visitors have the opportunity to sit and have a quiet meal, drink coffee, watch TV, listen to music, etc.

There is also the option of a mini-cafe on wheels, in which, in the place where the mobile kitchen on wheels stops, several folding tables and chairs are placed, and if necessary, canopies are thrown up near the car. At the same time, the vehicle completely dedicated to the kitchen.

Your mobile space must meet the following requirements:

sanitary and epidemiological service - to have certificates of conformity for the equipment used, a number of contracts for the provision of imported water, disposal of waste, disposal of solid waste and cleaning of the adjacent territory;
fire safety standards - this is the serviceability of electrical equipment, the availability of fire extinguishing means;
technical rules. To do this, you need to provide a copy of the technical passport of the trailer (van), its photo, and a certificate of conformity. To this package of documents, you must additionally have an agreement with the enterprise - the supplier of products, and the conclusion of Rospotrebnadzor on the transport on which the products are delivered.
And one more thing: according to the rules, the introduction of products and the removal of waste should be done through different doors. The number of required documents is impressive, but even more are required to open an ordinary cafe. And then - you can always agree with everyone.

By the way, a little tip: make sure that appearance your autocafe on wheels was exclusively in bright, iridescent colors, and equipped with an attractive sign - the influx of customers will increase exponentially. In addition, vehicles must be completely soundproofed so that as little sound as possible penetrates the outside. I think it is superfluous to say that the room on wheels should be warm and have air conditioning, and none of the visitors will sit in the cold and stuffiness.

Assortment of menus in a cafe on wheels

A cafe, especially a mobile one, is not a restaurant after all. Therefore, the main emphasis in the menu should be on dishes that do not require a long cooking time. It can be snacks, salads, pastries, fast food, sandwiches, confectionery. From drinks - hot (tea, coffee, chocolate), juices, soda. Trade in any alcoholic products in mobile outlets less than the area established by law is prohibited.

Although the organization of the kitchen is often provided for by such projects right in the car, many owners of such establishments are trying to get rid of the extra hassle associated with cooking on the spot. And therefore they keep ready-made dishes in the refrigerators, which, if necessary, can be heated in the microwave. In general, it is up to you to decide whether or not to have a kitchen in your cafe on wheels, it is impossible to give unambiguous advice here.

Necessary equipment

In principle, you will need most of the equipment from the "arsenal" of an ordinary stationary cafe, these are:

a couple of refrigerators;
microwave;
oven for cooking;
coffee machine;
water heater;
the required amount of disposable tableware (it would be impractical to use another), napkins, hygiene items.

Put inside the container under the used disposable tableware. If the furniture is inside, then it should be attached to the floor so that nothing “leaves” along with the table during movement.

From the "non-standard" equipment you will need:

television;
voltage converter to 220 volts;
audio system with speakers located throughout the car.

Traffic routes

A few words need to be said about which routes you need to choose to move through the streets of the city. If the institution is rented for several hours by one company, then the route, of course, is chosen by the one who pays. In other situations, streets with even pavement should be chosen so that, if possible, visitors do not experience all the inconveniences inherent in Russian roads.

As an option, you can take a walk around the sights of your city (for tourists), focusing on the audience present, drive through romantic places (for couples in love), or deliver couples with children to amusement parks. Of course, you need to have in advance in the navigator (which will avoid traffic jams) several options for movement.

Staff

With the selection of employees should not be a problem. It will not be difficult to find those who want to work in fast food enterprises. The main thing is that they have medical books available. It will be enough for two cooks-waiters and a driver-loader in one shift.

Another point is obtaining permission from the municipal authorities to conduct trade. . Usually, the administrations of settlements go towards such undertakings - after all, taxes from incomes go to the local budget.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the implementation of this business idea. The constant expansion of the assortment, the organization of food delivery to order (read how to arrange delivery here -), will only have a positive effect on your business, and in every possible way contribute to advertising. With a little effort and creativity, your trolley will become the most famous fast food outlet in the area and in the city.

By the way, the opinions of business experts regarding this business idea are contradictory. Here is what the opponents of the mobile cafe refer to (taken from the materials of the magazine “Choj delo”):

Most likely, the cost of maintenance and operation of this bus will be comparable (or even more) with the cost of maintaining a stationary cafe of a comparable area: the cost of gasoline, staff salaries, technical maintenance. At the same time, income will certainly be less - own production always more profitable, and in this case, you will have to buy finished products on the side.
Secondly, this idea will not be approved by the sanitary services of the city. If we take on this project, then it might make sense to reorient it to corporate services (birthdays, parties, graduations) and focus on entertainment and drinks.
The project is not viable. Firstly, Rospotrebnadzor will never release such a bus on the route (any catering establishment must be connected to a stationary water supply and sewerage system). Secondly, according to the fire safety rules, there should be at least two entrances. The project has only one input.

Many entrepreneurs dream of owning their food service business. One of the pretty good business ideas is a cafe on wheels.

Such a cafe is unusual in its appearance and attracts with low prices. An establishment of this type can compete with ordinary cafes and restaurants quite well.

Business ideas on wheels are new to our country. It doesn't take much to make this idea a reality. You can fulfill such desires of a guest that an ordinary restaurant cannot - come to your guest.

The specifics of a mini-cafe on wheels

Before you open an institution of this type, you need to decide on the contingent of visitors. Based on the type of your establishment and product prices, children, schoolchildren and students will visit you more often.

Each entrepreneur of such a business must come up with an original style for his institution. First of all, you need to think about the interior of the cafe on wheels. Since the cafe is mobile, you need to take care of soundproofing so that it does not disturb your customers.

It would be nice to have audio and video acoustics, which can be used not only during a banquet, but also on weekdays. If you decide to hold events in your institution that will bring you a lot of additional profit, then do not forget about entertainment program and banquet menu.

Also, you need to think about the routes of the cafe in advance, do not forget about all the sights of your city. You can come up with various promotions suitable for your establishment, for example, discounts for regular customers, as well as birthday discounts. Do not forget to make a book of regular customers whom you would notify about your promotions by SMS or by phone.

Cafe on wheels menu

As for the menu, a special approach is needed here for such an institution. For your visitors it is necessary to exclude alcoholic products. In extreme cases, you can include low-alcohol cocktails. A mobile cafe on wheels cannot have its own kitchen, which means that the cafe will work on semi-finished products of a high degree of readiness, that is, which you just need to warm up.

It can be such dishes: soups, side dishes and bakery products. You can conclude an agreement with any restaurant, cafe, and even with a canteen - it's up to you. If the budget allows, then, of course, it is better to order in a good institution. Do not forget that if you buy fried salmon at a restaurant at one price, you will not be able to sell it at your own place at the same price, it will be too expensive for your cafe.

Hiring workers

For customer service, you will need a driver, a waiter and a so-called chef who will warm up and prepare coffee. If you want your establishment to work seven days a week, and this is desirable, then you need to hire 2 or 3 people (1 person per shift). It is desirable that the drivers were with experience.

Necessary kitchen utensils

For a cafe on wheels you need to pick up necessary equipment, but keep in mind the following: if it suddenly gets very dirty, there will be nowhere to wash it. Your cafe is moving, and a standing glass cup on the table can fall at any moment. Having broken 100 glasses, you will have to count the loss.

Necessary equipment for a cafe:

Kitchen.
2 tables for equipment.
Microwave.
Coffee machine.
A couple of refrigerators.
Cupboards for storing dishes.
Dishwasher (if the dishes are reusable) or containers for used disposable dishes.
Forks, spoons, half-portion plates, small tableware, saucers, trays, napkin holders, bread bins, etc.
Chairs and tables are plastic or wooden. All furniture must be screwed to the wall and floor of the bus.

Necessary conditions for a cafe

Do not forget about heating in winter, heating the lower steps, and in hot weather - air conditioning. As for parking, you can agree on it with one motor transport company in your city. There are two ways to organize this kind of business:

Buy a franchise.
Create your own brand.

The franchise price is quite high, it is 90 thousand euros, today it is 4,410,000 rubles. This includes: double-decker bus (American made), right to use trademark, initial advertising campaign and recipe. But in Russia they try not to get involved with this type of transport, but buy our domestic ones and make a cafe-bus to their liking. In addition, you need to collect the necessary documents:

Permission to open a cafe on the bus.
Certificate of medical examination of all employees.
Permission from the fire safety authorities.
License to sell goods and alcohol.
A document with positive results of sanitary checks.

Planned start-up costs

Bus - 2,800,000 rubles.
Equipment - about 150 thousand rubles, depending on how much you will bet.
Cafe and interior design - 90-120 thousand rubles.
Total: 3,050,000-3,070,000 rubles.

Monthly expenses:
For fuel - (consumption 30l / 100 km, 100 km per day, 25 rubles per liter) - 23.25 thousand rubles.
Bus service - 15 thousand rubles.
Wages of employees: 2 drivers - 20 thousand rubles, a waiter - 15 thousand rubles, a cook - 10 thousand rubles, an accountant - 7 thousand rubles.
Total: 142.25 thousand rubles.

Enterprise profit

If we take on average that a mobile cafe on wheels will pay off in a couple of years, then every month you can receive 125 thousand rubles in revenue. With an average check of one hundred rubles per client and a markup of 50%, the institution must serve 100-120 visitors every day, these figures are quite real. With such a profit, the company will not work at a loss for itself.

Problems of opening an unusual cafe

The cafe-bus is an unusual institution and quite interesting, but unfortunately, the sanitary-epidemiological station and other stations responsible for the cleanliness of the enterprise are under a big question. The question is whether this type of business can be unrealistic. Maybe even easy, consider the reasons.

Rospotrebnadzor will be against such a bus, so that it travels around the city, because the catering company must be connected to city communications. Fire safety rules state that catering establishments, without exception, must have two emergency exits, and the bus has only one door.

If in your city the population does not exceed 200 thousand people, then such a cafe should not be opened. The population of such cities has its own opinion, it is cheaper for them to go home for dinner than to go to a cafe. The next problem is Russian roads. Any stop provokes a spill of drinks and hot dishes. Based on this, only packaged dishes should be present in the cafe menu.

Pros of a mobile cafe

Not every day and not every season will be profitable. For example, in the warm season, your business will be useful for the population, and on frosty or stormy days, no one will come to you. Although the authorities themselves are negative about this kind of business, such a cafe would be useful on big holidays, such as the parade on May 1 and 9, and other events.

Having listed all the shortcomings of such an institution, we doubt whether such a business will pay off and whether it will bring profit at all. A normal profit is brought by an institution with 50 seats or more, and such a bus places about 20-30 people. Despite this, nothing can stop a purposeful entrepreneur, and he will make it a reality. With a lot of effort and patience, you can make such a business quite good.

In different countries, a mobile cafe on wheels is considered acceptable, for example, in Japan. Only in this country are prepared snacks such as takoyaki dough balls, the main component of which is octopus. In addition to cafes on wheels, there are many such businesses around the world, for example, San Francisco.

There is a mobile restaurant made from an old school bus, and this restaurant is very popular. It is regarded more as an entertainment option with an assortment of fast food menus.

The first project of such a mobile restaurant was launched in Los Angeles in 2008 by chef Roy Choi. He offered Korean and Mexican cuisine to visitors. There is also such a business in China, where it is also very popular due to the huge population.

A few years ago, the Moscow government gave the green light to entrepreneurs to open such a business, but so far only drinks are served there. In summer, cafe-trams or cafe-trolleybuses travel in many cities of Russia. This type of establishment will look good in cities with a large influx of tourists. If the population wants to see this type of catering establishments, then the government will allow such a business to exist in every city.

Mobile cafes are a promising type of business. Despite the abundance of mobile points, this segment of the market is not yet filled and will only expand over the years. If you take into account all the subtleties of this business and find your own chips, success will be guaranteed.

The mobile cafe market in Russia is developing at a rapid pace. Currently, the Russian consumer is served by more than 30,000 cafes on wheels. And this is a very approximate figure.

Experts agree that this business niche will constantly expand. This is a rather interesting type of entrepreneurial activity, and in this article we will talk about its main nuances. After the collapse of the USSR, numerous eateries, dumplings and pancakes somehow disappeared unnoticed.

This has freed up a large niche for mobile cafes. A mobile cafe is, first of all, a trailer equipped with everything necessary for cooking.

Previously, such vans were purchased abroad and cost quite impressively - up to $ 25,000. Today, their price has more than halved, and Russian market such a van costs about $9,000. On the territory of Russia, several companies are leading in the production of vans for mobile cafes.

This is, firstly, the famous Tonar company, which has been manufacturing various models of trailers for more than 10 years. "Tonar" began to be called any trailer, regardless of its manufacturer, often without even thinking that this is a proper name. This name even began to be used in the decisions of the leadership of various cities and regions regarding this type of trade.

But, unfortunately, the Tonar models are not directly suitable for opening a cafe, as they require quite significant additional equipment. Their main advantage is low price - 3-4 thousand dollars.

Another enterprise producing similar products is MAZ-Kupava. It has representative offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Several models of this manufacturer can be used for trade in grilled products and shawarma without additional modification.

The cost of such a trailer ranges from 5-6 thousand dollars. Another leader in the production of these products is the Avtoholod company. It produces more than 70 models of mobile cafes based on the MAZ-Kupava trailer. Products from Avtoholod will cost 5-12 thousand dollars.

The Russian company Delovaya Rus equips any trailers with equipment for a mobile cafe. On average, the cost of a mobile cafe equipped with everything necessary for work is about 10 thousand dollars. Approximately 5 thousand costs the simplest model, equipped only for cooking grilled chicken and shawarma.

By the way, it is these cafes that pay off the fastest - their products are relatively cheap, and they are bought willingly. The main buyers are the lower stratum of the middle class, the most numerous in Russia.

According to experts, the shelf life of the trailer with intensive use is 5-6 years. This should be taken into account by businessmen who do not plan to quit this business in five years. The choice of food that a mobile cafe can sell is unlimited.

The trailer will be easily equipped with equipment for baking, barbecue, barbecue, pancakes, potatoes, pies. The entrepreneur will only have to take care of the manufacturability of products and semi-finished products. So, there are no restrictions on products.

But there are a number of difficulties and nuances that must be reckoned with. First of all, a mobile cafe is a business of a big city. If the population of the city does not exceed 100-200 thousand, then opening such an institution is practically futile. In such cities, people have a different mentality - it is easier and cheaper for them to go home for dinner.

You can count on a more or less decent income only in case of big holidays and in crowded places. The second is the production base and the availability of semi-finished products. In the case of shawarma and grilled chicken, everything is simple - a semi-finished product is bought and grilled.

And products that are more difficult to prepare - pancakes, pies, or stuffed potatoes already require the presence of their own production base. In this case, the costs will pay off only if there is a network of at least five cafes.

The third, most topical point is the attitude of the authorities towards this type of business. The leadership of almost any city refers to mobile cafes as an inevitable evil that must be endured until better times, when stationary catering places appear. This attitude towards mobile cafes is present even in the capital.

And this is despite the fact that the authorities themselves involve cafes in organizing big holidays - May 9, City Day, New Year, etc. Due to the lack of activity standards for mobile cafes, officials themselves determine the policy regarding this type of business.

Hence the completely different situation not only in different cities, but even in the metropolitan districts. For Moscow, about 30 regulations have been developed regarding the activities of mobile fast foods, in some cases contradicting each other.

For this reason, scandals related to mobile food outlets often flare up in the capital. For example, in the Northern District of the capital, the prefect, referring to a certain decision, demanded that trailers be taken out for the night. If sellers complied with the requirement, this would lead to large additional costs on their part. All Tonars are connected to the mains. When moving, they would have to be turned off.

The food in the refrigerators could go bad, the owners would have to hire chauffeurs. In addition, towed trailers must be stored somewhere else. Fortunately, the prefect simply demonstrated to the entrepreneurs "who is the boss in the house." According to experts, the development of fast food chains on wheels is most hindered by the lack of a specific legislative framework. This is especially true for the issue of land.

In Moscow, for example, the owners of mobile cafes do not pay rent, but a fee for the use of land based on the declaration of Moskomzem. This permit is valid for up to three months.

After its expiration, they can easily either refuse to renew or move the point somewhere. Because of this uncertainty, the owners save on additional investments in the business. It is almost impossible to interest banks in this type of business, since there are no long-term guarantees.

And the attitude of the federal authorities in general is worthy of a separate chapter. For example, at the moment, all-Russian sanitary standards have been adopted. Based on their requirements, mobile cafes must be connected to city sewer systems. There are no exceptions. In some cities of Russia, this type of business has already been banned, referring precisely to these norms.

Good traffic is the key to success

So far, this business has become most widespread only in Moscow. There are about 3,000 mobile cafes in the capital. And there is no talk of any competition yet.

The profitability of this business is still very high. The first investments in this business do not exceed 15 thousand dollars (for the organization of one point). This includes the cost of purchasing a trailer, its equipment, the purchase of dishes and semi-finished products.

The payback period of the cafe is about 8 months. It all depends on its location in the city. In addition to Moscow, there are cities in which mobile cafes feel almost as good. These are Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar. Although in these cities the income of the population is somewhat lower than in the capital, this is offset by a huge interest in mobile cafes.

So in some regions this business is developing quite rapidly. According to a representative of Avtoholod, entrepreneurs from these cities constantly return to buy and equip new trailers.

From the point of view of professionals, each mobile point is characterized by only two indicators - the average check size and traffic (the number of customers per day). A cafe located in a not very good place can serve up to 60 customers per day. The average size check in this case can be 25-30 rubles.

A point located in a profitable location serves an average of 200-300 customers (with a maximum throughput of 500). average cost check in any case does not exceed 150 rubles, such is the limitation of the solvency of Russians.

Seasonality plays an important role in the operation of mobile fast food outlets. For example, the “deaf” months are January and February. And on frosty days, revenue can drop to zero. A sharp increase in interest in mobile cafes usually occurs between the warm and cold seasons - early spring and late autumn.