How to make money selling food at festivals

Read on to find out:. The honest answer is that it depends on the festival. However, at gestivals popular festival attended by people with lots of disposable income think Glastonburythe basics will already be covered. The same applies how to make money selling food at festivals dedicated food festivals, where vendors are going to want to try new and exotic foods. To sell your food at a festival, you need to pay the organiser for a pitch. This is something you need to consider well in advance to ensure you have the money. At this stage, bear in mind that the organiser will expect to do a bit of bartering on the cost of the pitch. Not all pitches were created equal. Before you sign on the dotted line and hand your sellinh money over to a festival organiser, you should find out exactly where your location is going to be and have it written into your contract. The perfect pitch location depends on what you sell. Keep this in mind when negotiating the position of your pitch.

Proper Permits and Licenses

Whether you are a restaurant owner hoping to gain a larger customer base, or a cooking enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors and serving your favorite recipes, you can earn money as a food vendor at fairs and festivals. Though the specific requirements may vary according to the scale of your food vending business and individual state laws, following a few basic guidelines can get you well on your way to becoming a successful food vendor at outdoor parks and events. Determine what permits are needed. To sell food and beverages at fairs and festivals, you’ll typically need some type of vendor’s license or food handler’s permit. Restaurants that participate in minimal events can generally obtain a temporary permit that allows vending privileges for about 24 to 48 hours. Usually, the event coordinator can provide the necessary applications, or direct you to the appropriate agency. If you’re starting a food vending business and plan to travel frequently to several festivals and fairs, you’ll need to license your company with your local health department, but you may also need to obtain a temporary vendor’s permit for each festival you service. The Small Business Administration website offers detailed information of what permits are needed in each state. Look into purchasing the appropriately sized work vehicle.

Transportation and Kitchen Needs

As a food vendor you’ll be required to transport many items no matter how many events you participate in. Restaurant owners who occasionally service festivals will need at least a large work van to haul foods, beverages, supplies and signage. If you’re running a full-time mobile food vending business, a kitchen equipped food or catering truck is recommended. Look into obtaining the proper food preparation and transportation equipment needed to operate your business. Off-site restaurant vendors require thermal bags and hard plastic coolers to keep prepared foods at the proper temperature during transportation. If you’re running a food truck, refrigeration units and proper heating equipment are usually built in to the vehicle. In either case, make sure to purchase a sufficient amount of food storage and serving containers that meet your state health department’s sanitation regulations and guidelines.

Determine what permits are needed. Renee, Michelle. All those factor in to the cost of selling at festivals. You may think that not marking your prices makes your product seem more upscale. Google Loading Co-authors: As a food vendor you’ll be required to transport many items no matter how many events you participate in. Learn more

The Overall Benefits of Attending Events

Whether you’re selling art or food, you want to be able to reach a wide range of customers. A business card with your contact information, website, and social media sites is a great way to help a customer find you later. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. You also need to think about travel expenses, set-up costs, and time spent away from other jobs. Article Edit. Seeing other people smile makes people happy, so they associate you and your booth with happiness. Do your research. Languages Add links. That is, if you have too many paid people there, it’s going to cut into your profits. Go and see what people are selling. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. As a food vendor you’ll be required to transport many items no matter how many events you participate in.

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Whether you are a restaurant owner hoping to gain a larger customer base, or a cooking enthusiast who enjoys the outdoors and serving your favorite recipes, you can earn money as a food vendor at fairs and festivals.

Though the specific requirements may vary according to the scale of your food vending business and individual state laws, following a few basic guidelines can selliny you well on your way to becoming a successful food vendor at outdoor parks and events.

Determine what permits are needed. To sell food and beverages at fedtivals and festivals, you’ll typically need some type of vendor’s license or food handler’s permit. Restaurants that participate in minimal events can generally obtain a temporary permit that allows vending privileges for about 24 to 48 hours.

Usually, the event coordinator can provide the necessary applications, or direct you to the appropriate agency. If you’re starting a food vending business and plan to travel frequently to several festivals and fairs, you’ll need to license your company with your local health department, but you may also need to obtain a temporary how to make money selling food at festivals permit for each festival you service.

The Small Business Administration website offers detailed information of what permits are needed in each state. Look into purchasing the appropriately sized work vehicle. As a food vendor you’ll be required to transport many items no matter how many events you participate in. Restaurant fod who occasionally service festivals will need at least a fesstivals work van to haul foods, beverages, supplies and signage.

If you’re running a full-time mobile food vending business, a kitchen equipped food or catering truck is recommended. Look into obtaining the proper food preparation and transportation equipment needed to operate your business.

Off-site restaurant vendors require thermal bags and hard plastic coolers to keep prepared foods at the proper temperature during transportation. If you’re running a food truck, refrigeration units maoe proper heating equipment are usually built in to the vehicle. In either case, make sure to purchase a sufficient amount of food storage and serving containers that meet your state health department’s sanitation regulations and guidelines.

Visit the FoodSafety. Make sure to get all the necessary insurance policies. Depending on festivalx geographical location and what type of vending business you operate, you’ll need certain types of food vendor’s insurance. If you own a restaurant, your establishment policy may include umbrella festifals for off-site events, or you may obtain temporary liability insurance for each festival. Permanent concession stand owners should have property and liability insurance, as well as workman’s compensation insurance to protect employees.

In either scenario, you will need commercial auto insurance to transport foods, beverages, equipment and supplies. Perform through research att consumer needs and competitors, and create a menu. Consider what your competitors are serving, their mae and who your target consumers are — children, families, ethnic efstivals. Make sure to include items that can be prepared quickly and easily in limited space areas and are easy for festivalgoers to eat on-the-go.

Try avoiding foods that melt, spill, are excessively messy or difficult to consume when walking. Make sure to create a stock and inventory list and buy all the food and materials hiw. Once your menu is in place, purchase the necessary food ingredients, garnishes and beverages, as well as a good stock of napkins, disposable eating utensils and serving containers.

Restaurant owners usually already have all necessary supplies sellinb. Don’t forget to provide customers with containers that are easily portable. For example, serve ice cream in a cup rather than a cone that can melt over your hand or soup in a tall canister rather than a bowl. Make sure to contact your local city council and event coordinators to register for food vending privileges.

Most fairs and festivals are scheduled several months in advance and begin taking vendor applications at least six to eight weeks before the event. Don’t forget to find out what permits are needed and explore vending opportunities a few months before nake actual date of the event. Depending on your geographical location, outdoor food vending may mkae deemed a seasonal career. If you live in an area that fetsivals cold weather, consider an alternative source of income during winter months.

Renee has been published by Lumino and Career Flight as well as various food, education and business publications. Skip to main content.

Tip Depending on your geographical location, outdoor food vending may be deemed a seasonal career. Department of Heath and Human Services: Home. Renee, Michelle. Small Business — Chron. Note: Depending on which text editor you’re pasting into, you might have to add the italics to the site .

Beyond the music, these festivals stand out for their adventurous assortment of food vendors. This year Shawna Dawson, whose pop-up community event, Artisanal LAis a SoCal institution, created the artisanal market for this past April’s installment of Coachella, foos purveyors of mango chili-flavored cotton candy, Northern Baja-style tacos, and blueberry lemonade. Here, a few of those vendors—along with veterans of Bonnaroo, Governor’s Ball in New York City, and Austin City Limits—share their experiences and lend some insight into whether the festival circuit is a worthwhile endeavor for a small food business.

Proper Permits and Licenses

Although she admits Coachella «wasn’t a big business endeavor,» the trip itself was enjoyable. Cloe Lane had never attended Coachella, but the year-old Angeleno was intrigued by how it might bolster her resume. Someone who comes by just foov cotton candy. They don’t care that we have seven flavors. We would do even better. Meanwhile, «I was sellinv in the middle of the field telling people to come taste our nuts. I ended up getting in a newspaper article because of. Anytime you get a chance to expose your product to eyes, whether they’re drunk or high, it makes sense. At Bonnaroo, perhaps the biggest challenge Patrick Rathbone faced was being short-staffed. And thankfully, the unused sandwiches stayed fresh so long as they hlw refrigerated. The prep work was a headache. At first, his team was overwhelmed by the crowds in the general section. But things got easier the following festifals, when they were stationed in the VIP section. Unfortunately, the planning and prep work was grueling. I went to sleep at 3 a. It’s a big grind.