Food Truck Or Catering Trailer?

by Kaley
(London)

I'm just days away from purchasing a vehicle and designing it for my food business. I have a £15,000 budget but can't decide: do I get a food truck (like an old H van) or a trailer?

I will be trading at London markets and I do know that Westminster does not allow vans or trucks (or so I'm told although Pizza Pilgrims are technically serving out of a van)...I don't want to be limited in where I can trade but also need to store and prepare all food in my stand/vehicle.

Additionally, you have said in answering other people's questions that it's best to get a pitch before getting a stall...my question is how to get this timing right - if I apply for a pitch at a London market and it's granted before I have my vehicle, then what? If I have my vehicle and can't get a stall, then what? (apart from the obvious losing income!)

Great site by the way and extremely helpful! Can't wait to get my business up and running.

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Feb 28, 2013
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by: David

Hello Kaley,

I’ve had both type of catering vehicles and can say from my own experience that a mobile catering trailer may be the best option as most event organisers and landlords prefer this kind of food vehicle.

Read that full post here entitled Catering Van or Trailer which should prove useful to you.

You will also find this post helpful Buying a Catering Trailer - Beware of What You Are Getting Read the whole post for some very useful info, tips and things to watch out for when buying a catering trailer.


Also, I would contact the local council in the area that you want to trade and ask them if they have a preference for either type of food vehicle; they should be able to advise you accordingly.

Finally, I do recommend that people try and locate a pitch first before they purchase a catering trailer and I know this can be a bit of a juggling act, but a lot of people end up with a catering food vehicle and no pitch. So do try your best to find a potential pitch and then the food vehicle.

I think it’s better to have a pitch sorted first and then the trailer, if it comes to it you can always rent a catering trailer until you find a suitable food vehicle. At least this gives you a way to trial the business without making that big initial investment first.

There’s no perfect way to get started it’s just a matter of doing whatever fits your individual circumstances.

Hope this helps and please keep us updated.

Regards,
David

PS. Get my free guide on Starting a Mobile Catering Business Guide

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