New: the free 12-step MobCater startup guide is now in the app. Open the app →

How Much Does a Kebab Van Make in a Day?

by Steve O'Neil
(Hampshire)

White long-wheelbase kebab and grill van with an open side serving hatch on a UK town-centre street

White long-wheelbase kebab and grill van with an open side serving hatch on a UK town-centre street

What is a typical daily earning for a kebab van?

Comments for How Much Does a Kebab Van Make in a Day?

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Sep 03, 2026
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		How Much Does a Kebab Van Make in a Day?
by: MobCater

Steve, this is the question everyone asks before they commit, and the honest answer is that daily takings for a kebab van swing wildly depending on where you park and how busy your pitch is. I'll give you real numbers rather than a fairytale.

On a quiet pitch, a small site with modest footfall, you might take £40 to £70 in a day. That sounds discouraging, but those pitches are cheap or even free, and they're where a lot of people cut their teeth. On a busy site, a good weekend event, a packed retail park at lunchtime, or a solid town-centre spot, £500 to £700 in a single day is realistic, and the best events days can push well beyond that. The gap between those two figures is entirely about footfall, so choosing your location matters more than almost anything else you'll do.

Takings are not the same as profit, though, and this is where a lot of newcomers trip up. What actually lands in your pocket depends on your food cost and your margins. A well-run kebab van should be running gross margins of around 65 to 85 percent, so if you sell a kebab for £6 and your meat, bread and salad cost you a pound or so, most of that £6 is gross profit before your other running costs. Price accurately from the start, because it's very hard to raise prices later once your regulars know the menu.

My advice is to spend two to four weeks quietly watching a pitch before you trust anyone's earnings claims. I was once offered a pitch on the promise of huge takings, and when I did my homework the seller was actually being moved off it. People make up revenue figures all the time.

Track your takings separately from your float from day one, and know your profit per item. I built a daily sales tracker into the app for exactly this, because guessing your numbers is how good little businesses quietly lose money.

Best of luck

David

Disclaimer: This is based on my experience in UK mobile catering. Earnings vary hugely by location, season and how many days you trade, so treat these as guide figures and always do your own research before committing.

Try the free MobCater App, our startup checklist and guide walks you through every step: https://www.mobcater.co.uk/mobile-catering.html

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Mobile Catering Licence .

Your first trading day is closer than you think

Start free today with the 12-step guide, and skip the trial and error most new caterers learn the hard way.

Start the free 12-step guide