Mobile Catering Buisness

noel69

Hello all, thinking of setting up a small mobile catering buisness, to cater at football matches and other events, offering people a healthier alternative to regular chip van food at these events with hot sandwiches and other small items.

Have a few questions on this if anyone can help me out,
I know i require an annual licence from the local council, does this licence allow me to trade all over ireland. And is this licence easy to get.
Do i also need another licence to trade in northern ireland.
Do i require additional liceneces to attend events eg, gaa matches, outside concerts etc.
Is it possible to set up beside a footpath randomly in dublin on a general weekday catering to passers buy. (either a small cart or a larger van)
Do i require some type of insurance to sell food to the public.
Is there a way of advertising this type of buisness while at an event or is it a case of show up and hope for the best.

Any help would be hugely appreciated,

Bandara

noel69 wrote: »

Hello all, thinking of setting up a small mobile catering buisness, to cater at football matches and other events, offering people a healthier alternative to regular chip van food at these events with hot sandwiches and other small items.

Have a few questions on this if anyone can help me out,
I know i require an annual licence from the local council, does this licence allow me to trade all over ireland. And is this licence easy to get.
Do i also need another licence to trade in northern ireland.
Do i require additional liceneces to attend events eg, gaa matches, outside concerts etc.
Is it possible to set up beside a footpath randomly in dublin on a general weekday catering to passers buy. (either a small cart or a larger van)
Do i require some type of insurance to sell food to the public.
Is there a way of advertising this type of buisness while at an event or is it a case of show up and hope for the best.

Any help would be hugely appreciated,

Hi Noel

If your buying a van like this I know of one being sold very cheaply. Handles Hot & Cold food and Tea / Coffee. Its about 2 years old I think.

PM me if you want too.

(van isn't mine - I just know of one available)

elgransenor

Go onto irishstatutebook.ie and do a search for the casual trading act-it will tell you the story.
If a local authority issues a licence to you,clearly they are only issuing for their area so look at the law and see is there a procedure for a wide ranging casual traders licence.

MB74

Have a few questions on this if anyone can help me out,
I know i require an annual licence from the local council, does this licence allow me to trade all over ireland. And is this licence easy to get.
Not sure

Do i also need another licence to trade in northern ireland.
I would expect so, seperate legislation and governance

Do i require additional liceneces to attend events eg, gaa matches, outside concerts etc.
Not sure

Is it possible to set up beside a footpath randomly in dublin on a general weekday catering to passers buy. (either a small cart or a larger van)
Not sure

Do i require some type of insurance to sell food to the public.
Your licence may require you provide proof if insurance, if it doesn't then the simple answer is no your don't require it in Ireland (NI may be different), but definitely a good idea to get it, not necessarily expensive to buy either.

Is there a way of advertising this type of buisness while at an event or is it a case of show up and hope for the best.
Maybe study what's happening at an event and decide fo yourself.

Best of luck.

noel69

If your buying a van like this I know of one being sold very cheaply. Handles Hot & Cold food and Tea / Coffee. Its about 2 years old I think.

Cheers, will look into buying a van after Christmas, wont be starting up til then, might get back to ye then if it is still about.


Go onto irishstatutebook.ie and do a search for the casual trading act-it will tell you the story.
If a local authority issues a licence to you,clearly they are only issuing for their area so look at the law and see is there a procedure for a wide ranging casual traders licence.

Ok had a look at that, fairly helpful cheers, will have to get talking to the local authority to suss the licence end of things out.


Do i also need another licence to trade in northern ireland.
I would expect so, seperate legislation and governance

I would think your right on that one



Anyway a few things i wouldnt mind knowing

Are the licences easy to get
Do i require some type of insurance to sell food to the public.
Do i require additional liceneces to attend events eg, gaa matches, outside concerts etc.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

prince 45

thinking of geting a bugger van what do i need and where can i put it
aney helpers pleese

quinnie123ie

prince 45 wrote: »

thinking of geting a bugger van what do i need and where can i put it
aney helpers pleese

LMAO, what will you be getting up to in this van?

YellowSheep

Don't Drink and Post! :rolleyes:

KatOshea

Hi guys im setting up a coffee van. Can anyone send me on a list of definate needs . I have gaggia coffee machine and grinder located. Have generator and need water pump. But equipment wise what else. Thanks!😊

_Brian

KatOshea wrote: »

Hi guys im setting up a coffee van. Can anyone send me on a list of definate needs . I have gaggia coffee machine and grinder located. Have generator and need water pump. But equipment wise what else. Thanks!😊

Fridge as people want water, minerals etc too.
Can that machine make tea and hot chocolate ??
Storage for water

Will you need a wee comdaments table for milk/sugar, when busy it's a great way to get punters away from the hatch and onto the next customer.

Till??

Walter2016

There's quite a bit of work involved than getting a machine and sticking it in a van.

Have a look at how others do it

http://mrhobbscoffee.com/about-mrhobbs

Or http://cafe2u.com/uk/index.html

See if you can match them.

_Brian

Walter2016 wrote: »

There's quite a bit of work involved than getting a machine and sticking it in a van.

Have a look at how others do it

http://mrhobbscoffee.com/about-mrhobbs

Or http://cafe2u.com/uk/index.html

See if you can match them.

I don't see anything particularly special about their set up. Actually working out of the rear of a hiace like that doesn't look like a good model. If I were going down that route I'd be thinking a catering style thing or similar to an Icecream truck with a side serving hatch. Them guys must be miserable on a wet cold day.

Walter2016

_Brian wrote: »

I don't see anything particularly special about their set up. Actually working out of the rear of a hiace like that doesn't look like a good model. If I were going down that route I'd be thinking a catering style thing or similar to an Icecream truck with a side serving hatch. Them guys must be miserable on a wet cold day.

There was one operating in a business park I used to work in and he did better on the cold wet days because a lot of office girls treated themselves to hot chocolate.

He located himself at a train station early in the morning (had licence from ie) and drove through a couple of business parks til after lunch stopping outside different groups of offices every 15min.

He was quite good at promoting it - almost always at same time every day and calling into offices to advertise himself.

So not easy, but if it was, everyone would be doing it.