FEC500 Concession/Catering Trailer????????

The concession business is a little scary to me. So is the restaurant and catering business for that matter, but I know their pitfalls better, so I stick to that turf. The only advice I can give you is to make sure that the places you plan to use your trailer will actually let you use it. Many festivals will only allow one of each type of vendor. If you're doing Q and you're second in line, have a fall back menu or go home.

Smokin' covered the heat question.

As to electricity, you will need a generator. Some festivals have power, while others don't. Some that do have it charge extra for it, while others include it in their space fees. The FEC500 can be run off of a battery for extended periods though. See other links on this site for info about that.

Oh, and lastly, make sure you are totally up to speed on all health department regs you might encounter in your planned area of operations. You could have the cleanest, most beautifully equipped rig ever seen, but be so far out of compliance that you might as well be cooking in your car trunk. Regs vary widely from state to state. Could be more specific, but you didn't list any geographic info in your profile (which is a hint BTW). Knowing where you are lets people give better answers.

Thanks Todd, I think I fixed my profile as for my location... Witch is in Graniteville SC (in between Aiken SC & Augusta GA) My concession idea comes from all the Spring/Fall Festivals in this part of the country..Seems to be something going on every weekend and a great opportunity to make a little extra money (with a lot of hard work).. I wanted to go bigger and start a restaurant but am way to afraid plus not near enough money to do it right...So going a little smaller right now will help keep my DREAM ALIVE!!!! ALL HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED!!! THANKs..

I would think that you may be putting the cart before the horse. I don't sense that you have a clear understanding of what is involed nor the equipment needed or its' function.

Might I suggest the first order of business is a clear concise business plan that covers all aspects of catering. ie. regulations, equipment, offerings, pricing, inclement weather, poor turn out, equipment breakdown, etc. Once this is in place, then shopping for necessary equipment would make sense. Ask for training on its use from the current owner unless purchased new from the manufacturer.

Most businesses fail in the first six months due to quadruple P.

Thanks for all the encouragement Smoke'n Ice, But you can bet if and when I choose to do this I will have all T's crossed and all my I's doted.. I do have to look in to the RULES & REGULATIONS of owning something like this..BUT,ALL HOMEWORK WILL BE DONE!!! And once again THANKS FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT... BREE..

Bree,

Have a read through this forum, there are a LOT of lessons learned, some will apply to what you're trying to do.

By business plan, part of what you need to consider are the costs of doing business. Do you know what these fairs charge vendors? How about Health dept?

Todd and S'n Ice know their stuff, so they'll help you.

Bree,

I will try to answer your questions but understand that there is more to it than these few answers.

The FEC 500 uses wood pellets for the fuel source. The electrical is for the rotisserie and the IQ4 controller.

This brings up two questions -
Where to get the pellets
Cost of acquiring and lead time required

The FEC 500 uses 14 amps at 120vac - this equates to approximately 1800 watts. You will need a quite generator to run this unit as well as other items. The use of a battery/inverter system for any length of time is not fesible due to the amount of power required.

One question you might want to answer is - where will you store trailer when not in use? Most towns have ords against it in front of a home or in the front drive way.

I ran into this with my RV. It will fit in my back driveway and still have room to use my double garage. Problem was, could not make the turn into the driveway from the alley. It is now stored in a lot at a monthly cost. PPP on my part.

Nothing was meant to discourge, only to make sure you have your eyes wide open and consider every detail from what food to offer to additional off trailer refrigeration/Freezer, source of food, business license, deposits, permits, inspections (both fire department & Health Department) for each county you will operate in. Tax laws can be an I got you, especially sales tax, as each municipality gets a share of that generated in their area.

Mack

quote:

Originally posted by Smoke'n Ice:

The FEC 500 uses 14 amps at 120vac - this equates to approximately 1800 watts. You will need a quite generator to run this unit as well as other items. The use of a battery/inverter system for any length of time is not feasible due to the amount of power required.

Mack

I'm sorry, I was thinking FEC100 when I remarked about the battery power. But again, you'll need a generator anyway.

Check out this thread from not too long ago:
Concession

Also, here's some information from the NC State fair that starts next week. The deadline for getting in you vendor app was on July 1st. I suspect other large fairs have similar costs and deadlines. Prices are for entire fair, and I think you have to commit to the entire 14-15 day run, rain or shine, big crowds or not. Your proposed 26' trailer is more like 30'+ with tounge, plus 10' wide with serving shelfs, plus 50amp power, works out to about $3700 to play this gig, maybe a little more. Plus the cost for all that insurance, plus gas, plus lodging and food for you and your staff, plus, plus, plus............Assuming it's just you and your wife, you're looking at ~$7,000, or about $500 per day, just to cover your fixed costs, before you pay yourself anything, or put aside something for the divorce lawyer you'll need after working 9am-11pm with your wife for 14 days straight in a concession trailer.

* * * * RATES FOR OUTSIDE SPACE (8' MINIMUM) * * * *
___________________________________________________________________
..............................FRONT..........ADDITIONAL....20 AMP....50 AMP....EXTRA FOR
CATEGORY...............FOOTAGE**...DEPTH FEET....ELECT.....ELECT.....CORNERS
___________________________________________________________________
FOOD, STRAIGHT SALES & $140.00/FT $70.00/FT......$120.00...$180.00...$250.00
EXHIBIT SPACE
___________________________________________________________________
NON-PROFIT GROUPS $120.00/FT $60.00/FT $120.00 $180.00 $250.00
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
___________________________________________________________________
BULK EXHIBIT SPACE $150.00 (PER 10’X10’ INCREMENT) $120.00 $180.00 $100.00
___________________________________________________________________

**ALL APPROVED FOOD CONCESSIONAIRES MUST PROVIDE A CERTIFICATE OF PRODUCT LIABILITY INSURANCE LISTING THE N. C. STATE FAIR AS ADDITIONAL INSURED IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,OOO,000 SIX WEEKS PRIOR TO OPENING OF THE FAIR. ALL OTHER EXHIBITORS MUST PROVIDE GENERAL LIABILITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,000,000 WITH THE N. C. STATE FAIR LISTED AS "ADDITIONAL INSURED"
•
IF ACCEPTED, APPLICANT WILL BE NOTIFIED BY PHONE, IN MOST CASES PRIOR TO JULY 15. SPACE IS IN GREAT DEMAND, WITH VERY LOW TURNOVER. LESS THAN 5% OF ALL APPLICANTS ARE ACCEPTED.
•
FRONT FOOTAGE INCLUDES ALL PARTS OF A CONCESSIONAIRE'S OPERATION INCLUDING AWNINGS, TENT STAKES, TRAILER HITCHES, LIGHTS, FLAGS, ETC. FRONTING AISLE SUBJECT TO MEASUREMENT BY STATE AUDITORS.

Thanks MACK and TODD, That is A LOT to think about..And I don't want you guys to think I'm out to get rich quick, And I know that it will take lots of hard work, And take a toll on my family life... With that being said, What would you suggest to help me get to my ultimate goal (a restaurant) I was thinking start small with the (nice) concession trailer and hit the weekend festivals more so than the 2week fair circuits.. Where is a good place to get some good Festival info???? And THANKS AGAIN.. And HEY TODD, My wife CAN'T STAND for me to talk about this!!! But our Kids and a good friend of mine at work has some of the same dreams as me,So he may be more help than my wife plus he's already DIVORCED!! Thanks Bree..

I emailed you some info to your Yahoo account listed in your profile. If you didn't get it, email or PM me with an address where you can receive attachments.

Now guys, keep the good info in the forum. No fair going direct... LOL

Bree (which is my daughters name) good to see you came into the pros forum. The guys here will take care of you.

Think about a business plan and look for where the revenue is at. I know more people who cater and make money than people who do restaurants. It would be a long post, about restaurant success vs failure, but think seriously about a detailed business plan.

I know lots of people who have gone the route of "I make the best bbq, my neighbors told me so, to making money at it" It's a lot of hard work, that why I haven't gone the route... but my neighbors want me too.... LOL

Smokin. Don't go into the restaurant business until after you write a book.

I don't know what this means, but it is something to think about:

Look on Craigslist at the local events section, or events services. There seem to be a lot of folks in my area that have various vendor operation that are looking for events to vend. Makes you go hummmmmmm?

Also, look at the number of vendor rigs for sale there or on eBay. Hummmmmmm again.

Next, cruise by some local storage places and see the rigs parked there, and then see how often they move. Hummmmmmmmm.

Lastly, hit a couple of festivals and see how rested and happy the vendors look.........

After all this, if you still want to do it, we'll help all we can or suggest a good doctor, whichever you want.

THANKS EVERYONE!!!! I GUESS IT'S HOMEWORK TIME, AND TONS OF IT.... I THINK I'LL START BY READING SOME OF THE OLDER POST ON THIS SITE, I'M SURE ITS PACKED FULL OF INFO THAT WILL HELP!!! And yes TODD I did get your email... Great Info... THANKs