If you love food and have cooking skills, there are numerous ways to turn your love of food into a culinary business that can allow you to earn a living doing what you love to do. These food business ideas range in start-up costs, giving you options to fit your budget.
Start Small
If you want to get into serving food but don't have a large budget, consider approaching business owners and asking if you can deliver homemade lunches to the office daily. Paula Deen, the famous Food Network cook, started her restaurant business this way. Making homemade lunches and placing them in paper bags to distribute to local businesses can be a good way to start off without a large investment.
Coffee Service
A coffee cart that specializes in a variety of coffees, teas, and pastry items can be a profitable food business that even someone with little cooking experience can take advantage of. Start-up cost can vary between $10,000 and $50,000, depending upon how you go about setting up the business. This is an opportunity to visit local business owners who will allow you to set up a cart for their employees at specified times throughout the day.
Catering
A catering business can be one of the best ways to get into the food business, especially if you have friends or family that can help you get started. If you have planning skills, consider incorporating party and event planning with your catering to allow you to offer more services to your customers. Catering weddings, graduations, and parties is a food business you can get into for between $10,000 and $50,000, depending upon how small or large you want to start.
Cake Decorating
Decorating cakes is a food venture you can begin in your home. Creating cakes for weddings, charities, organizations, and parties allows you to control how much money you put into start-up. Begin with the essentials (cake decorating tools and ingredients for making cakes) and advertise locally. If you create beautiful cakes, word-of-mouth advertising can bring in the business that can help you grow,
Franchise Options
Franchising a food business can be easier than starting your own, since most of the business structure is in place. The franchise option also allows you to take advantage of an established name. The downside is the cost can be as high as $70,000 or more, depending upon the franchise you decide to go with. Franchising gives you the option of opening everything from sandwich shops to family dining establishments.
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