Starting a business, even if you have the capital, is not an easy undertaking. If you have never opened a business before, you might want to consult with a business attorney, especially for a mobile food business. There are things you must check prior to opening a business, but the most important thing is finding a location. Once you find a location, you are ready to move on to the rest of the steps.
Instructions
1. Prepare a business plan. To get any kind of financing, you will need to provide the bank or private lender with a business plan that outlines what the business will be doing, where the location is, why you think the business will do well and how and when you plan to pay back the money.
2. Procure all equipment, including but not limited to the truck or cart, cooking utensils, grills if they did not come with the truck or cart, refrigeration and storage cabinets.
3. Get all the business licenses you need for your city, county and state. You will need a sales tax license (usually from the state), an occupational license (usually from the county) and a license from the city. This license shows how many employees and how much equipment, such as soda machines, you may have. You may also need a license from the Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture issues licenses for many different types of business that need to be inspected by the state, including food businesses.
4. Call to set up an inspection with the local food service board or Department of Agriculture (whichever handles that in your state). Your cart or truck must meet all of their requirements for serving food.
5. Prepare a list of perishables you will need. You might want to start out small, as most things can be kept for only two days before selling. As you get to know the traffic flow for your location, you can purchase more perishables.
Tags: Department Agriculture, will need, business plan, business will, license from, license usually