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How to Start a Take Out Food Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

Sydney Kida | April 6, 2022 |

The take out food industry has experienced a massive boom throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. During the second and third quarters of 2020, the top four leading food delivery apps in the U.S. saw their revenues rise by $3 billion .

Even as life begins to return to normal, take out restaurant ideas continue to grow in prominence nationwide. What does this mean for the humble restaurant owner trying to get their business back on its feet?

Opportunity.

Dine-In vs. Take Out: How Take Out is Changing the Restaurant Business

Take out (sometimes spelled takeout and take-out) has altered the restaurant business irrevocably. While people like to point to the COVID-19 pandemic, take out changed the industry long before coronavirus became a thing.

Perhaps the main reason for takeout’s growth is the ease of ordering. Food delivery apps require a couple of clicks, and your order is already on its way. Giving people an entire list of choices and the option to order from the comfort of their sofas tends to encourage them to eat off premises vs. dining on site.

The younger generation of millennials is also driving growth among take out providers. They boast the most spending power and lean toward take out delivery more than other generations. For example, USA Today reported that 77% of millennials ordered food delivery compared to 51% of other diners during a three-month period in 2018.

Figuring out how to start a take out food business is, therefore, a viable option for companies looking to increase their revenues.

Finally, it’s essential to look at how people spend their evenings. If more people choose to watch Netflix over a night on the town, why wouldn’t they also order dinner at home?

How to Start a Take Out Food Business

Deciding how to start a new take out restaurant requires following several defined steps to put the infrastructure for success in place.

Before going into a takeout restaurant business plan, here are some tips for a takeout restaurant and what makes it successful.

Step One – Plan Your Concept

Take out restaurant design ideas must be optimized entirely for delivery, as this is your primary revenue generator.

Your kitchen’s layout, storage, and logistics must focus on the two key metrics of time and temperature. Get one of them wrong, and you risk killing any repeat business. Perfect your take out restaurant menu ideas and make sure they are optimized for time and temperature.

Most restaurants will maintain smaller menus for this reason. Not everything is suited for take out.

You should also think about your ingredients. Group dishes by the ingredients required to keep your workflow efficient. Remember, unlike dine-in customers, take out customers value speed over everything else.

Step Two – Choose Your Niche

Identify any gaps in the market. If Italian pizza take out restaurants have saturated your area, the chances are it’s not a wise investment.

Think about who you want to cater to and figure out an image of your ideal customer. Some examples of niches include:

• Office workers
• People with special diets
• Seniors with limited mobility

Talk to people on the street and find out what your local area lacks. Your take out restaurant design ideas may not be 100% unique, but you still need that underserved market.

Step Three – Set Up Your Physical Operations

Going through registering your business and applying for any licenses you might need in your state may take weeks, so think about these administrative burdens in advance.

Once you have your concept and your menu, it’s time to build the physical gears that will keep your take out food business turning.

Here are the primary considerations you’ll need to think about:

• Kitchen – Where will you produce your food? You may want to consider a low-rent area that's close to a densely populated place. Make sure it has the space and layout conducive to producing your unique menu.
• Point of Sale (POS) – Technology helps you to run your business. Choose a POS platform that allows you to easily take online orders, manage the payment side, and ensure your kitchen/delivery service runs efficiently.
• Staffing – How many staff do you need to run your kitchen? How much will it cost you to maintain that staff per month?
• Logistics – Do you have a place set up for collection or your own fleet of delivery drivers?

These tasks take longer than most people expect, so avoid setting a launch date before everything is in place. Furthermore, your state may have special requirements regarding commercial kitchen certifications and any required health inspections.

Step Four – Choose Your Distribution Providers

Getting your food to your customers requires a reliable distribution provider. Figuring out how to start a take out food business requires you to take the time to research and factor in distribution costs.

Whether you decide to opt for a third-party provider and eat the commissions or invest in creating your own delivery fleet is up to you.

Remember, your needs might change, so you can alter your distribution model later.

Step Five – Market Your Business

Take out businesses rely on the digital space to gain brand exposure. Craft a unique story that allows you to stand out from the crowd. What makes your take out restaurant special?

Focus on aspects like SEO, social media presence, and how you will convince those first customers to give you a try. Marketing begins from day one of coming up with your business idea. Save money during those initial months by drumming up interest before you officially open for business.

Innovative Take-Out Restaurant Ideas for Your Future Food Business

Staying on the cutting edge of the food industry is what will allow your business to thrive. Think about how you can integrate new ideas into your growing take out business for a better customer experience.

Here are some great tips for a takeout business in the future:

• Make-Your-Own Meals – Offer care packages, such as a build-your-own pizza kit to make ordering take out more fun and tailored to the customer.
• Creative Naming – Get creative with your naming, according to whatever is trendy at the time. Make people smile and make your meals memorable.
• Loyalty Schemes – Promote repeat businesses by bringing the classic retail loyalty scheme to the world of take out.
• Build Relationships – Handwritten notes, postcards, and formal loyalty programs help to bring the human touch to digital transactions.
• The Unconventional – Consider going beyond burgers and pizza and opting for more unconventional take out foods, such as omelets, steaks, and special sauce.

Think outside the box by examining your competitors and looking at what they aren’t doing. There are always openings for getting creative.

Starting Your Takeout Restaurant Business Plan

The pillar of how to start a take out food business is your business plan. Think of it as your professional roadmap to success.

Even if you already have a brick-and-mortar restaurant, your business plan provides direction, alignment, and orientation.

Take Out Restaurant Description

Outline what your take out place is going to be. Define the style of cuisine, the options available, the legal structure of your business, and operating hours.

It’s also the time to come up with a prototype menu. Include no more than 10-15 dish ideas at this stage.

Target Audience Analysis

Conduct market analysis of your target market. Form an image of your ideal customer, such as how old they are, their spending power, professions, interests, and what they expect from a take out establishment.

Understanding your ideal customer will help you give them the experience they expect when ordering take out.

Competitor Analysis

You also need to know who you’re coming up against, as you did with your target audience. A complete competitor analysis will examine a sampling of restaurants in your area.

Don’t just focus on the competitors offering the same cuisine as you. It helps to know what options customers have in the area, how much they charge, and the most common complaints they receive.

Either go out into the community and place orders yourself or make use of online reviews to find out more.

Organizational Sections

Labor, facilities, and associated financial costs and projections should also form a crucial part of your business plan. These are the hard figures that will tell you about the viability of your business and whether you need to make any changes.

You will also have a section dedicated to marketing, branding, and delivery models. The organizational sections are where you delve deep into the nuts and bolts of your business.

Starting a take out business for the first time doesn’t need to be intimidating. You’re moving into a booming industry with tremendous growth potential. How you establish your business and the tools you adopt will define whether you are a success or a failure.

Help with income stream diversification and creating a better customer experience with the revolutionary restaurant POS from Revel Systems®.

Find out why so many take out establishments are using Revel to transform their organizations by requesting a free product demo now.

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Food Delivery Business Plan

Are you planning to venture into a food delivery business? Well, there is no better time than now. In today’s world, where people order food in a few clicks, it outgrows the number of people who prefer wine-and-dine.

According to Forbes , the food industry market will be $200 billion strong by 2025. In the wake of the current pandemic, the online food delivery market has seen exponential growth and insane potential revenue capture across the globe.

Need a food delivery business plan? We’re here to help!

To start a food delivery business , the first thing you will need is a business plan.

A business plan bridges the gap between your thoughts, assumptions, expectations, and actual market, competition, and customer expectations. Determining financial needs, documenting them alongside a marketing plan, and building your revenue model, all of this become easier with a winning business plan.

Before you start writing your business plan for your new food delivery business, spend as much time as you can reading through some examples of services-related business plans .

Reading sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for and also it will show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample food delivery business plan for you to get a good idea about how perfect a food delivery business plan should look and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Food Delivery Business Plan Outline

This is the standard food delivery business plan outline, which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

• Business Overview
• Our vision and mission statement
• 3 Year profit forecast
• Registered name and corporate structure
• Company Location
• Company Resources
• The Financing
• Startup cost
• Funding Required
• Products and services
• The Order Process For Both Sides
• Regulatory Requirements
• On-Demand Delivery Market
• The United States Market
• SWOT Analysis
• Threats Mitigation
• Post-Launch
• Average Salary of Employees
• Important Assumptions
• Brake-even Analysis
• Profit Yearly
• Gross Margin Yearly
• Projected Cash Flow
• Projected Balance Sheet
• Business Ratios

Say goodbye to boring templates

Build your business plan faster and easier with AI

Plans starting from $7/month

After  getting started with upmetrics , you can copy this food delivery business plan example into your business plan and modify the required information and download your food delivery business plan pdf and doc file. It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

How to write a food delivery business plan?

With so many things on the plate, the start point of the business plan may look blurry. You may want to hire a business plan writer, but remember that no person knows better about your business than yourself!

Using this food delivery business plan template, you don’t have to rely on an outsourced writer to write YOUR business plan. Also, you don’t have to put in immense effort in drafting the ideal outline.

What to include in a food delivery business plan?

Writing a business often seems overwhelming. However, here are a few tips that will help you outline your business plan.

• A business plan should typically have an executive summary – With this, you can have a primary understanding of your target group, business outline, and other administrative summaries.
• You can include a market analysis section that updates you with the latest statistics and trends in the on-demand delivery market.
• SWOT analysis is perhaps the most important section you can include to mitigate threats in the market, grab potential opportunities and outline the marketing and sales plan.
• Since the food-delivery business revolves around a delivery personnel network, make sure you have this section included in your plan. You could also add the restaurant partners and their set commission/fees.
• It all boils down to what and how are you going to invest. Thus, documenting your financial strategies, having a break-even analysis, and projecting cash flow is highly crucial.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

Download a sample food delivery business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free food delivery business plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your food delivery business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

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About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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• Business Plan for Meal Takeaway

Meal Takeaway Small Business Idea and Business Plan

Starting your own small business in the UK isn’t easy but having a properly developed business plan will help you achieve success.

To start a Meal Takeaway business in the UK, take the time and explain the idea via a business plan.

Understanding all of the aspects of the business idea will be the key to getting the Meal Takeaway business running like a well-oiled machine. The business plan you develop will help you organize the elements needed into a strategy that you can actually use to startup, by paving a clear road map as to what you need to follow for the lifespan of your business.

Starting a Meal Takeaway business isn’t easy, but when done right, it can lead to a lot of success.

To help you get started, you can use the free business plan builder tool to develop your own Meal Takeaway business plan.

The business plan template is very easy to use, is interactive and will quickly and easily help you create your business plan just by answering the needed questions about your small business idea.

Create your own Meal Takeaway business plan for free using the Business Plan Builder

The free business plan template builder is divided into a few easy to follow steps.

The free business plan builder template is provided by UKStartups.org to help you develop your own business plan. For step by step guidance, see the 5 steps below.

Once completed, the result will be a clean, professional plan that will help you start your own Meal Takeaway small business in the UK.

When you have completed your Meal Takeaway business plan, the next step will be to find available funding that will help, or to speak with a funding adviser who will assist you each step of the way to securing the needed funds to make your Meal Takeaway business startup.

If you are looking to limit your startup costs when starting up a Meal Takeaway small business in the UK, this free business plan builder tool will be it.

Starting a Meal Takeaway business is only one of the ways others have used this free business plan tool. There are hundreds of different ideas you can start, and if you need guidance, do reach out to a UKStartups expert to get the needed assistance and guidance.

Step 1. Your business information

To develop a proper Meal Takeaway business plan with the free business plan builder template, it is important to answer each of the questions about your business to the best of your abilities.

What is your business? What are the products/services you provide? Who are your customers? What are your goals…etc?

Having a clear explanation will help you create a in-depth business plan that you can actually use to start the Meal Takeaway business and to apply for needed funding to cover your startup costs.

Step 2. Projecting your revenues/income

The Meal Takeaway industry can have great results. Planning and projecting the financial figures to approximate what you will make each year is crucial to building a strong business plan.

What do you think your business will make from each of its products/services? Simply list your products/services, enter the appropriate financial figures (costs and expenses).

If you don’t have the figures, in many cases it is recommended to do a a bit more research on other Meal Takeaway businesses locally and within your own region to get an idea of potential revenue. You can do your best to estimate the figures and growth potential.

If you need assistance in projecting, you can always contact UK Startups funding experts for the help.

Step 3. Your business market

As a Meal Takeaway business, having a clear explanation of the market and industry that you are in will help you plan for the figure and will ensure you can take the business to the next level.

Explain your location of business, share specifics about your customers, showcase your competition and explain the advantages you have over your competition.

Step 4. The future plan

Starting your own Meal Takeaway business and getting it off the ground is important to you.

No matter if you’re planning on applying for government funding for your Meal Takeaway business or not, it is important to plan out the future and provide an explanation of how you will grow the business. This means explaining your marketing plan, your sales strategy and clearly outlining a growth plan for the next few years.

Be sure to break this down step by step to show how you intend on making sure your Meal Takeaway business can grow each year.

Keep in mind that often business plans are focused on key people. Be sure to discuss yourself, your role and any other key figures in the business as well.

Step 5. The financials

In the end, it all comes down to the financials. If you are seeking funding, or not – the business plan you develop needs to have clearly defined financials or projections. The business plan builder tool makes it easy to develop your financial charts by simply entering your expected revenues per month and year. If you don’t have the figures as it’s a new business be sure to project the figures based on your expectations. If you need help with this, ask the UK Startups experts .

A clear breakdown of your funding needs is also recommended in case you are seeking funding and this free business plan template will help you with exactly that. When developing your Meal Takeaway business plan using this free template, the above 5 steps are recommended in order to succeed. While there are other key points that will assist you in starting your business, finding funding...etc, the free template will help put you on the right path

Be sure to request a professional to review your business plan , to answer any questions you may have and to help you with the funding search once you’ve done the initial free template. You can request this directly via UKStartups.org and through the Small Business Startup Platform as a member.

If starting a Meal Takeaway business is just one of your ideas, perhaps considering other options, here are some popular small business’s others have chosen to startup

• Tattoo Shop
• Soup Kitchen
• Diabetologist
• Amish Furniture Store
• Art Restoration Service

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Fast Food Business Plan Template

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 7,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their fast food restaurants.

How To Write a Business Plan for a Fast Food Restaurant

Below are links to each of the key components of a comprehensive business plan for a fast food restaurant:

• Executive Summary – The Executive Summary is the first and most important section of your fast food restaurant business plan. It provides a concise overview of the entire document and should be written last to ensure it accurately reflects the rest of the plan.
• Company Overview – In this section, you will introduce your fast food restaurant, including its mission, vision, and goals. Explain the business concept, legal structure, its unique selling proposition, and the target market you intend to serve.
• Industry Analysis – In the Industry Analysis, conduct a thorough analysis of the fast food industry, including market trends, growth potential, and key players. Identify any challenges or opportunities that may impact your fast food restaurant.
• Customer Analysis – Define your target market in detail. Who are your ideal customers? What are their demographics, preferences, and behaviors? Understanding your customer spending habits will help you tailor your products, marketing, and operations to meet their needs.
• Competitive Analysis – In the Competitive Analysis, evaluate your direct and indirect competitors. Identify their strengths, weaknesses, and fast food market share. This analysis will help you understand the competitive landscape and develop strategies to differentiate your restaurant.
• Marketing Plan – The Marketing Plan section is where you will outline your marketing strategy, including your target audience, messaging, branding, advertising, social media marketing, and promotional activities. This section should clearly articulate how you will attract customers, the pricing strategy you will use, and the loyalty programs to keep them coming back.
• Operations Plan – The Operations Plan will describe the day-to-day operations of your restaurant, including staffing, training, inventory management, food preparation, online ordering, and customer service. This section should outline your procedures for ensuring efficiency and quality.
• Management Team – In the Management Team section, introduce the key members of your management team and their qualifications. This section should demonstrate that you have the necessary expertise to successfully run the restaurant.
• Financial Plan – In the Financial Plan section, develop detailed financial projections, including projected revenue, expenses, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet. This section will help you assess the financial viability of your fast food business and secure funding.
• Appendix – In the Appendix, include any supporting documents, such as market research data, resumes, permits, licenses, and fast food menu items. This section can be used as a reference for investors, lenders, and other stakeholders.

Next Section: Executive Summary >

Fast Food Business Plan FAQs

What is a fast food business plan.

A business plan provides a snapshot of your fast food restaurant concept as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why Do You Need a Business Plan for a Fast Food Restaurant?

If you’re looking to start a successful fast food restaurant or grow your existing one you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth in order to improve your chances of a successful fast food business . Your fast food business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your business grows and changes

What Are the Sources of Funding for a Fast Food Restaurant?

Fast Food restaurants are usually funded through small business loans, personal savings, credit card financing and/or angel investors.

This is true for a traditional fast food restaurant, a quick service restaurant and a takeout restaurant business plan.

How Do I Download a Free Fast Food Business Plan PDF?

You can download our fast food restaurant business plan pdf and use our sample fast food business plan to write your own business plan. This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format. If you are looking for the quickest and easiest way to complete your business plan, Growthink’s Ultimate Fast Food Business Plan Template has numerous features not available in the free template including its financial projections template which automatically calculates your complete five-year financial projections including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.

FAST FOOD BUSINESS PLAN OUTLINE

• Fast Food Business Plan Home
• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Company Overview
• 3. Industry Analysis
• 4. Customer Analysis
• 5. Competitive Analysis
• 6. Marketing Plan
• 7. Operations Plan
• 8. Management Team
• 9. Financial Plan
• 10. Appendix
• Fast Food Business Plan Summary

Start Your Fast Food Plan Here

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How to Write a Restaurant Business Plan in 2024 (Free Template)

So you want to open a restaurant? Then you need a business plan.

A restaurant business plan is your roadmap to success. It outlines and forecasts every aspect of your restaurant’s operation and management —from menu design and location to financial planning and staff training. A comprehensive restaurant business plan demonstrates professionalism and a clear understanding of goals, increasing your chances of achieving long-term success in the competitive restaurant industry.

Why is a strong business plan important? Because it turns your restaurant idea into reality. According to the National Restaurant Association , having a business plan increases your chances of success by preparing you for problems before they arise and attracting investors and partners.

Planning is the key to restaurant success. Without a plan, you risk being part of the 30% of restaurants that fail in the first year​. To make sure your restaurant succeeds, you can start by creating a business plan. Financial projections are a crucial component, helping to secure funding and plan for the future. Here’s how to get started.

The importance of a restaurant business plan 

Think of your business plan as your ultimate guide, showing business owners, stakeholders, and investors how you’re going to turn your vision into reality. It ensures nothing is overlooked as you grow your restaurant . When you’re deep in the chaos of construction, licensing, staffing, and other challenges, your business plan will keep you on track and focused. Without one, navigating the complex world of opening a restaurant becomes much tougher.

A solid business plan is also key to attracting investors. Most new restaurants need some outside capital from hospitality investors or silent partners. Before they invest in your dream, they need to see that you’ve got a solid, thought-out plan for success. Your business plan shows investors that you’ve considered every expense and every possible scenario. It provides a complete description of your strategy, highlights the experience and skills of your management team, and explains why and how it will succeed.

Every business should have a business plan, whether new or existing. Business plans help you focus on your goals and can help get back on track if you stray from them.

• How to write a restaurant business plan

Whether this is your first business plan or your 10th, using a template specifically designed for the restaurant industry can be incredibly helpful. Our restaurant business plan template includes all the necessary sections you need. You can download a customizable copy of the business plan template here.

Conducting a thorough market analysis to understand customer demographics and competition is crucial for the success of your restaurant. Keep reading to learn about the key elements that make a restaurant business plan successful.

Further reading

• How to Write a Restaurant Business Plan Executive Summary
• Your Complete Guide to Restaurant Financing and Loans
• How To Conduct a Restaurant Market Analysis
• Essential elements of a restaurant business plan

Design a branded cover page

Start with a branded cover page that showcases your logo, brand fonts, and all relevant contact information. This sets a professional tone and makes your business plan easily identifiable.

Write the executive summary

Begin your restaurant business plan with an executive summary . This section introduces and sums up your entire vision, making sure to grab the reader’s attention. It should make investors feel invested in your idea and eager to read more.

Key elements to include are your restaurant’s mission statement , proposed concept, how you’ll execute the plan, an overview of potential costs, anticipated return on investment, as well as a business succession plan. Describe your restaurant concept, detailing the type of food being served, service style, design elements, and unique features. This is also a great spot to highlight your business’s core values. A strong executive summary sets the tone for your business plan and helps attract investor interest.

Additionally, include a management team write-up to highlight the credentials and past experiences of your management team, demonstrating their ability to run a successful establishment.

A well-conceived mission statement can provide a guiding light to keep your restaurant moving in the right direction. It helps ensure that every decision you make and every interaction you have is in line with your core values and goals.

Create the company overview

In this section, you’ll lay out the foundational details of your restaurant. Start by introducing the basic information: the restaurant’s name, address, and contact details. Include information about the owner and their background, showcasing their experience and passion for the industry. This sets the stage for your business’s credibility.

Next, describe the restaurant’s legal standing and its short- and long-term objectives. This helps potential investors understand the structure and vision of your business.

Highlight your understanding of the local food industry with a brief market research summary. Explain why your restaurant will succeed in this market by demonstrating awareness of local dining trends and consumer preferences. Crafting your own restaurant business plan is crucial to showcase your dedication and strategic planning, learning from others' mistakes to ensure success.

Here’s a sample layout for this section:

Company description

Restaurant Name : [Restaurant Name]

Location: [Restaurant Address]

Contact: [Restaurant Phone Number] | [Restaurant Email Address]

Owner: [Owner Name]

Experience: [Owner Name] has over [Number] years of experience in the restaurant industry. They have worked in various roles, including [List of Roles]. They are passionate about food and creating a memorable dining experience for their guests.

Legal Standing: [Restaurant Name] is a [Type of Legal Entity] registered in [State/Province].

• How to Write a Great Restaurant Description

Include an industry analysis

First describe the current state of the market sector your restaurant will be in and the specific area you will be in. This should include local economic growth, existing restaurants, infrastructure projects, nearby businesses, residential areas and foot and car traffic counts.

To create an effective and professional business plan, it is important to study restaurant business plan samples.

1. Review your target market

The restaurant industry is competitive so you need to find your niche. What will make your restaurant different? Who will your restaurant attract and who will be your repeat customers? Describe your target market and compare it to the overall restaurant industry in terms of diner demographics, characteristics and behaviour.

2. Location analysis

Even if you don’t have a specific location yet, focus on the general area or city where you will be opening your restaurant and explain why. Include local economic growth, major events and nearby infrastructure projects. Compare the current market conditions to your target market to show the proposed location fits your ideal customer profile. Investors will be looking closely at this section to make sure the location is right for your concept.

3. Competitive analysis

Get into the competitive landscape around your proposed location. Detail the number of other restaurants in the area, especially those with similar concepts. Investors want to know what will make customers choose your restaurant over the competition. What will make your food and service stand out and what other advantages do you have, like longer hours? Use a competitive matrix to show you understand your niche in the market.

Put together a restaurant marketing plan 

The marketing section outlines how you’ll promote your restaurant before and after opening. Not sure where to start? Check out our guide here. A well-thought-out marketing plan is crucial to grow a successful restaurant and distinguish it from competitors.

Start by listing out specific tactics you’ll use pre and post-launch. Will you work with a PR manager? Launch a social media account to document the build-out and generate buzz. Share those details. If you already have a large social media following , make sure to mention it.

Once the restaurant is open , which channels will you use to keep the momentum going? Email marketing? Regular social media posts? Charity partnerships? Local TV and radio ads? Will you invest in customer relationship management software to keep in touch with regulars or implement a loyalty program?

This section should give a clear picture of your promotional strategy and how you plan to engage with potential customers from the start.

Outline your operation plan

Here’s how to outline your restaurant’s day-to-day operations once the doors open. Cover these key areas:

Clearly defining the service style of your restaurant, whether it is fine dining , quick-service, self-service, or another type, is important to ensure a consistent customer experience.

1. Staffing

Think about the positions you'll need and how many people you'll need for each role. What will make your place a fantastic workplace? Outline the pay for each position, how you'll recruit the right people, and what the hiring criteria will be.

2. Customer service policies and procedures

How will you ensure an exceptional and consistent guest experience every time? Detail your service values, policies, and procedures, and explain how you'll enforce or encourage them.

3. Restaurant point of sale and other systems

How will you keep track of sales and inventory, manage takeout and delivery, control labor, handle cash, process payroll, and accept various payment types? Cover the systems you'll use for all these tasks.

4. Suppliers

Where will you get your ingredients? Think about both one-time equipment purchases and items that need regular replenishment. Detail your plans for sourcing these essentials.

Nail down your financial game plan with first-year projections

The financial analysis usually wraps up your business plan, and it’s where investors really focus in. They want to see exactly how you’ll spend their money in the first year and how you expect costs and revenue to stack up. Make sure to hit these key points in this section.

1. Your investment plan

Here’s where you put in the initial investment and how you’ll use it in the first year. Think kitchen equipment, furniture, decor, payroll, legal fees, marketing, and a bit of working capital.

2. The projected profit and loss (P&L) statement

Since the business plan is done way before you open your restaurant you’ll need to make some educated guesses for your P&L statement. Estimate costs and sales based on your restaurant’s size, target market and the local competition. Use this P&L template and guide to dive deeper into P&L statements and create one for your future restaurant.

3. The break-even strategy

This is where you show investors how much monthly revenue you’ll need to cover all your overhead and operational costs. Remember there are always variable costs so highlight what you think those will be. How will you hit that revenue target during slow months?

4. Cash flow prediction

Your cash flow expectations hinge on your inventory purchases, staff size, payroll, and payment schedule. Some months will be better than others once your restaurant is up and running. This cash flow analysis will show investors that, based on your forecasts, your restaurant can sustain itself during leaner months without needing extra investments.

How to sell a restaurant idea and master your business plan presentation

Once your business plan is polished and ready, it's time to become its number one expert. Investors want to see that you know every nook and cranny of your business and are confident you can make it happen.

When you're ready, email your business plan to anyone in your network who might be interested in investing. With any luck, you'll get some interest, and investors will want to meet to discuss your restaurant.

Some investors might want a pitch presentation alongside the printed business plan. Use a professional template from Google Sheets or PowerPoint, and practice until you can nail the presentation without notes.

Be prepared for any questions—both the expected ones and those that come out of left field. If you don’t know an answer on the spot, it’s fine to say you’ll find out and get back to them quickly.

A well-crafted restaurant business plan serves as a roadmap to success, guiding every aspect of the venture from menu design to employee training.

By carefully considering each component of the plan, aspiring restaurateurs can increase their chances of securing funding, attracting customers, and achieving their long-term goals. Including a sample menu in the business plan is necessary to showcase planned dishes and prices, which helps in selling the restaurant concept to potential investors and customers.

Remember, a restaurant business plan is not just a document to satisfy investors; it is a living tool that should be revisited and updated regularly as the business grows and evolves.

By staying committed to the plan and adapting it as needed, restaurateurs can ensure that their culinary dreams have a solid foundation for success.

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How much profit does the restaurant make.

When it comes to restaurant profitability, the numbers can widely vary. On average, restaurants report profit margins between 3% and 5% annually.

Fast-food establishments often have lower margins but benefit from a high volume of customers and quick turnover rates. In contrast, fine dining venues, although charging higher prices, see fewer customers and slower turnover, which influences their profit margins differently.

Our research indicates that, regardless of the type of restaurant, the average monthly profit usually falls between $15,000 and $25,000.

How to open a restaurant without money?

Starting a restaurant can be a daunting task, especially when funds are tight. However, with some creativity and determination, you can turn your dream into a reality. Here’s how:

Innovate Your Restaurant Concept

Consider a unique, low-cost restaurant concept. Instead of a full-scale establishment, perhaps a pop-up restaurant or a delivery-only kitchen could better fit your budget. Flexibility in your concept can significantly reduce initial costs.

Seek Funding Alternatives

Traditional bank loans aren't the only option. Look for investors who believe in your vision or explore crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter or GoFundMe . Sometimes, you can even find grants aimed at smal l business startups.

Leverage Online Platforms

Start by building a strong online presence. Create a website and utilize social media to attract and engage customers. Online marketing can be a cost-effective way to generate buzz and gather a customer base before you even open your doors.

Collaborate with Other Businesses

Partnerships can pave the way for mutual growth. Collaborate with food suppliers, local farms, or even other small businesses to share costs and resources. This strategy can also expand your network and increase visibility within your community.

Start Small: Food Trucks or Catering

Consider launching your concept through a food truck, catering service, or pop-up stand. These options require significantly less capital than a traditional sit-down restaurant and can help you build your brand and customer base.

Growth Marketing Manager at Eat App

Saif Alnasur used to work in his family restaurant, but now he is a food influencer and writes about the restaurant industry for Eat App.

Reviewed by

Nezar Kadhem

Co-founder and CEO of Eat App

He is a regular speaker and panelist at industry events, contributing on topics such as digital transformation in the hospitality industry, revenue channel optimization and dine-in experience.

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Setting up a Takeaway Business

All you need to know about starting and running your business.

In this article

What is a Takeaway Business?

The takeaway industry is at an all-time high, with more than 46,000 takeaway and fast-food restaurants currently operating in the UK. 15% of adults in the UK order takeaway food at least once a week, equating to more than 5 million people. With the takeaway industry booming, now could be a great time to set up a takeaway business.

A takeaway business, also known as a quick service restaurant (QSR), is a type of food business that is specifically designed for takeaway food. A takeaway restaurant prepares food that is ordered and collected (usually from a drive-through window or an ordering counter) to be eaten off the premises or delivered directly to the customer’s home. A takeaway business is popular with customers because of its convenience and because of the typically lower prices.

Takeaway restaurants serve a wide variety of food. There are many different types of foods and cuisines that your takeaway business could focus on, including:

• Fast food, e.g. burgers, pizzas, kebabs, chicken nuggets and French fries.
• Cuisine from a specific country, e.g. Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai or Japanese cuisine.
• Traditional fish and chips.
• Vegetarian or vegan food.
• Healthy eating food, e.g. salads, poke bowls, smoothies and protein boxes.
• Desserts, e.g. cakes, ice cream, milkshakes, waffles, brownies and cookie dough.

When choosing the type of food your business will specialise in, consider the food you are familiar with and are skilled at cooking and the market demand in your chosen area. Once you have chosen the type of food you are going to specialise in, you can then design your menu. Focusing on a specific type of food can help you to focus your menu, profit from a particular takeaway niche and make your business stand out.

There are several different ways you can operate a takeaway business, including:

A takeaway delivery service

This type of business offers a delivery service. Customers access your menu (usually online or via a physical menu leaflet) and place an order, either online, over the phone or via a mobile app. The food will then be delivered to them within the specified timeframe. Payment can be made online or over the phone while placing the order or customers can pay upon delivery (usually in cash). If you choose to set up a takeaway delivery business, you can handle deliveries yourself or sign up with an order and delivery service, such as Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats.

A takeaway collection service

This type of business offers food for collection. Your takeaway establishment will likely be located in a central or busy area that is easily accessible to customers and can capitalise on passing trade. Depending on the size of your premises, you may offer a drive-through service or a collection service from the counter. You may offer a collection service whereby customers order their food in advance and then come to your restaurant at a specified time to collect the food. Alternatively, they can order the food on your premises and wait for it to be prepared.

A collection and delivery service

To maximise your sales and profits, you may choose to offer both collection and delivery services. To do this, you will need to ensure your kitchen can handle a higher volume of orders and that you have an appropriate number of employees to fulfil your orders.

A home takeaway business

A home takeaway business prepares food at home, rather than on a commercial premises. They will then deliver the food or arrange for customer collection. This type of takeaway business usually accepts a significantly lower volume of orders and will likely only accept orders in advance.

There are many different responsibilities associated with running a takeaway business. Your responsibilities can vary, depending on the type of takeaway you set up, the size of your business, your menu and the number of employees you hire.

Some of the tasks you can expect to be responsible for include:

• Sourcing and ordering stock and ingredients.
• Planning and preparing your menu and pricing your food and beverages.
• Purchasing, cleaning and maintaining equipment and machinery.
• Preparing, cooking and serving food and beverages.
• Delivering orders to customers and handling customer collections.
• Implementing food safety and hygiene policies and ensuring they are followed by everyone in your business.
• Ensuring the cleanliness of your premises and avoiding cross-contamination.
• Complying with all legal guidelines and health and safety requirements.
• Managing inventory and maintaining accurate records.
• Speaking to customers, taking orders and handling payments and receipts.
• Overseeing daily operations, such as staffing, scheduling and managing inventory.
• Ensuring timely delivery of orders.
• Monitoring driver performance.
• Marketing and advertising.
• Completing business and administrative tasks, such as budgeting, forecasting and reporting.

Starting up a takeaway business can be both financially and personally rewarding. You do not need any formal qualifications to open a takeaway; however, you will need the necessary skills, experience and training required to create recipes and prepare and cook the food to a high standard. You will also need the necessary knowledge of health, safety and hygiene regulations and requirements to ensure you run your business safely and hygienically. A high level of knowledge of the food industry, an understanding of how to successfully run a takeaway, strong business skills and a solid business plan can also be beneficial.

Types of Customers

A takeaway business can be popular with people of all ages and demographics. However, multiple factors can influence the typical customers that order from your takeaway. Identifying your typical customer base can help you to plan your advertising and marketing strategies, focus your business and maximise your profits.

Some of the factors that can determine your typical customer base are:

This is one of the most important factors in determining the types of customers your business is likely to appeal to. It could be that customers are searching for a particular type of food or cuisine (e.g. pizza or Chinese food) or that your menu appeals to them. Consider the types of customers that are most likely to be interested in your food and how you can personalise your menu further to entice them to choose your takeaway restaurant. For example, a fish and chip takeaway may be popular with families so offering a children’s menu could be advantageous.

Your primary ordering and delivery strategies

This is another important factor, as the majority of takeaway customers are looking for convenience and ease. What ordering strategies are in place in your restaurant (e.g. online, over the phone or via a food delivery service)? Do you offer a delivery option or is it collection only? Does your business have a drive-through? These are all important factors that can determine whether a potential customer will choose your business.

Your location

Takeaway restaurants usually only offer a delivery option to customers located in their vicinity (the maximum delivery radius is usually two miles). This is to reduce delivery costs and ensure the food is delivered to customers at the appropriate temperature and in a good condition. If your business operates a collection service (e.g. via a drive-through or ordering counter) your typical customers will be those who live locally or are visiting the area for another reason. For example, if you are located close to a retail area, your typical customer base may be primarily shoppers.

Your wait times

When a customer attempts to make a food order, the waiting time for food will be an important factor they consider. Your wait times will be determined by the size and capabilities of your kitchen, the number of employees you have, the volume of orders and the availability of delivery drivers. A shorter wait time is likely to be most attractive to potential customers.

Your pricing strategy

Your price points will be a key determiner of your customer base.

Takeaway customers can typically be separated into three pricing categories:

• Budget: This type of customer is looking for the lowest-priced food and is usually happier with a more limited menu and more basic service. Price will be a major factor when choosing a takeaway restaurant.
• Mid-range: Mid-range customers are looking for a combination of quality and affordability. Although they don’t want to pay premium prices, they don’t look for the cheapest option and instead look for a less limited menu and higher quality food at a reasonable price.
• Luxury: This type of customer wants the highest quality, best-tasting food and is willing to pay higher prices. These customers will look at your menu, your hygiene rating, customer reviews and your brand, rather than your prices.

Your business brand and aesthetic

Your brand and aesthetic are key factors in the types of customers you are likely to attract. If you have a physical premises, consider the style and design of your takeaway, including your décor, accessories and the front of your premises. You should also consider the name of your business. If you primarily accept orders online, your takeaway’s website and the design of your online menu will all be important factors that can affect your typical customer base.

Your food hygiene rating

This will be a key consideration for certain customers. If you have a low hygiene rating, this will deter some customers from ordering from your business.

Your customer rating and reviews

Food delivery services (such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats) will all display your customer rating (usually scored out of 5). Search engines such as Google will also display your customer rating and reviews that are easily accessible with a quick search for your business. Some customers will look at your rating and reviews before creating a food order.

Equipment You Will Need

The type of equipment you require will depend on the type of takeaway business you set up, your menu and the size of your premises. Choosing the appropriate equipment is imperative as without it you will not be able to run your business.

Although your equipment requirements can vary, below is a list of the equipment typically required by takeaway businesses:

Kitchen Equipment

Stock and ingredients

This is an important ongoing purchase that can take up a large percentage of your business’s running costs. Before ordering food stock and ingredients, you will first need to plan your menu. Try to include common ingredients in multiple dishes to reduce your food waste and create an ongoing inventory that makes it easier for you to create a stock order. As part of your stock order, you will also need to purchase any condiments (e.g. ketchup and mayonnaise) and any herbs and spices that you will require.

An industrial fridge and freezer

A fridge and freezer are essential in your kitchen. You will need to store any perishables and fresh stock or ingredients in your fridge or freezer. Consider how much you will need to store when considering what size you will need. If you have the available space, you may opt for a walk-in or industrial-sized fridge and freezer. Ensure both the fridge and freezer are set to the correct temperature.

A food display warmer

A food display warmer is a glass-fronted piece of heating equipment that applies direct heat underneath cooked food. It keeps any pre-made food warm and tasty. The glass front means the food is visible to customers and can help encourage impulse purchases. You can keep different food items in your warmer, as long as they are separated to avoid contamination.

An industrial oven

Depending on the size of your kitchen and the number of items you want to cook in your oven at one time, you may require multiple ovens. However, many foods typically prepared in a takeaway are not cooked in an oven and are instead cooked on a hob or grill. The type of ovens you need will depend on the food you are making.

Some popular choices are:

• A commercial oven.
• A convection oven.
• A pizza oven.
• A combination oven.
• A steam oven.
• A fan oven.

Multiple hobs

Hobs are necessary for any items that are fried, boiled, pan-roasted, seared or sauteed, including stir-fries, curries and pasta. You will likely want to choose built-in commercial hobs or a commercial range that is built to be long-lasting and can handle heavy usage. The number of hobs you need will depend on the type of food you primarily cook.

Some food items are cooked on a grill rather than in an oven, for example, burgers, chicken, pancakes and grilled sandwiches. You could choose a grill that is inbuilt with your oven or range or opt for a stand-alone grill.

A bain-marie

If you plan to cook food in bulk, a bain-marie allows you to keep the food at a safe temperature. They are particularly recommended if your order volume is likely to be high at certain times or if you want to batch-cook some items.

Kebab machines

A kebab machine, also known as a gyros grill, is a piece of equipment that is used to rotate kebab meat around a vertical seat of burners, ensuring even cooking. The meat closest to the burner can then be shaved off once it is cooked. You will need multiple machines if you plan to serve different kebab meats. Kebab machines are available in both gas and electric forms and are available in different sizes to suit different-sized meat joints.

Deep fat fryers

Certain takeaway businesses find that a deep fat fryer is their most used piece of equipment (e.g. a fish and chips takeaway or a fried chicken shop). A deep fat fryer is used for cooking items such as chips, fried chicken, battered fish, churros and doughnuts. Consider your menu when deciding whether your restaurant requires a deep fat fryer.

A commercial microwave

A microwave can be useful for heating up any foods or sauces that have been pre-cooked or for quickly defrosting some food items. It could also be that you don’t make all the food in your takeaway business from scratch and instead order some ready-made items. Microwaves can also be useful to steam cook, reheat, pre-cook or defrost any food or stock.

Depending on what you cook in your kitchen, there are several different pots and pans and other cookware you may require, including:

• Frying pans.
• Grill pans.
• Sauté pans.
• Baking trays.
• Roasting pans.

You will likely require multiple pieces of the same cookware items (e.g. multiple frying pans) for different types of cooking and to ensure foods are kept separate.

If you run a dessert takeaway business or offer any baked products on your menu, such as pizzas, pies and cakes, you will need to purchase bakeware. This is the type of equipment you will use to bake your products. Investing in quality bakeware is recommended as it will likely be heavily used and can be susceptible to dents and warping.

Some pieces of bakeware you may need to purchase include:

• Bread pans.
• Muffin tins.

A dough proofer and dough sheeter

Dough is used in a variety of baked goods, including bread, pastries, pizzas and certain desserts. If your takeaway makes dough from scratch, you will need a dough proofer. A dough proofer can help to simplify the dough-rising process, helping you to ensure your products are uniform in shape and size, and that the production process is streamlined. A dough sheeter can help you make dough in large quantities at a much quicker rate. It rolls out pieces of dough to the desired thickness, whilst ensuring the dough is smooth and uniform.

A heavy-duty food processor

A food processor can help to reduce prep time and labour costs. They can be used for a variety of tasks, including pureeing soup, grinding meat and kneading dough. A food processor can shred, knead, dice and grind and combine ingredients into the required mixture using a multipurpose blade that rotates at a high speed.

A mixer is used to combine ingredients in preparation for cooking or baking and is utilised for tasks such as stirring, whisking and beating. They are particularly popular for mixing the batter for cakes and cookies and for creating dough. You could opt for an industrial mixer, as they are more durable and more reliable. When deciding the type of mixers that are best for your business, consider the size and capacity of the mixer, the power and the type of mixing they are capable of (e.g. mixing, kneading, blending and whipping).

The most common mixers are:

• Planetary mixers.
• Horizontal mixers.
• Spiral mixers.

If you sell smoothies or milkshakes, you will need a blender to blend the ingredients together and puree or crush the ice or ice cream. You can also use a blender for making soups and sauces.

Ventilation

Commercial kitchens require more complex ventilation, as kitchens are commonly filled with smoke, steam, odours, high heat and potentially harmful gases.

Some ventilation you could install includes:

• Ventilation hoods.
• Exhaust fans.
• Make-up air systems.
• Fire suppression systems.

An industrial dishwasher

A dishwasher is a necessity, not only because it will help you to save time in the kitchen and reduce your kitchen duties, but also because it will demonstrate the hygiene standards and cleanliness of your takeaway business. Choose an industrial-sized dishwasher to allow you to clean more dishes at the same time, helping your kitchen to run more efficiently.

Stainless steel worktops or worktables

The majority of your food preparation will be done on your worktops or tables. Your worktables should be stainless steel as this material is non-porous, meaning it is resistant to most bacteria and germs. It is also easier to clean and will help you to maintain high standards of hygiene.

Storage racks and shelving

Shelving creates a safe and organised area for storing non-perishable ingredients (such as bread, seasoning and dried pasta), as well as equipment, accessories and utensils. Shelves also allow you to maximise the space in your kitchen. You will need enough shelving to keep stock separate and keep your kitchen well-organised.

Kitchen accessories

Some kitchen accessories you may require include:

• Colour-coded chopping boards.
• Kitchen knives and a sharpening stone.
• Mixing bowls.
• Temperature gauges.
• A strainer and colander.
• Weighing scales, measuring cups and a measuring jug.
• Oven gloves.
• Baking paper, greaseproof paper and aluminium foil.

Cooking utensils

Some cooking utensils you could require are:

• Stirring spoons.
• Peelers and graters.
• Tin openers.

Storage containers

Storage containers can be used for safely storing any opened stock, to prevent spoilage or contamination. You can also use the containers to store any cooked or pre-prepared food, such as salads, to keep them fresh for longer. Ensure your storage containers are strong and airtight.

Some storage containers you could opt for include:

• Food storage containers in different shapes and sizes.
• Dough containers.
• Kitchen canisters.
• Large ingredient bins (for storing larger amounts of dry ingredients).
• Vegetable crispers (to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh and crisp).

Date labels

These are necessary to label when ingredients were opened and when certain items were cooked. It ensures that all stock, ingredients and food products are completely safe to use and that your kitchen is operating in line with food safety and hygiene guidelines.

Equipment and handwashing sinks

Equipment sinks should be used specifically for cleaning or disinfecting food equipment and utensils and should not be used for handwashing. You must ensure the sink has both hot and cold running water. You will also need separate handwashing facilities that are used solely for washing hands. As well as hot and cold running water, your handwashing sink should also have sanitising products (such as handwash) and a means for drying hands (e.g. a hand dryer or paper towels).

Rubbish bins and a waste disposal system

You will need rubbish bins in all areas of your takeaway premises. You will also need different bins for different items to ensure you are disposing of rubbish correctly and following recycling guidelines. Colour-coded bins are the easiest way to ensure your waste disposal system is operating correctly.

A Kitchen Display System (KDS)

This is a digital screen that is used instead of handwritten or printed orders. A KDS manages your orders and helps you to prioritise, edit and track your orders. It creates a more streamlined ordering system by ensuring that your kitchen gets orders in real time. It can help your takeaway to be more organised and efficient and reduces the risk of human error.

Other Equipment

Insulated delivery bags

If you make deliveries to your customers, you will need insulated delivery bags to maintain the temperature of the food or drink and ensure food is delivered to your customers at an appropriate temperature. The number of delivery bags you will need will depend on how many delivery drivers you have.

Regardless of whether your customers order and collect their food or whether you make deliveries, you will need appropriate food packaging to keep the food secure and prevent any spillage or contamination. To reduce costs and help protect the environment, ensure your packaging is as environmentally friendly as possible. The type of packaging you require will depend on the types of food you sell.

Some items you may need include:

• Cardboard boxes, containers and bowls.
• Cardboard pizza boxes.
• Polystyrene or plastic boxes.
• Foil containers.
• Paper cups and straws.
• Ice cream tubs.
• Eco-friendly cutlery.
• Paper bags.
• Paper wrappings.
• Chip boxes.
• Portion pots (e.g. for sauces and condiments).

There are a number of different menus you could opt for, depending on the type of takeaway you operate, including:

• Large, waterproof outdoor menus positioned near your drive-through.
• A large menu over your counter.
• Leaflet menus for customers to take away with them or that are delivered to people’s homes for advertisement purposes.
• Online menus.

Your menus should be attractive to potential customers and should be designed to fit your takeaway’s brand.

Some of the information you could include on your menus is:

• The name of each dish.
• An appropriate description of each dish.
• Any allergen information.
• The pricing of each dish or item.
• Additional information, such as vegetarian or vegan.
• A photograph of the dish.

A computer and Wi-Fi system

A computer or laptop is necessary for getting instant access to any online orders that are made. You will also need a computer to run your business website, arrange stock deliveries, for marketing purposes and for completing any business and administrative tasks. A Wi-Fi system will give you access to the internet on your premises.

A business phone

A business phone allows your customers to call to make orders or can allow you to contact customers directly to discuss an order. You could opt for a landline or mobile phone and could advertise your business phone number on your website and your menus.

A website is useful for advertising your business and could also act as your primary ordering strategy. It should contain photographs and descriptions of your food (including the ingredients). It should also show the areas and locations you offer delivery to and your customer reviews. Your website will likely feature an option to order online. Design your website to include your business logo and to reflect your branding.

An online ordering system

If you want to reduce your outgoings and have complete control over all orders and deliveries, and your business has the means to handle orders and deliveries, you may want to invest in an online ordering system. The most popular option is an online ordering system on your website and a dedicated ordering app. Your online ordering system should also feature a secure payment option. The system should be connected to your business phone or computer so that you are alerted to new orders instantly.

A payment system

The type of payment system you require will depend on your primary selling strategy. For example, if you accept in-person sales, you will likely require a Point of Sale (POS) system with a cash till. If you accept orders online, you may require an online payment system. Keep in mind that if you accept orders through food delivery services, such as Deliveroo and Just Eat, the food delivery company will handle any customer payments on your behalf.

Safety equipment

Some of the safety equipment your business may require includes:

• Fire extinguishers.
• Rubber floor mats.
• Wet floor signs.
• A fully stocked first aid kit.

A CCTV system

Because you will be storing expensive stock and equipment and may have customers visiting your premises, CCTV can protect your business from potential break-ins and theft. CCTV can also protect your business in the event of an injury or accident and can provide vital footage to the police if a theft or incident occurs at your premises. You can choose the specification of the equipment and how many cameras you require.

If your takeaway accepts cash payments, you will need a safe as a way of safely storing the cash from your till at the end of the day. You can also keep extra change in your safe in case your cash register runs out of change during the working day.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPE is a necessary purchase for all food businesses, as it helps to protect your food from contamination. PPE can also protect you and your staff from harm. Some PPE you may require includes hairnets, gloves, anti-slip footwear and aprons.

Cleaning equipment

Keeping all areas of your premises clean is imperative. Food preparation areas and food storage areas are particular areas that should be cleaned regularly throughout the day, to avoid cross-contamination and the breeding of bacteria. You will likely need different cleaning materials for different parts of your takeaway business. You may need to invest in cloths, sponges, antibacterial surface cleaners, bleach, sanitiser, dishwashing soap and a sweeping brush and mop.

Typical Costs

When you are setting up your takeaway business, an important consideration you will need to make is the approximate costs associated with starting up and running this type of business. Calculating your typical costs allows you to estimate your initial investment requirements, any monthly and annual costs, your pricing strategy, your profit goals and your acceptable profit margins.

There are multiple costs associated with setting up and running a takeaway business. Some of these costs will be one-off initial costs that you will need to pay when you are setting up your business. Other costs will be ongoing costs you will need to pay regularly – usually weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually.

Although typical costs can vary, depending on the type of takeaway business you set up and the size of your business, the typical costs you can expect to be responsible for include:

Your takeaway premises

Unless you operate a takeaway business from your home, your commercial premises will likely be your biggest expenditure. You will need to rent your premises on a monthly or annual basis. Rental prices can vary significantly, depending on the location and the size of the premises. City centre locations and locations close to point of interest usually have the highest rental costs. Rental costs are often calculated per square metre. They can range significantly, from £500 to £15,000 per square metre annually. Your rental cost may be higher if you are renting an already established, refurbished or equipped food business.

Refurbishment and installation costs

Unless your premises previously operated as a takeaway or a similar food business, you will likely need to refurbish or convert your venue to install the equipment and furniture you need for your business and make the area fit for purpose. You will also want to refurbish and decorate your premises to fit the aesthetic of your business and make it attractive to customers. If your premises doesn’t have an established kitchen, you will need to set one up, which may include installing the necessary water, electricity and gas lines. Renovation costs can vary, from £5,000 to £50,000 depending on the level and scale of work required. As part of your renovation costs, consider how you can make the customer-accessible areas of your takeaway attractive and ensure all areas of your premises are easy to clean and are safe and in line with health and safety regulations.

Your equipment is an important purchase, as without it you will not be able to run your takeaway business. The cost of equipment can vary based on how large your premises are and the type of equipment you require. The bigger your premises and the more food you want to be able to cook at one time, the more equipment you will require. You may choose to purchase less equipment initially and expand your equipment as your business grows. Equipment for your takeaway business can cost between £10,000 and £50,000.

This is an ongoing cost you will need to factor into your budget and will be a major monthly expenditure. Depending on your menu, a lot of your stock and ingredients will be perishables, such as fresh meat, seafood, dairy, fruits and vegetables and bread. These ingredients will need to be purchased regularly and you may need to take deliveries several times a week (or daily). Other dry, non-perishable ingredients can be ordered in bulk. You can reduce the cost of your stock by buying wholesale, buying in bulk and shopping around. To maximise your profits, your food stock cost should be no more than 30% of your food sale price. The higher the return, the higher your profits will be. Design your menu so that multiple items feature similar ingredients to reduce your stock costs.

Maintaining, repairing and replacing equipment

Repairs, maintenance and replacements are ongoing costs you will need to factor into your budget. Although some of your equipment and machinery will come with warranties, repairs and replacements are inevitable – particularly because food preparation and cooking equipment typically experience heavy use. Regularly cleaning and maintaining equipment and ensuring it is used correctly can extend its life, but potential repairs and replacements should still be factored into your budget.

Food delivery service fees

If you sign up with a food delivery service, such as Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats, you will need to account for their sign-up fees and commission rates. Food delivery services typically charge between £300 and £500 for signing up. Commission percentages can range from 10% to 30% of the total cost of the order; for example, if a customer makes an order worth £20, the food delivery service may charge between £2 and £6. Consider the costs associated with each company before deciding which best suits your business.

The fees associated with using an online ordering system are typically lower than using a food delivery company. Most companies have no fees associated with setting up your account. They may charge you a weekly or monthly fee (usually between £25 and £50 per month) or charge you a percentage fee for each order (usually between 2.5% and 10%). However, keep in mind that although the costs are lower compared to food delivery companies, you will have additional costs associated with marketing and advertising.

Delivery costs

If you offer a delivery service yourself (rather than employing the services of a food delivery company) you will need to account for the costs associated with delivering food. This includes the hourly wage of your delivery drivers. Although delivery drivers tend to use their own vehicles, you will need to cover the cost of petrol and may need to pay for their business vehicle insurance. However, keep in mind that you can charge your customers a delivery fee for every order, which can help you to cover any associated costs.

Running costs

These are the day-to-day costs associated with running your business. Some running costs are paid monthly, and others are paid quarterly or annually. Your running costs can include electricity, gas, water, council tax and insurance. To maximise your profits, try to keep your running costs as low as possible.

You will need to hire staff such as chefs and other kitchen staff, front-of-house staff and cleaners. You will need to pay any staff you employ at least the national minimum wage and account for other expenses such as holiday pay, sick pay, maternity/paternity pay, National Insurance and any company pension contributions.

When creating your brand identity, consider how you want your takeaway to be perceived by potential customers. When creating your brand, consider the type of takeaway business you are setting up, your menu and your typical customer base. Branding can include creating your business’s visual identity, design and aesthetic, your business name and logo, your signage and your website. You could hire a professional to help you with branding or do some or all of the work yourself. Branding can cost between £500 and £10,000, depending on the level of work required.

Advertising and marketing

To ensure your takeaway attracts customers and creates maximum profits, you will need to spend money on advertising and marketing. It is recommended that you spend between 1%–3% of your annual turnover on marketing. For example, if your annual turnover (or your desired annual turnover) is £100,000, you should spend between £1,000 and £3,000 on advertising and marketing. You may need to invest more money when you initially set up your business or when you are trying to grow your business. To reduce your costs, capitalise on free marketing strategies, such as on social media or in your local community. Once your business is established, you should be able to reduce your advertising costs. If you use a food delivery service, your advertising costs should be lower, as your customers will automatically be able to find your restaurant on the delivery app.

You and your employees will need to obtain food hygiene training before you open your business. You will also need to refresh your training regularly (at least every three years). You may also opt to undertake other training courses, such as manual handling, first aid and electrical safety. You can expect to pay approximately £20 + VAT per training course per person.

Business insurance

There are multiple coverage options available for a takeaway business. Some types of coverage are optional, whereas others are mandatory.

Your coverage options include:

• Public Liability Insurance.
• Employers’ Liability Insurance.
• Product Liability Insurance.
• Building and Contents Cover.
• Stock Insurance.
• Personal Accident Insurance.
• Food Contamination Insurance.

Prices can vary, depending on your insurance provider and the level of coverage you choose. Prices typically start at £15 per month.

Typical Pricing for Customers

Once you have calculated the typical costs associated with setting up and running a takeaway business, you can then price your menu. Each item on your menu will be priced differently.

Multiple factors can influence your pricing, including:

• The type of food you sell.
• Your location.
• Your reputation, customer rating and customer reviews.
• The popularity of your takeaway.
• Your food hygiene score.
• The cost of your food stock and ingredients.
• The complexity of each meal and how long it will take you to prepare and cook.
• Whether the order is for collection or delivery.
• The number of employees you hire.
• The pricing of other similar takeaway businesses in your area.

Safely Running a Takeaway Business

Safe practices in your takeaway business can help to protect the health, safety and well-being of you, your staff and your customers.

Some ways you can safely run your takeaway business are:

Safely store food

All food (regardless of whether it is perishable or non-perishable) must be stored safely to prevent contamination and to ensure it is of good quality and safe to consume.

Some safe storage practices you should follow include:

• Storage areas should be kept clean and tidy.
• Food deliveries should be checked to ensure they are safe and of good quality before accepting them.
• Follow the First In First Out (FIFO) stock rotation system.
• Pay attention to use-by and best-before dates.
• Fridges and freezers should be set to the correct temperature.
• Follow the storage instruction on pre-packaged food.
• Raw food and high-risk food should be stored correctly (e.g. below ready-to-eat foods).
• Foods containing allergens should be stored separately.
• Chemicals should be stored away from food.
• Chilled or frozen food should be labelled with the date.

Ensure proper ventilation

To reduce exposure to smoke, steam, high heat and harmful gases, you will need to install a proper ventilation system.

A ventilation system can:

• Improve your indoor air quality.
• Reduce the temperature of your kitchen.
• Reduce odours.
• Remove grease from the air, your surfaces and equipment.
• Reduce your energy bills.

Your ventilation system will likely also include fire suppression equipment, which can help reduce the likelihood of a fire occurring in your kitchen.

Ensure the personal hygiene of all staff

Good personal hygiene is essential when working in the food industry. Good personal hygiene can include:

• Implementing handwashing procedures.
• Tying back hair or covering hair.
• Not wearing false nails or nail varnish on your fingernails or any jewellery or watches when preparing or handling food.
• Not wearing strong perfume or other chemical products that could contaminate the food.
• Wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Following good habits, such as not coughing or sneezing near food and refraining from touching your hair or face.

You should also be aware of staff illnesses and ensure no employee is near food if they are displaying signs of illness or have recently experienced vomiting or diarrhoea.

Follow guidelines on foods that may contain traces of gluten or allergens

The Food Standards Agency has provided voluntary guidelines on labelling products that may contain traces of gluten or another allergen. For example, if the foods were prepared in the same area as gluten or an allergen, you should label your products accordingly so that your customers can make an informed decision.

Examples of the labelling terms you could use include:

• May contain traces of gluten.
• Made in a factory that also handles peanuts.

Implement pest prevention and control methods

Pests can be a major issue for food businesses and can result in contaminated food and your business being shut down by an Environmental Health Officer (EHO).

Some ways you can prevent pests are:

• Fill any gaps or holes in your building.
• Keep your external areas free from food, rubbish or vegetation.
• Dispose of food properly in closed bins.
• Keep your premises clean and tidy.
• Store food in sealed containers.
• Use fly screens on open windows or doors.
• Check your deliveries for signs of pest damage.

Implement cleaning procedures

A cleaning schedule or cleaning policies should be in place that cover the cleaning of equipment, surfaces, and food preparation and storage areas. Your cleaning procedures should specify when cleaning should take place and whether any specific equipment should be used.

Keep clear and accurate records

When you are inspected by the EHO, they will likely request to see up-to-date records of your business’s cleaning schedules, risk assessments, health and safety policies and allergen information. Keeping such records not only helps to protect your business and improve the likelihood of you receiving a higher score, but it also ensures procedures are followed at all times.

Conduct risk assessments

Although this is not a legal requirement if your business has fewer than five employees, risk assessments can help to eliminate risks and ensure safe practices in your takeaway.

As part of your risk assessments, you should:

• Identify hazards.
• Determine who could be at risk.
• Evaluate any potential risks.
• Implement relevant safety measures.
• Record the results of the risk assessment.
• Review the risk assessment regularly.

You should keep physical records of your risk assessments as evidence of your commitment to safe practices.

Implement safety measures

Safety measures can help to protect your business, your employees, your customers and your equipment.

Some safety measures you should implement include:

• Install a CCTV system.
• Install an alarm system and secure and reliable locks.
• Keep a fully stocked first aid kit on site.
• Other safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers, should be easily accessible.
• Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Keep your floors clean

Slips and falls are one of the most frequent causes of injuries in food businesses. Slipping or falling on a floor that is wet or slippery can lead to an injury and could result in your business being sued. Implement a policy that any spills are mopped up immediately and ensure your premises has enough ‘Wet Floor’ and ‘Caution’ signs and that these are used when necessary. You should also perform regular inspections of your kitchen floor to check for any hazards that haven’t been reported.

Obtain health and safety training

Obtaining health and safety training can ensure that you and your employees follow safe practices at all times.

Some training courses you could opt for include:

• Assessing Risk.
• Health and Safety for Employees.
• Fire Safety Awareness.
• COSHH Awareness.

Legal Requirements

Complying with legal requirements is essential when setting up and running your takeaway business. Legal guidelines can vary, depending on the type of takeaway you set up and where your business is located.

Some of the legal requirements you should be aware of include:

Register as a food business

Any business in the UK that sells food must apply for a food business registration with their local council. You must apply for your food business registration at least 28 days before you begin trading. Once you have registered, you may be inspected by your local council.

Apply for a Food Premises Licence

If you plan to cook meat, fish, eggs or dairy products, you will need to apply for a food premises licence with your local council. Depending on your local council, you may need to display your licence clearly on your premises. Before you open your business, your local council may require your premises to undergo an inspection.

Display your food hygiene rating

If you cook, prepare, package or handle any food in your business, you will likely be required to undergo an inspection from the Environmental Health Office (EHO) to determine your food hygiene rating.

The inspector will assess your:

• Food storage.
• Food handling.
• Food preparation.
• Food cleanliness.
• Food safety management system.

Once you have received your food hygiene rating, this information should be clearly displayed on your premises.

Comply with the Food Safety Act (1990)

The Food Safety Act applies to any business that sells food. It covers food safety, consumer protection and food information. It makes it an offence to make or sell any food which could be harmful to health and lays out hygiene practices you should follow.

There are several legal requirements listed in the Food Safety Act, including:

• Do not add anything to food, remove anything from food or treat food in any way which could make it damaging to the consumer.
• Ensure that all food practices are carried out in a hygienic way.
• Comply with food hygiene and safety practices when cleaning, cooking, chilling and handling food.
• Do not present or describe food in a way that is false or misleading.

Comply with the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations

These regulations specify the standards relating to the control and management of the steps that are critical to food safety, including the cleanliness of your takeaway premises and equipment and temperature control in food preparation, storage and serving.

The regulations differ depending on where in the UK your business is located:

• England: The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.
• Scotland: The Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
• Wales: The Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2006.
• Northern Ireland: The Food Hygiene Regulations (Northern Ireland).

Comply with The Food Information (Amendment) Regulations 2019

These regulations set out the responsibilities of food businesses, including takeaway businesses, to provide information regarding the 14 allergens (celery, cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, cows’ milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soya and sulphur dioxide). The regulations were updated in 2019 to include Natasha’s Law. You must ensure that any packaging, menus, signs or labels clearly state if any of these allergens are present. You could also state any allergen information orally on the phone when the customer places an order.

You must provide allergen information:

• Before the food is purchased.
• When the food is delivered (e.g. orally or in writing).

Implement a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) based on HACCP

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) framework should be used in your takeaway to create a food safety management procedure. Your FSMS should be a systematic approach to controlling any food safety hazards.

It should include:

• Identifying any points in your processes where food hazards could occur and identify which of these points could be critical.
• Identifying and implementing monitoring and control procedures at all critical control points (CCPs).
• Regularly reviewing and analysing food hazards, CCPs and control procedures.
• If your takeaway offers a delivery option, you will also need to include information about temperature control and preventing spoilage in your HACCP or FSMS.

Comply with the four steps to food safety

The four steps to food safety (known as the Four Cs) can help to reduce contamination and reduce the likelihood of food poisoning.

It includes:

• Cleaning: Cleaning helps to prevent harmful bacteria from contaminating food. Clean your hands and surfaces often. You should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before, during and after preparing food and after handling certain foods. You should also wash surfaces, chopping boards and utensils after preparing each food item.
• Cooking: Food must be cooked thoroughly to destroy any harmful bacteria. Check all food is cooked to a safe internal temperature or reheated thoroughly and it is piping hot before serving. When food is packaged for delivery, you must ensure it remains at a minimum temperature of 63°C when it reaches the customer.
• Cross-contamination: Cross-contamination can occur when harmful bacteria spreads between surfaces, equipment, hands and food. To avoid cross-contamination, keep different types of food separate (e.g. raw meat and other foods), use different chopping boards for different foods, keep cooked food separate, store foods correctly and thoroughly clean surfaces.
• Chilling: Chilling food correctly prevents bacteria from growing. Refrigerate stock as soon as it is delivered, ensure your refrigerator is set to the correct temperature and refrigerate perishable or cooked foods within two hours.

Transport takeaway food safely

There are several procedures you must follow when delivering food to your customers:

• Food should be delivered to customers in a way that ensures it does not become unsafe or unfit to eat.
• Any hot boxes or cool boxes must be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly before and after each use.
• The food temperature should be controlled (so that harmful bacteria do not spread). Hot food should be at least 63°C or above and cold food should be at 8°C or below (although between 0°C and 5°C is recommended).
• Takeaway packaging should be sourced from reputable suppliers and must be graded at an appropriate level for its intended use.
• Takeaway packaging should be stored in a clean and dry area to prevent cross-contamination.
• Any cross-contamination risks in the delivery process should be identified and removed.

Implement a waste management system

Food businesses in the UK, including takeaways, should have appropriate provisions for the separation, storage and removal of waste.

Some guidelines you should abide by include:

• Have appropriate bins which are sufficient in number and specified for different types of waste.
• Do not allow waste to accumulate.
• Use bins that have fitted lids and foot pedals.
• Have a specific waste disposal area.
• Do not dispose of food waste in the sink.
• Use commercial sink strainers to prevent fat, oil, grease and small bits of food from entering the sewer network.
• Apply for a waste carrier registration if you transport any waste.

It is also recommended that you clean and disinfect bins regularly.

Comply with premises regulations

Multiple regulations apply to your commercial premises to ensure your takeaway business is in good condition, clean and maintained and encourages good hygiene practices.

• Handwashing facilities: You will need separate handwashing facilities that have hot and cold running water and appropriate materials to allow hands to be washed and dried hygienically.
• Ventilation, lighting and drainage: Your premises must have adequate ventilation, lighting and drainage in all relevant areas.
• Food preparation areas: – Floors and walls must be in good condition, easy to clean and frequently disinfected. – Ceilings must be in good condition, easy to clean, free from condensation and mould and free from flaking paint or plaster. – Windows and doors must be easy to clean and disinfect and if they open to the outside, fitted with removable insect-proof screens. – Surfaces should be maintained in good condition, easy to clean and frequently disinfected.
• Facilities for washing food: Your premises will need separate sinks for washing food and cleaning equipment. These sinks should have hot and cold running water that is of drinking quality.
• Equipment: Any equipment that comes into contact with food must be in good condition and cleaned and disinfected frequently.

Comply with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013

RIDDOR states that you must report all injuries, diseases and dangerous events that occur in your business. Reports must be made to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) using an appropriate recording document. These regulations apply to any incidents that involve employees or customers, including reports of food poisoning.

Comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002

The COSHH regulations state that you must control any potentially hazardous substances. You should also assess, control and reduce any risks or potential hazards and protect people from harm.

Some hazardous substances you should be aware of are:

• Flour dust.
• Concentrates of flavour, citrus oils and spices.
• Cleaning substances.

Comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998

PUWER regulations apply to you and any employees you hire. You must ensure any equipment in your takeaway restaurant is fit for purpose and is maintained and inspected regularly. You must also ensure that health and safety risks are minimised to an acceptable level, that you have the correct knowledge and training to use the equipment, and that protective measures are put into place. Equipment should also be used under appropriate conditions.

Comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

The Electricity at Work Regulations state that any workplaces that use electricals must construct electrical systems in a way that prevents danger. You must also maintain electrical systems to ensure they are safe, ensure electrical equipment is checked by a competent person annually and conduct Portable Appliance Tests (PAT). These regulations apply to any electrical cooking equipment (such as electric ovens and fryers) and any other electricals on your premises.

Comply with gas safety regulations

If you have a gas boiler or any equipment that uses gas, you will need to have it inspected by a gas-safe engineer. If your equipment is deemed safe to use and complies with government requirements, you will be issued a Gas Safety Certificate. You will need to display your gas certificate clearly for your guests and other visitors to your business to see.

Comply with fire regulations

As the business owner, you are responsible for fire safety measures on your premises.

There are multiple fire regulations you must ensure you comply with, including:

• Conducting a fire risk assessment.
• Complying with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 .
• Implementing any necessary fire safety measures.
• Implementing emergency procedures and ensuring these are clearly displayed.

Comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

Manual handling regulations can help to protect you and your employees from sustaining an injury or illness as a result of manual handling tasks. The regulations apply to the lifting or moving of any objects, bending down and reaching high and repetitive movements. You will likely be performing manual handling activities when carrying out tasks such as preparing food (e.g. chopping vegetables), handling heavy equipment and carrying food orders.

Appoint a competent person

A competent person should be appointed to help your business meet your health and safety legal duties. You can act in this role yourself or appoint another person to fulfil this role. The competent person should have the skills, knowledge and experience to identify any hazards in your business and put controls in place to protect people from harm.

Prepare a health and safety policy

The law states that every business in the UK must have a specific policy for managing health and safety. Your policy should state exactly how you will manage health and safety in your takeaway and state who is responsible for specific tasks and how and when these tasks are completed. Follow the recommended tips from the Health and Safety Executive when creating your health and safety policy. You should make your policy easily visible to any visitors to your business.

Comply with employment legislation

If you employ any staff, you must ensure you follow employment legislation, including the Employment Rights Act (1996 ) and the National Minimum Wage Act (1998) . You must also comply with legislation relating to recruitment, working hours, sickness, discrimination, dismissals, and maternity or paternity pay.

Comply with the General General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR ) and the Data Protection Act (DPA)

If you take orders online, you must comply with both pieces of legislation when storing or sharing personal information, such as your customers’ personal information, contact details and banking information. You must also apply for a Notification to Process Personal Data Licence. You will also need to apply for a licence with the Information Commissioner’s Office and renew your registration every year.

Register your business

You must register your business with HMRC before you begin operating. You can register as a sole trader or as a limited company. You will need to register your business name and any other relevant information.

Register for self-assessment tax

This allows you to calculate and pay your own taxes each year. You will need to track your finances every month and submit any expenses as part of your tax assessment.

As part of your tax responsibilities, you must:

• Record all forms of income and expenses.
• Complete an annual self-assessment tax return.
• Register for VAT if you earn above the threshold (currently £85,000).
• Pay National Insurance contributions.
• Keep a record of your business accounts for the previous five years.

Positives of Owning a Takeaway Business

Owning a takeaway business can be rewarding in many ways.

Some of the main pros associated with this type of business are:

Build your customer base

The wide range of takeaway options available means that many consumers try new takeaway restaurants and different types of cuisines. This means your business is likely to experience new custom. If your business is listed online, you are registered with a delivery service app or you are located in a busy area with high passing trade, you may experience a lot of new customers trying your food. If they enjoy their order, they may order from you again, recommend your takeaway to others or write a positive review.

Reduced overhead costs

Operating a takeaway rather than a sit-down restaurant can help you to reduce your overhead costs and running costs and maximise your profits. You will require fewer staff members, have reduced costs associated with renting your premises and will have increased efficiency.

Takeaways are in high demand

Even though many other types of businesses have failed or experienced significantly lower profits in recent years, the takeaway industry is stronger than ever. Many consumers got into the habit of ordering takeaways during the Covid-19 pandemic, and this trend has continued. With so many different types of foods and cuisine being popular in the UK, there is the potential for many different types of takeaway businesses to successfully co-exist and make a profit. Having high demand for your services makes it more likely that your takeaway business will succeed.

High-profit margin

You can plan your menu to maximise your profits, for example, by using the same ingredients in multiple dishes. You can also add a markup to your dishes, meaning the price of the dish will significantly exceed the cost of the ingredients. A high-profit margin can help you to increase your profits and your business’s income.

Every day is different

Running a takeaway business will never get boring. Every day will be different and will present new challenges and different customers. You could be managing different staff every day, preparing different types of food and taking responsibility for different tasks. A varied workday helps to keep your job interesting.

A rewarding career choice

Running a takeaway business can be rewarding in many ways. You can have a positive impact on your community, connect with other people and see your business grow and succeed. If you love food and have a passion for cooking and the food industry, running a successful business will not only be financially rewarding but also personally rewarding.

Be creative

You can be creative with your menu. You have the opportunity to be creative with your ingredients, flavours, textures and the presentation of your dishes to create the perfect products. If you love being creative in the kitchen, running a takeaway can be enjoyable and rewarding. You can serve any type of food you like and make creative changes to classic dishes to help your business stand out.

Be part of your local community

Takeaways are an important staple of local communities and make up part of an area’s identity, with many local people being familiar with the local takeaways and ordering food from them regularly. Running a takeaway business allows you to connect with people from your local community, both personally and professionally. You can also give back to the community, by donating to charity, hosting community events and hosting fundraisers.

A scalable business

A takeaway business can have a simple business model, making it easy to set up this type of business. If you want to grow your business, this type of business is highly scalable, as you will already have established strong business relationships with suppliers and wholesalers and will already have created a consumer base. There is always demand for takeaway businesses, giving you great opportunities for growth.

Unlimited income potential

There is no fixed income or limit on how much money your takeaway business can make. If you operate at maximum capacity, this allows you to increase your profits. As your business grows in popularity, you can also raise your prices, extend your premises, improve your menu and even open additional franchises of your business in other areas. A takeaway business has a high-income potential and with a solid business plan, can be extremely lucrative.

Customer loyalty

If your customers enjoy your food and service, they are likely to return time and time again. Many customers return to the same takeaway for years. Not only does this give you the opportunity to get to know your customers, but customer loyalty can also help you to grow your profits. Loyal customers may even recommend your takeaway to other people or write a positive review, which can help you to grow your customer base.

Create a positive work environment

You will be responsible for hiring staff and creating staff policies. This gives you the opportunity to create a positive work environment. You could hire staff that you know will bring positivity to your takeaway and will be an asset to your business. Your staff will also likely be like-minded people who are also passionate about food and beverages and also enjoy talking to customers. Many takeaways operate as a family business, which could be rewarding.

Choose your ordering strategy

There are multiple ordering strategies available for takeaway businesses, including in-person ordering, online or telephone ordering or using a food delivery service (such as Just Eats). Having the ability to sell on multiple avenues can increase your customer reach and increase your revenue streams. You can even change your selling strategy as your business grows and evolves.

Hands-on work

As a takeaway owner, you won’t be sitting around staring at a computer screen all day. You’ll be active for a lot of the day, involved in different tasks, running your takeaway and talking to staff and customers. This is great for people who don’t want a traditional office job.

Choose your own schedule

You can choose which days your takeaway opens and the hours you want to work. You can choose the opening hours, based on your busiest days and your own preferences. As your business grows, you can also work fewer hours and allow your employees to handle the day-to-day running of your business.

Be your own boss

You can make all key decisions yourself and steer your business in whichever direction you choose. You can choose how involved you want to be, the type of takeaway you open, the food and beverages you sell and how you want to run your business. You can make the best decisions for you and your business.

Negatives of Owning a Takeaway Business

Although starting up a takeaway business can be rewarding, there are some potentially negative aspects to this type of business that you should be aware of:

Lower food quality

Putting hot food into closed containers and transporting it from one place to another changes the texture and temperature of the food. No matter what procedures you put in place, food served for takeaway will never be as high a standard as if you were to open a sit-down restaurant.

Lack of control

Once the food leaves your establishment, you have no control over the quality of the food by the time it arrives at your customers. The delivery driver could take too long to deliver it, the food could move around or fall apart, or the temperature could drop, and you will have no control over this. This could result in customers not returning to your takeaway or reviewing your business negatively.

The environmental impact

Even if you try to operate your business in an eco-friendly way, there will inevitably be a negative impact on the environment. This could come from single-use items, customers not properly recycling packaging and the carbon footprint associated with delivering food.

High start-up costs

The equipment needed for a takeaway business can be expensive. You will also be responsible for the rent and renovation costs. The high start-up costs mean you may need to source outside investment. It will also take longer for you to begin turning a profit. High start-up costs also make your business high risk, as you could potentially lose your investment if the business fails.

Spoilage can affect your profits

You will be dealing with a lot of perishable ingredients which spoil quickly. Some of the products you make or purchase will need to be used the same day to prevent them from spoiling or going stale and becoming food waste. This can have a significant impact on your profits, as the ingredients and time required to make them are wasted. Additionally, to save time your kitchen staff may pre-prepare and batch-cook many items on your menu and if these are not sold, the wasted ingredients can affect your profits.

High running costs and fees

To maximise sales, many takeaway businesses opt to list their business with a delivery service, such as Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats. Although this can result in a higher volume of orders, the associated fees can significantly affect your profits. Not only will you need to pay a sign-up fee but delivery services will also take a percentage of each order. Ingredients and stock can also be expensive, which can affect your profit margins and your overall income.

Long, unsociable working hours

Many takeaway restaurants open 6 or 7 days a week and try to maximise their profits by opening for longer hours. You may want to target lunchtime and dinnertime customers and open late at night, or until the early hours of the morning, to target customers on their way home from a party or night out. You will also need to account for the hours you will be working before and after your opening hours, to accept deliveries, prepare food and clean your premises. You may find yourself working more than 60 hours per week (particularly when your business is growing), which can be extremely tiring, both mentally and physically, and can impact your personal life.

Accountability and liability

The food industry is highly regulated with many laws and regulations you must be aware of. You need to ensure you follow all policies and procedures, particularly those relating to health and safety. Not only can it be time-consuming (and sometimes expensive) to ensure compliance, but failure to comply, even unintentionally, could have serious consequences. If a customer contracts food poisoning after eating food from your business you could be held liable.

Complying with legislation

There are many different pieces of legislation and legal guidelines you will need to comply with. Not only can this be complicated and time-consuming, but any non-compliance (even if this is accidental) can be punished with a fine or the forced closure of your business. Some types of legislation also require you to go through specific training and/or gain a qualification, which can be costly and arduous. A takeaway business can have high liability which can be a lot of stress and pressure on a business owner.

Negative reviews

Because customers will not be eating the food in your establishment, you have less control over their experience and their reviews. You could receive negative reviews because of bad delivery service or cold food or because of a miscommunication in the order. Negative reviews can be extremely damaging to your business, particularly if your business is new or you’ve had relatively few reviews.

Not all items are delivery friendly

Depending on the type of food you plan to sell, you need to consider whether your items are delivery friendly. Fried food or bread can arrive soggy, vegetables can be wilted and ice cream or milkshakes can melt. Think about how your items will cope with sitting in closed containers and being transported when creating your menu. Because not all food items are appropriate for delivery, you may find you have to reduce or change your menu.

Fewer options to upsell

Takeaways typically experience lower average order values, as customers are less likely to purchase drinks, sides and add-ons. Because you will not be speaking to the customer directly, it can be more difficult to upsell items, for example, by offering starters and side dishes. This means you will need to increase your overall order volume to experience higher profits.

Increased competition

With so many takeaway businesses operating, you will face high competition. Not only will you be competing with other smaller takeaway businesses, but you will also be competing with large franchises, such as McDonald’s and Domino’s. A high level of competition can make it more difficult for your business to succeed.

Physically demanding

Working in a takeaway can be physically demanding. You will be spending long hours on your feet every day and will be engaged in many physically demanding tasks, such as reaching high and bending low and carrying heavy items.

This can cause multiple health concerns, such as:

• Neck or back pain or strain.
• Pain, strain or injuries to your fingers, hands and wrists.
• Pain in your feet or legs.

It can be difficult to grow your business

It can be more difficult for a new takeaway business to grow and succeed because of the high competition. People often choose a takeaway they have visited before or that has been recommended to them, or they choose a takeaway business that has a high number of positive reviews online. It can be difficult to grow your customer base and you may experience slow business at first. This can have a detrimental effect on your income and profits. You may experience a lack of profitability in your first year of operation.

Staffing challenges

There are many staffing challenges you could face, such as a lack of staff motivation, customer complaints about staff and staff not fulfilling their expected duties. It can be difficult to create and maintain a positive work environment when working in such a busy, high-pressure environment. You will also have lots of responsibilities related to your staff, such as the hiring process, staff training, day-to-day management, staff rotas and staff payroll. While your business and your profits are growing, you may have to undertake many of these responsibilities yourself. You could also have a high staff turnover rate, which can result in a lot of time spent hiring and training staff.

Inconsistent profits

Some days are likely to be busier than others and sometimes this can be difficult to predict. It could also be that you receive more business at certain times of the year. This can make it difficult for you to predict your profits, order your ingredients and plan how many of each product you should pre-prepare every day.

It can be stressful

There are many responsibilities associated with running a takeaway business which can be stressful. Not only will you be responsible for the day-to-day running of your business, but you will also need to ensure your customers are satisfied. You are also responsible for your business’s success, which can be stress-inducing.

Planning Your Takeaway Business

An effective and well-designed business plan is essential to the success of your takeaway business. A business plan can help you to focus on the specific steps that will help your business succeed, plan your short-term and long-term goals, determine your financial needs and help your business to grow.

When creating your business plan, ensure it contains information such as:

• Your company information.
• Your company description.
• The services you will provide.
• Your branding, marketing and advertising plan.
• The structure of your business.
• The operational plan for your business.
• The financial plan for your business.

Some of the factors you will need to consider when creating your business plan are:

The type of food you will focus on and your menu

This is the first consideration you will need to make when planning your business. You will need to decide what type of food or cuisine you are going to focus on (e.g. Chinese food or pizza). Once you have chosen your speciality, you can then create a menu. Creating a menu is a process that can take time and if you are not working in the kitchen, you may want to create your menu in partnership with kitchen staff. Your menu may change over time, but ensure it reflects your brand, the type of takeaway you want to operate and customer demand.

Your business location

Your location will have a significant impact on the types of customers you are likely to attract. It will also impact your premises’ rental costs. If your business is located in an area with high footfall or a place popular with your target market, the increased custom and higher profits will be extremely beneficial to your business. Consider your rental budget and your size requirements when choosing your premises.

Your target market

Determining your target market is a key step to helping your business succeed. Different types of takeaway restaurants and different menus are likely to attract different customers. Your pricing strategy will also be a key factor in determining your target market. Once you have identified your typical customers, you can then focus on how to attract them to your business.

Your local competition

Being aware of other takeaways in your area can help you decide what type of business to run and how much to charge your customers. If your local area already has several successful takeaway businesses, you may want to focus on an untapped niche and target different customers, for example, if there is already a successful Greek takeaway operating within close proximity, you may want to open a different type of takeaway or consider how to make your menu stand out.

Your primary selling strategy

This is a key consideration and can have a significant impact on the types of customers you attract and the success of your business. Will you offer delivery? Will you have a drive-through or counter-ordering? Will customers be able to find your business on food delivery apps and websites, such as Just Eat or Deliveroo? Whichever options you choose will require forward thinking before you begin setting up your business. You could choose to utilise a combination of different selling approaches in order to increase your sales. Your primary selling strategy could also change as your business grows.

Your brand and your unique selling point (USP)

Creating your brand is a key way to ensure you stand out from your competition. Branding can help you to focus your target audience, attract customers and concentrate your marketing and advertising strategies. Some ways you can create your brand are by focusing on your business’s visual identity, designing your menu and creating a brand story. Your USP can also be part of your brand and can help your business stand out from your competitors. Consider what makes your business special and how this fits into what defines your business.

Your marketing and advertising strategies

Marketing and advertising are especially important when you first open your takeaway business. Your marketing strategy needs to be effective and budget friendly. Consider your target customers and the best way to reach them.

Some ways you can market and advertise your business are:

• Build a functional and attractive website.
• Advertise in your local community.
• Offer special deals and introductory offers to build your customer base.
• Post leaflets and menus in your local area.

Your equipment and stock requirements

Consult the list above to determine your equipment requirements. The equipment you require will depend on the type of takeaway business you set up and how big your premises are. Once you have determined your equipment requirements, you can then calculate the initial costs of purchasing the equipment and the monthly replenishment costs, e.g. for stock and ingredients.

Your start-up costs and running costs

Consult the list above to help you calculate the approximate costs of setting up and running your business. Determine what equipment you need and the amount of equipment, as well as the cost of your premises, to help you determine your start-up costs and what your initial investment requirements will be. You can then calculate whether you can finance your business yourself or whether you need to source outside investment, for example, from a bank or an independent investor. Determining your start-up costs and running costs can also help you to create a budget and predict when you will begin to turn a profit.

Financing your business

Consult the list of start-up costs and running costs above to determine what capital you will require. Can you finance the business yourself or will you need to source outside investment? You will also need to calculate when you are likely to begin turning a profit. If you require outside investment, you could consider a bank or other financial institution, a business loan or an investment partner.

Your price points

When determining the pricing of your menu, consider the cost of your stock and ingredients and the time it will take to make each dish. You should also take into account the pricing of your competitors.

Your sales forecast

How many orders do you hope to have each day, week and month? Are there certain days of the week or times of the year that are likely to be busier than others? What are your weekly, monthly and annual sales forecasts? As your business grows, your sales forecast is likely to change.

Your strategy for growth

Your strategy for growth is the actions you will take to realise your goals for expansion and any potential challenges your business could face and how you will avoid or overcome them. This can help to make your business more successful.

Potential challenges could include:

• Issues with your suppliers.
• A lack of orders.
• Issues with the delivery.

Some potential strategies for growth include:

• Expand your menu.
• Hire more delivery drivers and kitchen staff.
• Open a secondary business location.

Your business summary

Your business plan should include a detailed overview of your business, including the type of business you are setting up, the type of food you sell and your menu, your primary selling strategy, your typical customer base, your staffing and equipment requirements and your business goals.

Your business goals

Your business goals or objectives are an essential part of creating your business plan. Your business objectives highlight the targets and goals of your takeaway business and help you to create a one-year, three-year and five-year business plan.

Your business objectives should be SMART:

• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Achievable
• R = Realistic
• T = Time-bound

Check you have complied with all legal requirements

Consult the list of legal requirements above to check you have complied with all requirements and regulations and that all your paperwork is accurate. Failure to comply with legal requirements could have a detrimental effect on your business or could result in a fine, the forced closure of your business or, in serious cases, prosecution.

Download our business plan

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How to start a takeaway business from home

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If there had been any winners from the chaos of Covid and lockdown, then the takeaway sector had been one of them.

However, it now faces a new threat from the cost of living crisis, which is leaving households across the UK seeing their spending power cut by an average of £3,000 by the end of next year.

As consumer spending habits change  – takeaway businesses need to adapt. They need to offer fairly priced menus, regular deals and discounts, and factor in the management of rising operational costs due to inflation.

Despite these challenges, now is still a great time to set up a takeaway business and begin directly catering to consumers with delicious home-cooked meals.

The benefits are many, particularly for startups, as by taking advantage of existing resources you can minimise the cost of other overheads like rent or travel. But the setup, as our experts know all too well, can be confusing. Luckily, our experience has taught us all the juicy details, including the rules and regulations around setup.

So put your feet up, whack on some Saturday night TV, and let us deliver the information right to you, by telling you everything you need to know to setting up a small business takeaway in the below guide.

In this article, we cover:

Should you start a takeaway business now.

• Home takeaway business plan
• Home takeaway business licenses

Compare food delivery companies

Online ordering systems (order and pay apps), the best online ordering systems for takeaway businesses, what else do you need to consider.

At Startups.co.uk, we’re here to help small UK businesses to get started, grow and succeed. We have helpful resources for helping new businesses get off the ground – you can use the tool below to get started today.

What Does Your Business Need Help With?

Startups spoke to James Tulley, who told us about his experience setting up Teesside-based  takeaway delivery business Deja Street Food:

“ Before Covid-19, I had a full time job as a chef working Monday to Friday and ran my business at the weekends. When the country locked down my business had to close. Unfortunately, I wasn’t entitled to furlough and I had to do something to prevent losing my home so I set up a gourmet home delivery service. The offering changed weekly and was a set menu from a different country each week, with re-heat instructions. Thankfully, it was a massive success! “

According to a recent, post-Covid market report by the British Takeaway Campaign, the takeaway sector is currently experiencing never-before-seen growth. The report found that 38% of households ordered takeaway at least once a week at the height of the pandemic (and that’s just the ones that will admit to it) spending an average of £45 per month in 2020.

But this isn’t just a flash in the post-pandemic pan – the market was growing even before the first national lockdown began. Over the past five years, it rose by 43% and is expected to hit £22 bn in 2025.

That’s an astonishing rate, and one that definitely bodes well for new startups.

With food delivery companies upping capacity and waiving sign up fees, this is the perfect opportunity to lay the groundwork for your future takeaway business – by setting up your kitchen, getting the qualifications you need, gaining the experience you need, and getting your brand out there.

Best of all, starting a takeaway business from your home doesn’t require a hefty initial investment from you. Although delivery companies usually charge businesses a sign up fee, this typically isn’t payable until you start earning money – something to check with the delivery company before you sign up!

And if you’re worried about the commission charges that come with partnering up with a delivery company, there is another way to get your takeaway business up and running.

You could use a takeaway ordering system provider to create a website with an integrated ordering system. Or, if you already have a website, integrate one into it. It’s worth bearing in mind that these options require you to have your own delivery or pick up service. But you can find out more about these options later on.

“Covid-19 was the biggest challenge I’ve ever had to face and to be honest, the past 18 or so months has been crazy stressful. [But] the takeaway food business has been booming since lockdown, as long as your food is good and you market well, you should do ok.”

– James Tulley, founder of Deja Street Food.

James Tulley, founder of Deja Street Food

Design a home takeaway business plan

The first step to starting any business is to design a business plan.

Your business plan is the document that adds structure to your proposal and helps you focus your objectives on an achievable and realistic target.

It should cover every aspect of what your potential firm might look like, from licensing to predicted revenue. These details will make it a great resource for attracting investors.

Read our free guide to designing a business plan to learn more about what to include in, and how to get started on, your business plan.

Make sure you have the right home takeaway business licenses

Turning your love of food into a takeaway business from your home comes with similar rules and regulations to starting a catering business , including the licenses required, and the standard of cleanliness you should be demonstrating.

Government legislation states that you need to register your food business at least 28 days before opening. And if you’re already trading, you should register as soon as possible.

Before you start a takeaway from home business, you should also make sure you have a Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate. Virtual College offers a City and Guilds accredited Level 2 Food Hygiene course for £12.

The three main delivery companies – Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats – all have different fees, commission rates, and regulations. Here’s an overview.

Starting a takeaway business takes time and effort, and it’s important to make sure you don’t waste any of either.

We recommend using project management software to help streamline processes, track progress and assign tasks. Whether you’re starting your business alone or with other people, it’s a great way to keep things moving in the right direction.

Find out which project management tools we recommend .

The figures above offer a top level insight, and proper research should be conducted before you sign up to a food delivery company.

It’s also worth noting that while Just Eat seems to come out on top for lowest fees, it does have a more rigorous partner approval process than both Deliveroo and UberEats.

Weigh up the pros and cons of using a third party delivery company

While third party delivery companies make the lives of takeaway business owners easier, they do, in return, take a relatively large chunk of your earnings.

That’s why, if you have the means to deliver your own food, or want to encourage your customers to pick their takeaway up, you could always use an online ordering system. An online ordering system can either integrate into your website or, you can use a white label order and pay app supplier to host your digital menu and process your payments.

Online ordering systems and order and pay apps are cheaper and take less commission than the likes of UberEats and Deliveroo, yet give your customers the means to order their food directly through you. In fact, some online ordering systems offer their base package for free and just take a percentage of every transaction made through the system or app.

So how do you get one? Start by getting in touch with a takeaway online ordering system or order and pay provider. If you don’t know where to start, you can always use startup.co.uk’s questionnaire to guide you. All you need to do is answer a few basic questions about your prospective business, and we’ll pair you up with the best providers for your needs.

Once set up, customers will be able to order and pay online and orders will come straight through to your phone.

Free online ordering systems

Free online ordering systems allow you to create an ordering platform and take orders for free. But is there a catch? You’ll probably be expected to pay for the following optional services:

• A fee to have payments paid directly into your business account, rather than via your online ordering platform
• Any advanced marketing services
• A sales optimised website
• A branded mobile app

Choosing the right order and pay system for your business takes a lot of thought. While some providers offer to set up your order and pay system for free, be prepared to be charged a commission percentage of each transaction made through the platform. The table below shows a selection of website ordering systems.

Square Online enables you to create a basic online ordering system for free . Once you’ve set up a Square online store, you’ll be able to put a link to it on your social media pages.

Others, like Flipdish, help you to create enticing, user-friendly websites with online ordering built in – and help you to put a marketing strategy in place too! It’s up to you to decide on how sophisticated you want your online ordering platform to be, and how much of each sale you’re willing to give up!

Using an online ordering system versus a delivery company

Create an attractive menu

You may not be used to cooking at speed. This means you need to consider menu items that you can cook quickly using the facilities that you have. Opt for menu items that you can prepare as much as possible before you open for business – garnishes, sauces, and even whole menu items like casseroles and curries.

Deja Street Food menus

Get active on social media – if you haven’t already!

As you’ll be relatively new to the home takeaway business game, you’ll also need to take it upon yourself to drum up business.

While delivery companies and takeaway ordering companies can carry out some marketing on your behalf, you should be building your own brand image by using the likes of Instagram and Facebook to interact with your target audience.

Or perhaps you’ve already got a loyal Instagram foodie following that you can call upon to try your new menu?

Why not check out our guide to small business marketing to see what hints and tips you can pick up?

Deja Street Food Instagram account

“Find a concept that you’re passionate about, ensure it’s different to what everyone else is doing and make yourself stand out from the crowd. A great logo and visual marketing is important – post regularly on the socials and build your brand. You’re selling food, so make sure your posts are visual and show off what you do.”

–  James Tulley, Deja Street Food.

Keep on top of your finances

Starting a takeaway business takes time and money, and accountancy software can help with both.

Whether you run the business alone as a sole trader or with a team of chefs and delivery drivers, you need to make sure you keep your finances in order. When you start taking orders, and payments, you’ll need to start tracking your spending, revenue and profit. You can do this with spreadsheets and a lot of work, but we recommend getting help. Getting an accountant is expensive, so it’s easier to use software that’ll help you do the legwork.

Accountancy software is designed to simplify the complex processes related to money. From tracking your outgoings to managing your taxes, you’ll find any finance process simpler with the right tools in place. Take a look at the accountancy software that we’ve rated best .

“Ensure you cost your dishes properly. Work out exactly how much it costs to produce each dish including packaging. It’s really, really important. You can then cost it correctly. Food costs should be roughly 20-30% of your sale price. There’s no point selling a dish for £5 if it costs you £3 to produce.”

– James Tulley, Deja Street Food

Use software to your advantage

Similar to the above, software can help you set up your business to succeed in many ways; it can make organising your tasks, keeping track of your customer base, and taking payment so much easier. Using software tools – which are now readily available to even the smallest businesses – can save business owners quite literally hours of time each week, and can even help you offer better customer service.

Consider our top recommended software tools for task and team management, managing customer information, and taking payment in-store below:

What should I do next?

Here’s a round up of how to start a takeaway business from home:

• Get in touch with the different delivery companies or online ordering providers to see if their services are a feasible option
• Make sure to register your business with the Food Standards Agency within 28 days
• Make sure your kitchen is fully equipped, and you have the relevant food hygiene certificates
• Get active on social media. Instigate a discussion around your new takeaway business. You could even get some advice from a digital marketing agency . Startups has partnered with a number of agencies who would be happy to give you advice
• Brainstorm menu ideas and do some practice run throughs of each of your dishes by cooking for people in your household

“My number one piece of advice for people wanting to set up a takeaway business is that things always go wrong, you should expect it, and to be flexible and understand you’ll have to give a lot of your time to make sure it succeeds.

“And above all, make sure your food is amazing! Get your recipes fixed and all the ingredients weighed to the gram so the food is consistent when different staff cook it.”

Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews.

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Starting a Food Business Checklist: What you Need to Know

• by Lightspeed

minute read

Starting a food business, like anything else, comes with its rewards and challenges. 

The global pandemic has led to a pent-up demand for visiting restaurants, bars and other food establishments. While most food businesses have shifted focus to curbside pickup and delivery, the restaurant industry’s profits are expected to rise 15% in 2021 . 

The imminent boon is fantastic news, but one of the biggest hurdles to starting a new food business is knowing where to begin. That’s why we’ve created this checklist to help you find the tools to grow and get started on the right foot.

• Construct a business plan
• Buy your equipment
• Assemble your team
• Get licenses and permits
• Set up your point of sale (POS) system

9-step restaurant opening survival guide

Don't miss out on these key steps before opening your restaurant! Check out the must-do items for a successful grand opening.

1. Construct a business plan

The first and most important step to starting a food business is writing a business plan . A food or restaurant business plan should include the following:

• Your business entity type. Are you a sole proprietorship? A general partnership? Or possibly a Limited Liability Company (LLC)?
• Your food business concept. Are you going to be a quick-service restaurant? A full-service restaurant and bar? Or a food truck?
• Your marketing, logo and name. You’ll need to determine how you’ll create a brand that your customers use to recognize your product. 
• Your target market. Based on your concept and price point, what kind of patrons will be attracted to your business?
• Choose an ideal location . If you don’t already have a location for your food business, what neighborhood provides the best chance at a sustainable market share? What kind of competition will you face in a given area?
• Your budget. A budget for expenses such as inventory (food and beverage), labor, rent and utilities.
• Your menu and price range . What dishes, beverages or baked goods will you be serving and at what prices will your meals be profitable?
• Your staffing plans. How many employees will you hire to start with, and how will they be broken down into management, front-of-house, and back-of-house?

These are just a few of the questions you’ll have to ask yourself to construct a business plan.  The exact details of your plan will depend on what type of food business you’re looking to open. To help you get started with writing and organizing your information, here are some simple, easy to use business plan templates .

2. Buy your equipment

Bakery, coffee shop or restaurant equipment is most likely going to one of your biggest startup expenses . You’ll need to buy or rent everything from ovens to flatware before opening your doors. Here are some of the necessary items you’ll need:

• Kitchen appliances like ovens, stoves, grills, fryers and microwaves
• Cold storage appliances such as ice machines and walk-in freezers and refrigerators
• Work surfaces such as countertops, cutting boards, steam tables and cold food tables
• Smallwares like sauté and frying pans, sauce pots with lids and baking sheets
• Utensils for the kitchen such as tongs, ladles and a good knife set
• Silverware for the front-of-house along with napkins, tablecloths and placemats.
• Glassware and barware
• Furnishings such as tables, chairs, a host stand and decor. Make sure you can rearrange your furniture to comply with distancing or capacity requirements, if needed. 
• Curbside pickup and delivery supplies, such as bags and drink holders. 

Remember, every food establishment is different. Therefore, no two restaurants will have the same exact equipment checklist, but this will put you in the right direction.

3. Assemble your team

Each food business concept has different labor and staffing considerations. For example, if you’re planning to start a food truck , it’s probably just you and maybe one or two other people. 

On the other hand, a full-service restaurant will need a handful of servers and bartenders (over the age of 18 if alcohol is served), plus a complete kitchen staff, a trio of hosts to greet the guests and busboys to clean up after them.

It’s not uncommon for people in the food service industry to move around frequently, so job hopping isn’t always a bad sign. With that being said, when hiring an employee, interview everyone thoroughly and make sure you call their references and confirm there are no major red flags.

Here’s a brief list of the type of employees you may need to hire, depending on what kind of food business you’re starting. 

• Bakery: Cashiers, bakers, baristas and kitchen staff
• Cafe: Cashiers and baristas 
• Food Truck: Cashiers and cooks 
• Juice Bar: Cashiers
• Ice Cream Shop: Cashiers and ice cream scoopers 
• Full-Service Restaurant: Hosts, waitstaff, bussers, bartenders, barbacks , dishwashers, prep cooks, line cooks and managers

4. Get licenses and permits

Being compliant with applicable health and safety codes as well as other food service regulations, is more important now than ever. While all businesses require licenses and permits to operate, the food service industry is especially strict because you’re dealing with products that people consume. Here are some of the documents you’ll need to conduct business.

• A Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes
• A business license from your city, state or province
• A food service license from the state, province or town for any establishment that serves food
• A Certificate of Occupancy (CO) deeming your restaurant safe for customers to occupy
• A tavern license if you only want to sell beer and wine
• A liquor license for those that want to serve hard liquor for cocktails
• A cabaret license if you’re going to have an area for customers to dance

Keep in mind that different restaurant concepts are subject to different regulations as well. For example, food trucks need a different food service license because they’re on the go. In all cases, you’ll be under the oversight of your local authority, so make sure to pay attention to (and train your employees to follow) food service health and safety practices .

5. Set up your point of sale (POS) system

In today’s world, a POS that seamlessly integrates with online ordering to help you offer delivery and curbside pickup has become a necessity. A good restaurant POS should print tickets, manage both in-person and online orders , keep customer tabs open, split checks, customize table layouts and let you take payments anywhere. 

Many POS systems also come with insightful analytics and reporting, so you can quickly identify trends and make quick changes to your staffing or inventory, if need be. These tools can help run your business more efficiently and grow faster. 

POS systems, like everything on our checklist, vary based on what type of food business you’re looking to open. For example, a quick-service POS will have different features and functionality than one for a full-service restaurant or bar . It’s up to you to do your research and find one that best fits your business model.

Getting started on your culinary journey

Your restaurant’s checklist will depend on your concept, size and menu, but this list should give you a sense of what to focus on and where to start. With smart planning and the right tools in place, you’ll have what you need to be successful.  

Itching to get started? Chat with one of our experts to find out how Lightspeed can help you get a jump-start in your brand new food service business. 

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Lightspeed is a cloud-based commerce platform powering small and medium-sized businesses in over 100 countries around the world. With smart, scalable and dependable point of sale systems, it's an all-in-one solution that helps restaurants and retailers sell across channels, manage operations, engage with consumers, accept payments and grow their business.

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• How To Open a Takeaway: a Step-By-Step Guide for New Business Owners

Here we will talk about how to open a takeaway. While takeaways are an iconic part of Britain’s main retail outlets, they change quickly.

What Is a Takeaway?

Takeaways are places that cater to customers who wish to take their meals away from the premises. The most typical takeaway restaurant is a fast food establishment where customers order at a counter and pay before eating. Most fast food establishments also provide seating areas for those who wish to eat in-house.

Other types of takeaway include sit-down restaurants and cafeterias. These establishments may provide more service than fast food establishments but still allow customers to take their meals away from the premises.

Many takeaways offer delivery services and in-house dining options, depending on what kind of business they operate, as well as local laws regarding licensing requirements or the availability of parking spaces near the business location (if applicable).

What Kind of Takeaway Am I Opening?

Many people think that a takeaway business can be run in any location, but that’s not the case. There are different kinds of this business model, and they all have pros and cons.

For example, if you want to open a restaurant, your location should be near many people who eat out regularly. If you’re opening a food truck or cart, you need to find a place where plenty of people will walk by and see your food—maybe near a park or an office building.

If you’re looking for the right type of takeaway business to open, it’s important to think about how hungry people are going to be when they walk by your restaurant or kiosk at lunchtime. And what will they want when strolling around the neighbourhood on their way home from work?

Type of Takeaway Business You Wish To Open

If you’re considering opening a takeaway business model, consider what type of food you’ll serve. You can expect to have a lot of competition in the takeaway business. While many variations exist on the theme, some types of takeaway businesses are more popular than others.

Takeaways tend to fall into three categories: traditional restaurants specialising in takeaways, fast-food establishments, and food trucks. Each type has its pros and cons.

Traditional Restaurants:  Traditional restaurants specialising in takeaway have the benefit of a loyal customer base who already knows what they’re getting when they order from that place. However, they also have a lot of competition because people know what they’re getting when they order from these places. If you want to open one of these restaurants, ensure your quality is up to par with other local businesses’ offerings!

Fast Selling Food:  Fast food establishments tend to be cheaper than traditional restaurants specialising in takeaways—but this does not mean the quality should suffer! You must keep an eye on what ingredients go into your dishes and ensure everything is fresh and tasty.

Choose The Right Type For Opening a Takeaway

Choosing the right type of takeaway is an important part of your business. If you’re not sure what you should be using, here are some things to consider:

– Is your product best suited for a paper bag or plastic container?

– What size do you need? Will it fit in a regular-sized cardboard box, or does it require something larger?

– What kind of handle do you need on top? Should it be flat or round? Will it be easy to carry with one hand or two? Does it matter if it’s light or heavy?

Choose The Right Location for Opening a Takeaway

Right Location for Opening a Takeaway Restaurant

The location is one of the most important factors when opening a takeaway. Your location is what will determine how many customers you get, how much profit you make and how long it takes to build your brand.

You must consider whether you want to open a takeaway in a busy or quiet area. If you choose an area with lots of people, it will be easier for you to attract customers, but if there are many other takeaways around, it might be harder for you to stand out from the crowd.

It’s also important to consider how far away from home the location is because if it’s too far away, then customers won’t want to go all that way just for food. If it’s too close, then they might not feel like going out at all! The best place is somewhere between these two extremes where it’s not too far away but not too close either; this will ensure that there are enough customers nearby without having too many competitors nearby.

Create a Business Plan

Before hiring the right personnel to design and create your logo, you should have an effective business strategy. Your business plan will help you identify and demonstrate business plan objectives to potential investors. You have to consider food costs.

Even when many online businesses are available, a business plan template cannot be created in a straight line. However, your business plan must include what is listed below.

– The name of your company and its purpose (What are you trying to do?)

– Your mission statement (Why are you doing this?)

– A description of who will work on this project (Who are “we”?)

– A detailed description of your product or service (What exactly will we offer?)

– A breakdown of all expenses involved in running this business, including equipment costs and labour costs

Build Your Takeaway Business Plan

Building a business plan is an essential step in starting your own restaurant. Planning is the key to success; a takeaway plan will help you set your priorities and organise.

A takeaway business plan will help you think through the steps needed to get your restaurant up and running and some of the challenges you may encounter along the way. It will also help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, giving you insight into what kind of team member (or team members) would best suit this type of venture.

It’s important to remember that a takeaway business plan doesn’t have all the answers—it just helps you figure out what questions need asking!

Design a Home Business Plan

To design a home takeaway business plan, decide what cuisine you want to serve. Then, decide on your target audience.

Are you going to offer delivery only, or do you want to be able to have customers dine in? How much money do you need to start?

Once you know these things, it’s time to figure out how many hours per week you’ll need to work and what kind of staff members are needed. Make sure that you’re well-stocked with inventory before opening as well!

Make Sure You Have The Right Home Takeaway Business Licenses

If you plan on starting a home takeaway business, ensure you have the right licenses.

You can’t just start selling food from your home—your local government must license you. This means you’ll need to apply for a food handler’s license and get approval from the health department.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to start!

How You Plan To Service Customers

Takeaway businesses are dominated by traditional models where the customer calls or orders personally and then picks up their orders themselves.

However, the trend of customers ordering meals on restaurants own websites are gaining traction.

Make sure you have good knowledge about new app technology to improve customer reach before finalising your business plans.

Create Your Own Takeaway Business With RestaJet

If you’re looking to start a business, you might want to consider creating a takeaway food service. If you have a passion for cooking and want to share your creations with the world, this is the perfect way to do it. You can create a logo and menus, hire staff, and set up your website or social media accounts—all while making money!

Restajet is a company that allows you to create your own takeaway business. With Restajet, you can build a menu from scratch or edit one of their existing templates. You’ll also be able to choose from a variety of different locations across the world so that guests can find your business no matter where they are located.

Keeping It Clean!

Food hygiene is a huge concern for restaurants. It is one of the most important factors in the restaurant’s target market, and it can make or break a food business. Food hygiene is about making sure that food is safe to eat, and it involves understanding how to store, cook, and serve food in ways that prevent illness from occurring.

A food hygiene certificate is a major factor for customer satisfaction and your new takeaway business.

Restaurants must be very careful about food hygiene because they deal with many different types of foods and ingredients. Consumers trust restaurants to keep their food safe, so when a restaurant does not ensure that its food is clean and free of contamination, customers can get sick from eating it—and they will not return!

The Food Standards Agency is a UK government body that ensures food safety across the country. It works with local authorities and other organisations to ensure food is safe and fit for consumption.

Is Franchising a Good Option When Opening a Takeaway?

When opening a takeaway, the decision to go into franchising is often one of the first you make. After all, franchising is an easy way to get started with a business quickly and can be an excellent way to ensure your success.

But what does franchising really mean for your takeaway? Is it a good option for you? And how do you know if it will work for your particular business?

These are just some of the questions we asked ourselves when we looked at our options for opening a takeaway. We wanted to open something quickly, but we also needed to ensure that it would be an extremely profitable investment to support our families’ needs.

Should You Start a Takeaway Business Now?

If you want to start a takeaway business, now is the time. If you don’t get started now, you’ll be busy next year and will have missed out on the best time to start your new business.

The takeaway industry is booming and has been for a while. People love ordering food online and having it delivered to their door—or even picking it up at the door if they’re too lazy to leave the house!

It’s pretty simple: if you can cook or bake something that people like eating, there’s money to be made in this target market. You don’t need any special training or certification—just an idea of what kind of food you want to make and how much money you think it would take to get started.

Find a Location For Your Takeaway Business

It’s very important when it comes to taking out takeaway places that you know the right location because walk-through stores will be an integral part of the business.

After all, your clients come for comfort. You want it to have a safe place where people can stop and eat quickly and easily.

How do I determine the location of the restaurant?

You can also contact a real estate professional to assist you in locating the best place but always get legal advice. You can also take advice from a commercial property agent.

Finding The Right Premises

Locations of your takeaway operations are important. Most of us don’t want to travel to get takeaways or pay to deliver takeaways.

Walk-ins will represent many people in your company. Your takeaway business must be near where your target markets live. Finding a suitable commercial home can be challenging, and in some cases, the rent can be outrageous.

A commercial agent can point you towards the right place and assist in the selection of a property which meets your needs and is within budget. Please take good care when reading this lease before signing anything.

Proper Market Research

Takeaway business ideas are a great way to start your own business but can also be a great way to supplement your income. Nowadays, the food business is an extremely profitable investment for new business owners. If you’re interested in starting up your own takeout food business but don’t know where to start, here’s everything you need to know:

1. Find a location with good traffic and close enough to residential areas that people will order from.

2. Make sure the location is accessible for the delivery person, so consumers can get their food promptly.

3. Make sure the area has plenty of parking spaces for guests and employees!

4. Make sure that there is power available at this location for refrigerators and freezers (if applicable).

5. Consider what kind of food you want to offer: Asian food? Mediterranean? Italian? American? You may have more options than you think!

Consider Franchising

Consumptives like things. I’m a good guy. There’s an explanation for why the franchise takes are among the biggest franchises in the world. You can find some of the biggest names, like Mcdonalds or KFC. If you do have nothing new, you can always buy a franchise. When a franchise purchase occurs, the franchiser will give you an extensive company strategy and supply list. And probably a loyal customer population who can not wait to see your franchise open within their area. Franchise owners generally find financing much simpler than others.

Get Takeaway Insurance

Business insurance is not required by law – unless your employee is employed. Like in every business, takeaway comes with several risks. It’s therefore important that you buy insurance.

Create an Attractive Menu

The most important part of any restaurant is its menu. A menu sets the restaurant’s tone, and it’s the first thing customers see when they walk in. It should be attractive but not too flashy.

To create an attractive menu, start by choosing a colour scheme that works with your restaurant’s overall aesthetic. Then, pick out some fonts that will work well with this palette. Make sure each font has a similar look and feel so that it all flows together nicely when you start putting together your pages.

Once you have your fonts and palettes selected, it’s time to start creating your pages! Start with the cover page: this should include a title page as well as a page explaining what type of cuisine is served at your establishment (this will help potential customers decide whether or not they want to come in). Next, move on to the main course—or entrées. These will be listed under their headers (e.g., appetisers) and should be separated by section headings (e.g., soups). Finally, make sure to include desserts!

Find Reliable Suppliers

One of the best ways to ensure that your product will succeed is by finding a supplier who can provide it at a competitive price. Many businesses are able to keep costs low because they have relationships with suppliers that allow them to get the best deals on raw materials and other products.

You should also look for suppliers who offer you something more than just a great price. Make sure you find someone who can provide you with high-quality products, but also make sure they offer customer service that meets your needs. This will help ensure that any issues with your order will be resolved quickly and efficiently so that it does not affect your business negatively.

The Best Online Ordering Systems for Takeaway Businesses

Choosing the proper ordering and payment system will require much thought. Although most providers can provide an order and payment system free of charge, you may receive paid commissions on all sales on the platform. Below are the most common web ordering systems available.

We’ve got you covered if you’re looking for the best online ordering systems for takeaway businesses.

We’ve done the research and found that there are four main types of online ordering systems:

– Online Ordering Apps : These apps can be used on any device, allowing consumers to order from anywhere, anytime. They’re ideal for small businesses that don’t have a dedicated network or computer program in place.

– Online Ordering Websites : These websites are easy to use and allow visitors to browse through menus and make their orders in one place. They’re also great for large businesses that want a simple solution with minimal investment.

– Mobile Apps : These apps work best when paired with an online ordering website or app so that guests can access everything they need in one place. They’re great for businesses that want to make sure their consumers have access to everything they need while on the go!

– Web Sites : With this type of system, you’ll get all the features of an online ordering website and some extra perks like social media integration and analytics reporting software. Hence, you know exactly how your business is doing!

Is opening a takeaway profitable?

A franchise is a profitable business that is booming as it has not been before.

How much does it cost to open a takeaway in the UK?

Startup costs could increase from £5000 to £300,000. The costs depend on the location and the type of food served. Add thousands of pounds to operations costs, including food stock costs and delivery costs and the salaries of its employees.

How much profit do takeaways make?

Fast food and takeaways: 79%. Full service: 49%.

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• Bilal Nasir
• Restaurant Marketing

Thinking of Opening Small Takeout Restaurant In 2022? Here’s What To Do

• April 16, 2022

The takeaway business sits right between brick and mortar restaurant businesses and cloud kitchens as the cornerstone of growth. Especially when we talk about the last two years’ stats, the British Takeaway Campaign report highlighted an increased demand in takeaway orders by up to 38%. 

Many businesses had to throw in the towel early or struggle with maintaining break-even points. Restaurants weren’t the only ones to face this dilemma. However, those companies that quickly retaliated with ‘out of the box ideas and online presence made a quick recovery. 

Particularly, takeaway food hubs’ orders soared because even though the lockdown restricted physical contact between a business and its customers, deliveries were actively made through online food ordering apps. 

Likewise, delivery companies, such as UberEats, Deliveroo, and GrubHub also reported an increased number of clients considering opening small takeout restaurants. 

This post brings different aspects of takeaway food businesses and the right way to open small takeout restaurants as you go by with your business plan.

So, let’s get started.

This is what we recommend.

Opening a Small Takeout Restaurant In 4 Easy Steps

Start With a Takeaway Food Business Plan

Over the last year, we have extensively talked about restaurant business plans . In that sense, a small takeout restaurant business plan isn’t any different. 

In other words, if it is your first time creating a small-scale business plan, know that the documentation doesn’t have to be as detailed. Since you are not looking to hire too many employees, sub-level managers, and other people, the expenses need to be minimized to a certain level.

At the same time, your business plan for opening a small takeout restaurant should focus on short-term realistic targets. These targets will outline the basic infrastructure layout – i.e. if you don’t have one already. Then there is the predicted revenue streak for the first year. If you don’t foresee making any revenue or profit, the incoming money should be enough to sustain at the break-even point. 

The most important part that comes at the implementation level of your small takeout business plan is the food company license. For U.K. business owners, a Level 2 Food Hygiene is needed to operate this type of business. For people in the Middle East, consultation with UAE trade organizations is required to elicit the exact number of licenses needed to open small takeout restaurants. 

Choosing The ‘Right’ Food Services Platform

Food services platforms are there to stamp your small-scale takeout restaurant on different online food ordering apps. Once your name brand goes live, customers will start ordering food through the relevant app. 

The problem is that there are a lot of variances in the market right now. We have multiple food services platforms operating underneath two unique umbrellas: The Aggregators and Direct Ordering Platforms. 

Aggregator Platforms

Aggregator Platforms are 3 rd party online food ordering platforms. Think of multi-national brand names, such as; GrubHub, UberEats, FoodPanda, Deliveroo, etc. 

All of these companies operate at more or less the same level. However, the difference comes in the service fee, commission percentages incurred on individual customer orders coming to your small takeout restaurant business page, and extra charges. The latter comes in marketing expenses, should you be looking to promote your new takeout restaurant on the aggregator’s app. 

Technically, two main roadblocks will ‘hit’ your business in the worst possible way.

Lack of Control On Your User Data

Aggregators do not share your customer information with you. It’s plain and simple as that. While you may continue to make a lot of money and profit on top of yearly revenue, you will never know about your customers’ contact detail. Who placed the order? Which customer ordered a specific food combo and stuff like that is something that will go unanswered. 

The aggregator company’s policies shroud the data-driven metrics. That’s why aggregators are not a suitable choice to start with.

Exorbitant Commission Percentages

This is an alarming factor. 

It is worth bearing in mind that all the aggregators have different commission percentage ceilings on incoming online orders against your restaurant. For instance, FoodPanda charges 35% – 44% on each order. 

As a result, your cost of doing business is more than your ability to make a profit – let alone keep up with the break-even point. 

Aggregators are best suited for food companies with a growing number of customers. If you are starting as a brand new small takeout restaurant business owner, it’d be ill-advised on our part to make such recommendations. 

Direct Ordering Platforms

Direct ordering platforms are quick commerce enablement companies that give you full reign over your customer data, marketing stats, etc. 

Blink is the most relevant example of a direct online ordering platform . Commissions are there, but they are drastically low compared to the current aggregator percentages. 

Similarly, Blink offers full-scale control over how you choose to monetize your customer data. They have a dedicated Microsoft Power Bi panel to showcase customer sales behavior, potential menu combo deals to run on your food ordering app, and vice versa. 

Blink also offers a branded online food ordering website and a dedicated application for iOS and Android users. Therefore, direct ordering platforms are a better choice due to the scalability potential and the level of support available to startup business models. 

Later on, you can consider aggregators when you have opened multiple branches for the takeout food business because of the previous customer base. 

Menu Engineering Like a Pro!

Regardless of whatever marketing tactics you choose, people will be ordering meals. Therefore, you need to offer them something to remember you by. It’s the visual quality and the taste of your food that will matter.

The problem is that despite high-quality visuals and delicious taste to offer, many small-scale takeout restaurants fail to promote their online food menu.

The reason is simple; you need to figure out how to engineer your food menu properly. Food menu engineering is all about figuring out which items sell high and which ones don’t. The next step is to pick on from each cluster and combine them as a combo deal to be promoted on your online food ordering app.

To think of it, restaurant food engineering is an entire playfield where many metrics come into play.

The sooner you start figuring out the key components of your online food menu, the better it will be from a long-term perspective. 

Getting The Hang of Small Takeout Restaurant Marketing Basics

Paid marketing is always the better option with lucrative benefits to the advertiser. 

However, ensure that all free and organic takeout restaurant marketing potential is tapped dry before you go there. 

That means sending business cards to local businesses in your vicinity, printing out small takeout restaurant menu flyers, using social media to set up a profile for business promotion, and taking charge of cold sales calls. 

In other words, even if you are looking at free and organic marketing campaigns, it is a full-stack module with tons of potential on the side. Paid campaigns are a better option, but they are not perfect for brand new food businesses with little or no social media and search engine presence.

On the last note, if you are already on board with a Direct Food Ordering platform like Blink, the website and mobile food ordering part will be covered. The company doesn’t charge anything to set up your platforms for online visibility. 

If you are considering creating your platforms with total independence, don’t forget that the cost of platform development will be equally high. 

Key Takeaway On Opening Small Takeout Restaurants In 2022

Here’s what you need to go over with a fine-tooth comb during the execution process of your soon-to-be-launched company.

• Develop a sound business plan for opening a small takeout restaurant. 
• Brainstorming decisions to sign up with an aggregator or direct online ordering food service provider .
• Engineering and promoting your restaurant menu.
• Using free and organic marketing campaigns for basic business scalability purposes.
• Relying on data-driven metrics to improve your takeaway restaurant online & real-life operations. 

Why Opening Small Takeaway Restaurants Is a Big Deal In 2022?

Besides the fact that the idea of homecooked food appeals more to customers than fast-food meals, takeaway restaurants don’t have a lot of baggage. The expenses are minimal; you can operate from a small facility, and the business requirements aren’t that much. 

Also, to think that you won’t be required to hire many hands-on staff, managers, and employees, opening small takeout restaurants is a bargain worth the ‘hassle.’

Over the last three years, the overall number and cumulative revenue for online food orders increased phenomenally. In the U.K, the businesses’ combined worth is estimated at around £22 billion. Even though the COVID-19 created resonance in favor of small food companies, food lovers aren’t showing any sign of backing off. The trend’s been set, and the stakes are high as ever. 

The excellent growth prospects for such small-scale food and beverage companies bode well. 

That’s more reason to open small takeout restaurants as soon as possible. 

The problem is that if you haven’t owned or launched a food business before, you should focus on opening a small takeout restaurant rather than “restaurants” at this point. Managing a food business is challenging, just like any other brand new company.

Although launching any new business is an exciting endeavor, it comes with its fair share of challenges. 

Just remember that those businesses that have already persevered have gone through similar challenges in the past to reach a certain level of success. However, the right choices concerning the partnership with food services companies, suppliers, and marketing campaigns make the difference. 

If you are still unsure of the direction, feel free to post questions in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Blink is your #1 Quick Commerce Enablement Platform

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• Culinary Arts

How to start your food business: An 8-step guide to success

February 22, 2024 •

8 min reading

Got a great idea for a food business but not sure how to get started? Find out what to consider, and how to make it happen with our practical 8-step guide to sucessfully launching a food business.

Are you a passionate entrepreneur with an innovative idea for a restaurant, a skilled baker ready to take your talents to the next level, or someone with dreams of hitting the road with a food truck , offering your vibrant street food creations to people anywhere? Starting a new food business can be an exhilarating adventure, but it can also be a daunting journey filled with unexpected challenges and bureaucratic hurdles that require a combination of business expertise and determination to overcome.

Is now a good time to launch a food business?

Well, it turns out that now might be a great time to take the plunge. Research shows that the food service industry is projected to grow from $2,646.99 billion in 2023 to $5,423.59 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 10.79% during the forecast period.

But the idea of starting up your own F&B business may seem daunting, especially when the outlook for start-ups is bleak. Research shows that as many as 90% of new restaurants fail. What's more, restauranteurs and other hospitality business owners have voiced their concerns lately about the affect of the rising cost of labor, energy and inflation on produce on the market. These rising overheads are making for a very challenging market, even for seasoned professionals to navigate.

In the world of business, there is never a perfect time to start. Even in ideal conditions, a business may not survive. However, some of the most successful businesses have emerged from challenging circumstances and economic hardship. It's logical, really. If a business can thrive during tough times, it demonstrates resilience and the ability to overcome future difficulties. So, don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the leap and give your business every chance at success.

So to help you get started, we’ve pulled together an 8-step beginner’s guide, with insider tips to give you a head start.

1. Make a solid Business Plan

The first thing you’ll want to do before making any investment is do your research, diligently. Spend a few weeks (or even months) getting a deeper understanding of the broader food service landscape, your customer target, latest trends, and competitors, and start writing a business plan for your investors. Think of it as exploring your 4C’s: customer, consumer, channel, and context.

For this, you’ll want to:

• Define your target market : Who is your new business targeting – baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Z, empty nesters, seniors? Once you’ve defined your target segment, make sure you understand what they buy, why they buy, where they buy from, and what makes them tick. This will help you create a relevant, targeted offering.
• Define your USP : Find what sets you apart from the rest of the herd. Have a look at what your direct (and indirect) competitors are doing, and establish your point of competitive difference. Now here, it doesn’t have to be radical, but it does have to be relevant. For example, if you’re targeting young families, creating a child-friendly establishment with nutritious children’s meals could be enough to give you a leg up on the competition.
• Define your restaurant style : Are you thinking of opening a bakery, coffee shop, quick-service, fast-casual, or full-service dining restaurant? Each one of these channels requires its unique approach, operating hours, and investment, so make sure to pick one that suits you as an individual and the work schedule that you’ll want to have.
• Select your food type/menu offering: Think carefully about your menu and the type of food you’ll want to offer – and do so early on in the process. Find out what the latest menu trends are (especially for your target market) and tailor your offering to them. Some of the hottest trends right now include vegetarian/vegan diets, allergy-friendly & gluten-free menu options , and sourcing your produce locally.
• Define your brand : Your branding – from your logo and the imagery you use, to the design of your menu, the music you play, and even and uniforms of your staff – define what your business is all about, and what you stand for. It sets the tone for your restaurant and lets your customers know what they can expect. Think carefully about how you want to position yourself and what you want your identity to be.

Once you have your business plan in place, go out into the world – and test it. Find some of your target customers and ask them for their thoughts and impressions. This could be as simple as polling a handful of people off the street to a full-blown market research study.

2. Secure your financing

Now it’s time to sort your finances. However not everyone who wants to start a restaurant has the personal funding to do so. In fact, most don’t.

Thankfully, there are lots of other ways that you can find funding for your new venture:

• Get a business loan
• Turn to family/friends
• Find outside investors or bring in a partner
• Venture Capitalists and angels
• Use crowdfunding
• Get government aid

Just remember that it’s likely to take years before you turn your first profit, and money will be tight at first. So think about starting small (with a strategy to scale up) and choose your business partners wisely, because they’ll be around for a good while.

3. Choose your location

You know what they say: “location, location, location”. Well, as it turns out, that’s not always the case. The location you choose for your establishment will depend on several factors, and unless you’re relying heavily on foot traffic, you don’t necessarily need to be in the hottest new retail location.

Here are a few factors you’ll want to consider :

• Cost : based on your sales and profit projections, what can you afford to spend on rent?
• Accessibility to potential customers : how are your customers getting to your restaurant, by foot, by car, or by public transport?
• Restrictive ordinances : some neighborhoods have strict noise regulations or restrictions on the times when your suppliers can deliver your produce
• Proximity to other businesses : competitors and other businesses can influence your traffic, so map out what’s happening around you, and how it could affect your business
• Plans for the future : consider what the neighborhood will look like in 2, 5, or 10 years, and if there are any major development projects underway that could change the local landscape

4. Design the layout of your space

Once you have a venue, it’s time to start working on the layout and design your space.

Of course, this will depend on the type of establishment you’re running, but typically restaurants dedicate about 45-60% of their space to the dining area, about 35% to the kitchen area and the remainder to storage and office space.

Think carefully about the layout of your kitchen and dining areas, and make sure there’s a smooth flow between the two. Prep space is also critical, so make sure your chefs have enough room to plate, garnish, and decorate their dishes.

This might also be the right time to think about what technology will be required in your food business , be it the POS system, kiosks, tablets, or audiovidual elements that contribute to the atmosphere as well as promoting specific products, technology must integrate within the design of your space.

And most importantly: don’t cut corners in your dining area. This is the stage of the show – literally where all of the magic happens – so finding the right ambiance and decor to make your customers feel welcome is critical to success.

5. Choose your suppliers

As a restaurateur, you’ll be working with several different suppliers – from furnishings to POS systems, bar equipment, kitchen appliances, and of course, food. Make your wish list, scope out your short and long-term budget, and go on the hunt for your partners. But remember that while you don’t want to cut corners when it comes to quality, over-priced suppliers can minimize your margins and run your business into the ground. So make sure to negotiate, hard.

But where do you start looking? Try going to wholesale retailers, local farmer’s markets, F&B conventions, ask for recommendations from fellow restaurateurs, or just do a simple Google search.

You’ll be looking for a trustworthy supplier, who has a good track record of providing quality products and a roster of successful partnerships. For food suppliers, be sure to about their delivery schedules and food safety management practices. And go local – they usually offer fresher ingredients whilst also being better for the planet.

6. Get your licenses and permits

When it comes to regulations, every country, county, and city is different. But make sure that you check in with your local regulatory office, and consider getting legal counsel to make sure you adhere to all of your local health & safety codes and food regulations. Another important license is an alcohol license if you plan on serving alcoholic drinks at your eatery.

Just be aware that some licenses can take months to acquire, so make sure to get started on this process well before opening day.

7. Start hiring your employees

First, think about what staff you need to hire for your restaurant type. Based on the scale of your restaurant, this may include HR managers, purchasing experts, accountants, marketing & sales managers, chefs and sommeliers, waiters, hosts, bartenders, and cleaning and dish-washing staff. Make sure to hire enough staff for each job, and anticipate shift planning and back-ups in case of illnesses and vacations.

Look for candidates with sufficient experience and a successful track record, who are quick on their feet, can multi-task, and are efficient. All of your employees should work well under pressure, and customer-facing staff should have exceptional social skills.

And when it comes to hiring staff, you can never be too careful – so do your due diligence. Make sure to do background checks, conduct several face-to-face interviews, and call their references.

8. Advertise your business

Before opening your restaurant, you’ll want to do a fair amount of advertising to alert your local community that there’s a new eatery on the block.

And while word of mouth is still the best form of publicity, here are a few other ways you might like to consider announcing your new venture:

• Build a great website: make sure that it’s easy to navigate and includes all of the key information, including your opening times, menu, booking engine, and if/how you cater to special requests
• Use social media : create accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram, and share relevant news and high-quality photos of your restaurant and the behind-the-scenes process as you’re getting ready for opening day
• Run some paid media ads: use ad buying platforms to get your restaurant ads seen and heard by thousands of food-loving people who match your target customer on social media sites, search engines, website ads, streaming services, radio and podcasts. A word of caution though, it's best to leave this to the professionals unless you're confident in you own ability to manage digital ads - using a specialist agency of freelancer will ensure you don't accidentally overspend on your ads.
• Host a soft opening : this is not only a great practice-run before opening day, but will also help create some buzz about your restaurant within your local community. Make the guest list small, and consider having a soft opening for family & friends, followed by one for local businesses and partners.
• Offer promotions to new guests : offer a free drink or dessert for the first 10, 50, or 100 customers – you’ll be remembered for your hospitality and generosity. After all, who doesn’t love free stuff?

And with that, we leave you with one last tip for success: work hard, don’t give up, and be prepared to break the mould. The measure of success is ultimately found in the bottom line, however it's important to measure, track and review performance across a range of metrics to continuarlly reassess and tweak your business model as you go.

Starting any new venture will be a challenge and most likely an uphill battle, but in the end, nothing tastes sweeter than victory.

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This five-month intense program of 25 masterclasses will help you shape your business project thanks to management modules and the tools EHL developed for entrepreneurs.  It will also immerse you in culinary operations, from fine-dining cuisine to freshly prepared takeaway food, catering, oenology and R&D.

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How to Start a Food Takeaway Business in England and Wales

By Jake Rickman

Updated on 12 July 2022 Reading time: 5 minutes

This article meets our strict editorial principles. Our lawyers, experienced writers and legally trained editorial team put every effort into ensuring the information published on our website is accurate. We encourage you to seek independent legal advice. Learn more .

• Business Plan 

Financial Considerations

What business structure will you adopt.

• Know Your Tax Liability 

Regulations, Licenses, and Certifications

Key takeaways.

• Frequently Asked Questions 

Do you like cooking for others? Or, are you interested in starting a restaurant without the hassle of hosting sit-down dinners? If so, creating a food takeaway business may be an excellent option for you!

This article will explain the key commercial and legal matters you should consider before starting your own food takeaway business.

Business Plan 

Many businesses will benefit from a well-thought-out business plan. In their simplest form, a solid business plan will outline your business model, including how you will: 

• finance your business;
• operate it; and 

Indeed, there are specific things unique to a food takeaway business that you may want to consider. For instance, it would be helpful to consider the kind of cuisine that will you serve. Further, you may also consider whether your takeaway business will be predominantly vegetarian or vegan. In addition, you must consider the location of your shop. You may decide to operate out of your house as a takeaway business. Alternatively, you could rent a kitchen from a commercial landlord.

Another thing that may be helpful to consider is how your will customers order from you. For example, you could offer:

• online ordering options;
• phone orders; or
• can guests walk up to your premises and order in person?

Moreover, you will also need to think about:

• delivery services;
• how you intend to market your business;
• to what extent you will need to develop an online ordering system; and
• which suppliers you use. 

To execute your business plan, you will need adequate access to money. Many food delivery businesses begin with owners who save their personal money and invest it into the business. 

You may also borrow money from a bank or your network of family and friends. If you are raising money from family and friends, you may want to give away some of the equity in your business. In addition, it is vital to understand the longer-term dilutionary effect this may have.

Regardless of how you raise your finances, you need to ensure you understand the best investment options for that money. To do so, you need to determine your expenses and then price your food accordingly to make an adequate profit.

Startup costs

As part of your expenses, you must identify those necessary to get your business up and running. Some typical upfront costs include:

• how much it will cost to rent premises (if you are renting); 
• what sorts of equipment you will need (for example, gas ranges, fryers, storage hardware, counter equipment, serving equipment, and any office or accounting equipment); 
• licensing and certification fees ; 
• fees for legal or consulting services;
• websites and marketing fees; 
• recruitment and training fees; 
• the cost of insurance policies; 
• waste disposal;
• point-of-sale (POS) systems;
• phone, internet, and the cost of other utilities (like heating and gas); and
• the cost of your startup inventory including meat, veggies, pantry items, and condiments. 

Your business structure is the legal framework your business trades through. 

The four most common business structures are:

• the sole-trader;
• an unincorporated partnership;
• a limited company; and
• a limited liability partnership ( LLP ). 

There are several advantages and disadvantages to each business structure. However, as a takeaway owner and operator, you should be especially aware of the implications of being a sole trader compared to trading through an incorporated company. This is important to your business as it limits your liability. 

Sole-traders and unincorporated (general) partnerships are unincorporated. Limited companies and LLPs are incorporated.

The main benefit of an incorporated company is that you tend to benefit from the legal principle of limited liability, which means that the assets and liabilities of your business are separate from your personal ones. 

The downside to trading through incorporated structures is that they require more administration and management. The more money you bring in and the larger your business, the more your liabilities grow, which increasingly justifies the expense and admin of an incorporated business. 

Know Your Tax Liability 

The amount you will pay in tax will depend on what business structure you trade through, in addition to your income and expenses. Moreover, you will want to check if the Value Added Tax ( VAT ) is payable, considering that your customers will not be eating food on the premises. 

Insurance 

If your takeaway business is open to the public, you should obtain a public liability policy suitable for occupiers. Even if your customers come in to order food and then leave, it is always a good idea to prepare for the worst. Furthermore, if you have any employees, the law requires you to obtain employers’ liability insurance. 

Finally, it is a good idea to obtain an insurance policy that covers your equipment in the event they face damage by:

• fire; 
• flood; or 
• vandalism. 

If you serve food, many important regulations exist to protect consumers . If you fail to abide by these regulations, you may be criminally and civilly liable for damages. In addition, your local authority will likely enforce most of the laws for sanitation and food service.

Additionally, depending on your equipment, you may need to obtain specific safety certificates, such as a gas certificate. Usually, the local authority regulates certifications as well. 

You should ensure that you have a well-thought-out business plan before opening your takeaway business to the public. Further, you will also want to consider how you will pay for your business. For instance, will you raise money from outside sources or invest your personal savings? Other critical things to consider are the business structure you will use and which insurance policies you should obtain. Moreover, you will want to check with your local council to ensure you comply with their licensing laws regarding the sale of food. 

If you need help with your startup business, our experienced  commercial lawyers  can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Visit our  membership page .

Frequently Asked Questions 

No law says you cannot sell food to the public from your own home. However, you might run into problems if you rent from a landlord or if there are certain restrictive covenants in your freehold or leasehold agreement that ban operating a commercial kitchen. 

While the law may not obligate you to get insurance, it is always a good idea to have a suitable policy. In some cases, it may be a requirement to obtain insurance, such as if you employ others. 

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10 Steps to Launching a Successful Fast Food Takeaway Business

The fast food takeaway business is booming, and if you’re considering diving into this exciting sector, you’re in for an adventure. From selecting the perfect location to delighting customers with delicious quick bites, becoming a successful fast food takeaway operator requires a blend of passion, planning, and perseverance. In this blog post, Takeaway Times Magazine outlines ten essential steps to help you launch and grow a thriving fast food takeaway business.

Step 1: Conduct Thorough Market Research

Before diving in, it’s crucial to understand the market. Identify your target audience, study competitors, and analyse industry trends. Visit local fast food joints, gather feedback from potential customers, and determine what makes successful takeaways stand out.

Step 2: Develop a Solid Business Plan

A well-crafted business plan is your roadmap to success. It should outline your business goals, target market, competitive analysis, marketing strategy, menu offerings, and financial projections. A clear plan helps attract investors and keeps you focused on your objectives.

Step 3: Choose the Perfect Location

Location can make or break your fast food takeaway business. Look for areas with high foot traffic, such as near schools, offices, or shopping centers. Ensure the location is easily accessible and has adequate parking facilities. Also, consider the rental costs and carry out extensive due-diligence to make sure there are no hidden costs or nasty surprises.

Step 4: Create an Appealing Menu

Your menu is the heart of your business. Keep it simple yet diverse enough to cater to various tastes. Focus on quality, freshness, and consistency. Offer signature dishes that set you apart from competitors. Consider dietary preferences and include vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.

Step 5: Invest in Quality Equipment

The right equipment ensures smooth operations and high-quality food. Invest in commercial-grade kitchen appliances, refrigeration units, and point-of-sale systems. Regularly maintain and upgrade equipment to avoid downtime and ensure efficiency.

Step 6: Hire and Train a Stellar Team

Your staff is the face of your business. Hire experienced and passionate individuals who share your vision. Provide comprehensive training on food preparation, customer service, and hygiene standards. A motivated and well-trained team contributes to a positive customer experience and operational efficiency.

Step 7: Focus on Hygiene and Food Safety

Hygiene and food safety are paramount in the fast food industry. Follow local health regulations and obtain necessary permits. Implement strict cleanliness protocols, regular inspections, and staff training. A clean environment and safe food handling practices build customer trust and loyalty.

Step 8: Develop a Strong Brand Identity

Your brand identity sets you apart from competitors. Create a memorable logo, catchy tagline, and a cohesive brand message. Design an inviting and visually appealing takeaway outlet. Use social media and a user-friendly website to engage with customers and showcase your brand.

Step 9: Implement Effective Marketing Strategies

Marketing is key to attracting and retaining customers. Use a mix of online and offline strategies, including social media, email marketing, flyers, and local events. Offer promotions, loyalty programs, and discounts to entice new customers and encourage repeat business. Collaborate with food bloggers and influencers to expand your reach.

Step 10: Provide Exceptional Customer Service

Customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of a successful fast food takeaway business. Train your staff to be friendly, attentive, and responsive to customer needs. Gather feedback and continuously improve your offerings. Address complaints promptly and strive to exceed customer expectations.

Opening and operating a successful fast food takeaway business is a rewarding journey that requires careful planning, dedication, and a customer-centric approach. By following these ten steps, you’ll be well on your way to building a thriving takeaway operation that delights customers and stands out in the competitive market.

Ready to Start Your Fast Food Takeaway Business ?

Take the first step by visiting Takeaway Times Magazine and subscribe to our FREE newsletter for more helpful tips and insights. And stay tuned for upcoming articles on the latest trends and strategies in the fast food industry.

Let’s make your takeaway venture a roaring success!

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How to Start a Takeaway Business

• 6 years ago

Home delivery and takeaways are great business to start this current market, where home delivery service is booming. They offer a popular service to a wide range of people and clients, and above all the trend of eating out is increasing and on an all-time high. Opening and running a takeaway business is very exhausting but very profitable if you choose the right products and your operating hours. A takeaway business may seem like a small and simple business but tiny details are important.

Here are tips on how to open a takeaway business:

Choose the right type or category

Choosing the right business is vital to any business person. Takeaways are categorised according to the type of food they offer. For example, there are fish and chips takeaways, chips and cheeseburgers, Indian takeaways, Chinese takeaways, Pizza takeaway, kebabs and some that sell all types of foods, cold drinks, and hot beverages as well. You should be careful when choosing a category because a wrong category will affect your performance.

Location, Location, Location

In business, location is very important. For a takeaway, you need to position your business in an area where people like to stop and grab a fast food. If you decide to operate a takeaway business that offers heavy food, you should consider setting it up close to college students or families where they can easily pick or order their lunch or supper. Avoid isolated areas as it can discourage people from coming to your premise because of security reasons or other reasons.

Time is a huge factor when it comes to opening and running a takeaway business. If your location is surrounded by offices, you will make sales before morning working hours, lunch hours and after 6 pm. In a residential area, your customers will come at around lunchtime, that is, 1 pm all through to around 9 pm. If you are in a city centre, you will have to be open by 1 pm and remain open until 2 or even 3 am to benefit from those people who will be leaving the pubs and clubs for home.

Seek help from a commercial estate agency in finding a premise

Since all business premises preparing and selling food are required by law to be licensed and have the necessary health documents, it might cost you time and money to start from scratch. Therefore, instead of going through this harrowing process, it is a good idea to find or buy a premise that has been operational and has a food license. You can find this by checking the available properties from a local commercial estate agency.

In takeaway business, the quality of your food, the reliability of your deliveries, special customer service and hygiene are some of the things that will make your business to stand out and become a success.

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How To Start Fast Food Restaurant Business [PLAN]

Fast food restaurant business startup guide.

Fast food business all has to do with providing quickly prepared and served food which has low nutrition compared to other foods.

It refers to a restaurant that sells food with preheated or precooked ingredients served in a take away form for customers.

Here is how to start a fast food cafe business.

You can own a fast food business by starting it from the ground, buying an existing fast food business or buying into a franchise.

To start such fast food business, in-depth research and planning is important to achieve success.

(1) Decision Making

It is important to decide on which approach you want to use in having a small fast food business. Do you want to start from scratch? Do you want to buy a fast food business going into extinction and make it better? Or do you want to buy into a fast food franchise?

These are questions you should ask yourself in order to be able to decide on one approach out of the three for shaping your fast food business model. It all depends on you because the three approaches are good enough. The success of the business depends on management and not on the approach used in owning a fast food business.

(2) Feasibility Study

This will help in giving economic indicators to use in starting your fast food business. It states the start up and operating cost of a business and also shows if the business is worth all your efforts or not, that is, the profitability or failure of the business.

Feasibility study takes into cognizant the requirements of starting and owning a start up business like the manpower needed, the materials and machines that is needed.

Feasibility study also includes the cash flow analysis which deals with the money needed for the business and how to source for and regroup money for the business.

(3) Fast Food Business Plan

A restaurant business plan is an integral part of starting a fast food outlet. This helps in knowing the steps that will be taken in ensuring success of the business and also helps in determining the target audience of your fast food business.

A fast food restaurant BUSINESS STARTUP GUIDE always include: business model, information on the product and services, market analysis, financial plan, objectives and method of implementation.

(4) Food Product

There is the need for you to decide on the type of food you want to be selling before opening the business. Although small fast food restaurants mostly sell hamburgers, you can make other products because you are not limited to hamburger. This helps in knowing the type of food you can sell to make money.

You don’t only decide on the type of products to offer but also develop your product for optimal satisfaction of the customers and high profitability.

To do this, you need to conduct a research to come up with a very good recipe that will attract many customers. Test should also be done to determine the final outlook of the product, to ensure that the color of the product doesn’t change due to chemical reactions and also to determine the ingredients that will make it healthy enough to consume.

(5) Location

In every business, location is an important thing that has to be considered carefully because it determines the success of your business and how well you will be patronized. A fast food business should not be situated in places with less traffic and visibility, such location will kill the business.

Highways, shopping centers, business areas, malls, colleges and universities are good locations where you can have your fast food takeaway business.  Easily accessed areas are also good for a fast food restaurant.

(6) Funding 

The feasibility study carried out earlier would have calculated the start up fund needed for the business. Here, all you have to do is to get the money either through your savings or loans and grants. The best way to get your capital is to locate potential investors with your business plan. To do this, you must have a good business plan and must be able to convince the investors.

(7) Registration

You should make inquiries from the health department in your vicinity to know the requirements of starting and owning a fast food restaurant and also the required permits and license. You will also need to be inspected by the health department before you can go on with your business.

In Texas, Florida, California and other states in the US, It is important that you meet both the state and federal requirements and also have the necessary license and permits before opening your healthy mobile fast food business.

Regulations differ from one state to another and from one country to another.

The following are other basic things that needs to be done when starting a fast food center business:

• Purchasing of all required and necessary equipment especially cooking utensils. • Staffs should be hired and trained for providing effective service.  Training is mostly important for staff in order to be aware of developments in the products they offer and also to become better at what they do. • Promote your fast food business through adverts on social media and other platforms.

FAST FOOD RESTAURANT BUSINESS PLAN EXAMPLE

Perhaps, you are keen on writing a business plan because you need it to help you obtain a loan from the bank; or maybe, you realize how really important a business plan could be to the success of your business.

Before we delve in, i believe you must have made inquiries and prepared for that business, and you are well aware of the necessary requirements and steps to be observed before starting up. This article will serve as useful template to help you draft your own fast food outlet business plan.

Other Fast Food Plans:

• Bubble Tea Business Plan
• Shawarma Stand Business Plan
• Cupcake Shop Business Plan
• Catering Business Plan
• Pizza Shop Business Plan
• Ice Cream Factory Business Plan
• Hot Dog Cart Business Plan
• Sandwich Shop Business Plan
• Frozen Yogurt Business Plan
• Cake Making Business Plan
• Donut Shop Business Plan

So without any ado, below is a fast food restaurant BUSINESS STARTUP GUIDE.

BUSINESS NAME: Tantalizer’s Fries

• Executive Summary
• Vision Statement
• Mission Statement
• Business Structure
• Products and Services
• Market Analysis
• Target Market
• Sales and Marketing Strategy
• Sales Forecast

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Tantalizer’s Fries is a fast food restaurant business that is registered and fully licensed as a Limited company to operate in Singapore. It is a fast food restaurant business that has fulfilled the necessary requirements and obtained the required licenses and permits to legally operate in Singapore.

At Tantalizer’s Fries, we will be committed to tantalizing our customers with good, and quality food recipes at excellent prices with great packaging. We know that today’s world is a very busy one, and people have less time to properly prepare their meals; this is why we have become the answer to this pressing demand for fast food. We will offer a vast range of products, from sandwiches to Belgian fries.

Our fast food restaurant will be located at one of the crowded and populated areas of Singapore. The size of the establishment will range from 60 – 70 metres square and it will contain 20 – 25 guests.

Tantalizer’s Fries will be owned by Matthew Robinson and Jimmy McDonalds, both of whom will be having a 50-50 ownership. Both Matthew Robinson and Jimmy McDonalds have more than 15 years of experience in the fast food industry. We will expand our fast food restaurant business and offer franchise opportunity in the near future, probably after the first five years.

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

At Tantalizer’s Fries, we have set out our business objectives as given below, to be able to cement our position as one of the leading fast food restaurants in Singapore and Asia as a whole. Our business objectives include:

• To establish a presence as one of the leading fast food restaurants in Singapore and Asia.
• To establish Tantalizer’s Fries as a fast food restaurant that anybody would love to come to.
• To expand the restaurant business and start offering franchise opportunity, before the last quarter of our third year of business, in Singapore, United States, and other parts of the world.
• To create an exciting and unique menu that will set us apart from every other fast food restaurant in Singapore.
• To provide more than a satisfactory service to our customers and maintain a high level of excellent services.

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is clear and straightforward, and it is in harmony with our business vision. Our ultimate goal is to be among the leading fast food restaurants in Singapore, offering franchise opportunities within and outside Singapore, and the United States.

Bearing in mind our ultimate goal, we will put in our best efforts to ensure that we provide top quality customer services to our wonderful customers. We will make our customers have more than a wonderful experience whenever they visit our fast food restaurant, and even when they visit our website. We will make sure we will have great quality packaging for our products, and have our brand label attached to all our products.

In a nutshell, our main focus is on serving our cherished customers great quality food at great and affordable prices in a very calm and soothing atmosphere.

BUSINESS STRUCTURE Tantalizer’s Fries will be owned by Matthew Robinson and Jimmy McDonalds. Matthew Robinson holds a Masters degree from the University Of Michigan, and had once been a project manager at several multinational companies while Jimmy McDonalds holds a BS degree. As the company expand over the years, we will need the services of:

• A director of store operations.
• Human Resource Manager (HRM).
• Marketing Manager, and
• Administrative Manager.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Tantalizer’s Fries will focus solely on the sales of fries, sauces, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. We will offer the sales of our products at very affordable prices. We will open our fast food restaurant every day from 8am to 8pm.

We will offer some Belgian fries and sandwiches in various flavours, ranging from satay sauce, Thai chilli ketchup, pesto mayo, teriyaki sauce, creamy wasabi mayo, lava cheese, barbecue, Caribbean islands, etc.

MARKET ANALYSIS

In Singapore, the end of the year 2000 marked the immense growth of consumers’ expenses for fast food, and the subsequent bounce back of the nation’s economy. The number of fast food restaurants had increased tremendously over the years.

In a survey of people within the ages of 15 – 45 years old, 80% of them confirmed to like fast food. 90% of them confirmed to like eating fast food regularly, and 10% of them affirmed to having great love for fast foods.

TARGET MARKET

Our target market will include a host of adolescents and adults that fall within the age bracket of 15 – 38. This is because this group have very flexible budgets. We will make sure we offer our products at prices that are much more appealing than those of our competitors. Our target market will also include the family unit, the male adults –this is because they have very little dietary concerns; and the medium income earners.

SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

We will do well to employ the necessary sales and marketing strategies to be able to catapult our fast food restaurant business to the top and cement it there. We will locally market our brand by distributing colour brochures throughout the regions in our target market areas.

We will make use of the local media of newspapers, magazines, and direct mail campaign; and also establish a website for our fast food restaurant business. We will also not hesitate to move our brand to the social media world such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

FINANCIAL PLAN

Startup requirements

Startup expenses:

Legal fee                                 $2,000 Rent fee                                  $20,000 Interior equipment                  $17,000 Kitchen equipment                 $23,000 Packaging                               $10,000 Contingencies                         $5,000 Startup asset                          $60,000 Total                                       $137,000

Startup funding:

The initial startup investment sum required to startup Tantalizer’s Fries fast food restaurant business is $137,000.

Both Matthew Robinson and Jimmy McDonalds will contribute a 50-50 percent sum of investment to make up the startup capital. Matthew Robinson and Jimmy McDonalds will both contribute $68,500 as the startup investment.

SALES FORECAST

Our sales forecast for Tantalizer’s Fries for the next three years is as follows. This sales projection is however based on a number of factors that have been considered.

Year 1             $100,000 Year 2             $170,000 Year 3             $350,000

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We have written several food retailer business plans and can ensure the business planning service is tailored  to your needs., all the calculations  are handled by us - you only provide basic details of your products and processes and we then model these to provide robust financial forecasts and projections, all produced by a qualified  accountant - this service is unique amongst business plan writers, payments are matched to results - a 50% upfront payment begins the process with the remainder only falling due once you are happy with the results - proving our commitment  to work with you every step of the way - all for £598 less than 50% of comparable competitor plans..

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Why Tipping Is Everywhere

In the united states, many say tipping is expected in more places these days. here’s how tipping culture exploded..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

Hello. Excuse me?

My name is Sabrina. This is Claire. We’re journalists. Could we ask you a question?

You just did.

[LAUGHS]: Another one. [UPBEAT MUSIC]

What is your view of tipping?

I think it’s become excessive. Whatever they do, they got that jar and they’re wanting you to put a tip in there.

They have the iPad. And it’s like, all right, how much you want to tip? And it’s like you bought a $5 coffee. It’s like, all right, well, tip $3.

There’s a lot of pressure. You feel like you have to tip. And I feel like people are watching you at that moment.

Yeah, yeah. I feel a lot more pressure to tip more. Wages haven’t kept up, so I feel like I should be tipping more. And it’s annoying because my wages haven’t gone up either, so it’s annoying.

The other day I just bought a loaf of bread, and the tip thing came up, gave me the option of 15 percent or 20 percent. Do I really have to tip somebody to buy a loaf of bread?

I went to the self-service machine. And it was like, add a tip. And it’s like add a tip for what? I’m the one that did the work, you know what I’m saying?

You’re like, I should be tipping myself.

I actually am a tip worker. We’re literally paid less wages in order for the customers to pay us.

What do tips mean for you and your work?

It’s how I feed my family.

Yes. 100 percent.

Unless you work in the service industry, you don’t really understand how crucial tipping is.

Tips mean a lot. They are 60 percent, 50 percent of my paycheck. And my hourly is pretty low to begin with.

Whatever I get at the end of the night goes towards dinner. Or for example, I didn’t have money for sanitary pads one time. And then that tip, grabbed it.

I feel like a lot of people feel like you did nothing for me. You just put a cup on the counter and I took it. Like, why should I pay you extra for that?

What do you say to someone who says that? You didn’t do anything, you just put my food in a bag.

If you knew what my paycheck looked every week, you would think different. Or maybe not, maybe you don’t feel bad for me and you’re like, get a different job. But like, this is a job I’m good at and the job I like. And I’d like to be able to make a living off of it. That extra dollar or two really makes a difference.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Sabrina Tavernise and this is “The Daily.”

Tipping, once contained to certain corners of the economy, has exploded, creating confusion and angst and now even becoming an issue in the presidential campaign. Today, economics reporter, Ben Casselman, cracks open the mystery of this new era of tipping.

It’s Thursday, August 29.

So Sabrina.

Can I ask you a personal question?

What is your philosophy on tipping?

[LAUGHS]: Exactly.

Sabrina, I think I’m a sucker. Look, I’ve always tried to be a good tipper in restaurants. It feels like part of the deal.

I worked as a waitress for many years. That was the only way I actually made money. If there’s no tip, there’s no salary. Restaurants, it’s a rule.

Absolutely. But now tipping is everywhere. You see these tip screens in places you never would have tipped before. I mean, never mind the coffee shop, you see it at the fast food place. You see it at the oil change place. I’ve heard stories of people seeing it at the self-checkout line. Who’s even getting that tip?

And every time a tip screen pops up, I always tip.

Oh, my god, Ben, so do I.

It’s totally irrational. I hate it. But there’s some part of me, and I don’t love this about myself, that is just convinced somebody is going to be sitting there judging me or I’m terrified that they’re going to. And, oh, my god, if I click No Tip, am I a bad person?

And someone behind me in line might see that.

I can’t click that No Tip button.

I am exactly the same. Every single time I’m presented with this iPad screen thingy, the tips come up. I press max, 30 percent. My husband, an economist, thinks this is ridiculous.

He says, you’re tipping 30 percent on a bottle of water someone just handed you. Don’t do that. That is crazy. But I keep doing it because I can, so I should. I don’t know, I have guilt about it.

Your husband is objectively correct. This is crazy. But tipping is not about objective cold economic logic. It’s emotional. It’s cultural.

There are norms around it. And right now, we have no idea what those norms are. And so we’re all stuck in this panicked moment of trying to decide which button you press and whether you should be expected to tip in this circumstance.

OK, so we are both suckers. We’ve established that. What we need to do now is figure out this panicked moment. I want you to explain this to me, Ben. Why has tipping exploded?

I think there are three reasons. The first of these is just technology. Several years ago, we started to see these tablet-based checkout systems everywhere. And it’s very easy to just add a tip screen onto there, that little, do you want to add a tip, 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent.

Right. And as I had less cash and then no cash in my wallet, this was always the way I paid for things.

Yeah, so it became very easy technologically to add tipping. But then the real shift came in the pandemic.

If you think back to that moment, many of us were lucky enough to be able to work from home and to be relatively safe. And we felt a lot of gratitude for the people who weren’t able to do that, who were bringing us food and delivering groceries. And so there was an explosion in tipping. And an explosion in tipping, even in places where we didn’t used to tip.

If you go and pick up takeout at a restaurant, you probably always tip your delivery driver. But if you went to the restaurant and you picked it up, you didn’t tip there. But now in the pandemic moment, they add a tip screen saying, would you like to tip? And yeah, of course, I’d like to tip. These people are risking their lives out there to make my chicken tikka masala.

Right. You basically wanted to tip the UPS guy.

Yes. And so we were tipping everybody. And so that allowed tipping to spread into these new areas. It got a beachhead in places where it didn’t used to be.

And maybe if the story ended there, it would have been this moment in time and then it all would have gone back to the way it always used to be. But that didn’t happen because we had this intense worker shortage when things started to reopen.

And how does that fit into this?

Businesses start to reopen. They need workers. They’re having a hard time finding them. Workers are reluctant to come back for all sorts of reasons. And tipping became a way of attracting workers.

Businesses were paying more, but they were also looking for other ways to get workers. And saying, we’ll add a tip screen that’ll boost your pay further. And if there’s one coffee shop where there’s a tip screen and there’s another coffee shop where there isn’t, you can be pretty sure which one you’re going to go work at.

Completely. I mean, we were talking to workers yesterday, and they were very specific about which chain stores allowed tips and which ones didn’t. And they much preferred working for the ones that allowed tips. I mean, it makes sense.

And I asked them, as a proportion of your earnings, how much are tips? Tips are a lot. Does that mean you make less in the place that doesn’t have the screen that allows it? Absolutely.

We saw workers demanding this. In fact, when some Starbucks stores were unionizing, one of the things they demand is, we want to be able to take tips on credit card payments.

Interesting, yeah.

This became a source of negotiation between businesses and their workers. And the thing is, once that happens, it’s really hard to put the genie back in the bottle.

But why? I mean, this all sprung up into our lives in the matter of a couple of years. So why can’t it go back to the way it was just as quickly?

Imagine that coffee shop worker that you were talking to yesterday, who’s now making, in many cases, 20 percent, 30 percent, even 40 percent of their earnings in tips. The business can’t just say, never mind, we’re going to get rid of the tip screen. Maybe, we’ll put out a tip jar and people can leave $1 or $2 when they want to. That’s a huge pay cut for that worker.

OK, they could instead say we’re going to get rid of tipping and we’re going to raise your pay. Instead of paying you $15 an hour and $5 in tips, we’ll give you $20 an hour. But now the business is going have to raise prices as a result.

And you, Sabrina, the coffee-drinking public are going to say, no way, I’m not going there and paying $8 for my latte or whatever the price may be. And so for the business, they can’t just get rid of the tip, because they can’t just cut off the pay and they can’t raise prices enough to raise pay accordingly.

Right. Nonstarter for the business.

Can’t work for them. And the worker is certainly not going to stick around if they try to do that.

So has there been some experimentation with this? I mean, have restaurants actually tried to go tipless?

Yeah, so we’ve seen an example of exactly this. A few years back, Danny Meyer, a big New York restaurateur, and a bunch of other restaurants as well tried getting rid of tipping completely. They said, this system is unfair, it’s unequal. We’re going to raise wages for everybody, for waiters, but also for cooks.

We’re going to raise our prices, accordingly, to pay for that. And customers will understand. They’ll understand that they’re paying the same amount at the end of the day, it just is in the form of a direct cost instead of a cost plus a tip. And it didn’t work.

For a bunch of reasons. But mostly because customers looked at the price on the menu and people didn’t want to pay it. I also think, look, we all complain about tipping. But customers also kind of like the tip. They kind of like looking generous.

You get to show off to your date or to your father-in-law. And, of course, you can, at least in theory, express your dissatisfaction by withholding a tip or by tipping less. Not you and me, we apparently don’t do that. But some people do, I hear.

The restaurant’s like, suckers, OK, great. Yeah, we don’t even have to worry about them.

Customers rebelled against the idea of not tipping. And most of those restaurants eventually went back to the old model.

Interesting. So we do have this love-hate relationship with tipping.

Yes. We hate being asked, but we like the control. And I think that is part of why all these changes feel so difficult for so many people, because it doesn’t necessarily feel like you have the control anymore.

That screen in front of you with the barista watching you, with the person in line behind watching you —

Oh, my gosh, I’m sweating already.

— you don’t feel like can press the No Tip button. Or at least suckers like you and me don’t.

Exactly. The choice is gone.

The choice is gone. Or the choice, at least, is sort of psychologically more taxing.

Right. [LAUGHS]

You feel pressured to do it.

OK, so that’s the customer experience. But with this new uptick in tipping, one question I always have is, is the worker on the other side of the screen getting this tip or will the business owner pocket it?

The worker is getting the tip with some caveats. By law, the business owner or the managers, they can’t take the tips. If you click a Tip button or you leave $1 in the tip jar or you tip in any way, if that ends up in the pockets of the business owner or the general manager or what have you, that is wage theft. It happens. We certainly hear stories about it happening, but it’s certainly not legal and it’s certainly not the norm.

That doesn’t mean that the worker, the person who hands you your latte, is the person getting your dollar. It often gets pooled across all of the workers who are working that shift or even all of the workers who work over an entire week. But it’s going to the workers.

People like us can rest assured that the workers are getting the full benefit of that tip that you’re pushing.

In many ways, what you are doing as the customer is you are subsidizing the wage. If you, you coffee shop worker, want to get $25 an hour, you don’t care whether that’s $20 in pay and $5 in tip or $25 in pay or any breakdown of that.

$25 is $25.

$25 is $25. When I leave a tip of $1, on some level, that’s $1 less that coffee shop has to pay you, the barista. Tips are helping the business pay their workers. They’re shifting. The business is shifting some of the burden for paying its workers off of its revenue onto its customers.

In other words, you and I, Ben, we are kind of helping foot the bill for these wages.

Absolutely. And from the businesses’ perspective, that’s a pretty great deal, because they basically get to charge, say, $4 for the latte and then for the customers who are willing to pay more, they’re basically charging more. Those people throw on the tip.

It’s a way of the business getting the maximum dollars that it can out of the maximum number of customers that it can attract.

But for workers, this system where they’re increasingly reliant on customer tips carries some real risks.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

We’ll be right back.

Tell me about these risks of our tipping system.

Look, tipping has always had a lot of problems associated with it. If you think in restaurants, they’re often really big pay disparities where the servers at the front of the house, who are getting tipped, often make a lot more money, especially at a nice restaurant, than the cooks and dishwashers and all of the people at the back of the house.

You hear these stories of people going to cooking school and then basically bailing on the cooking career and becoming waitresses and waiters because it’s just more money.

Yeah. And then within tipped occupations, there’s a lot of inequity here. There have been studies that have shown that a pretty young woman gets tipped better than other people, that white people often get tipped better. There are tons of problems around sexual harassment, because if your earnings are dependent on the table that you’re serving liking you, then maybe you put up with things that workers shouldn’t have to put up with.

Those are the problems that have always existed in this system. But then as tipping spreads, the risk is, first, just more workers have to deal with this, but also that more workers become more dependent on tips for their earnings.

In the short term, this has all worked out pretty well for workers. This has been a period where they’ve been in hot demand, and so their wages have been rising. And at the same time, they’ve gotten all these tips on top of that. And that’s been really great.

But it’s not clear that that’s true over the longer term. Over the long run, you could imagine that all of these businesses get to just raise wages more slowly, that tips sort of eat away at wages over time. And then if we ever see customers pull back a little bit, tip less, then all of a sudden, all of these workers could really suffer.

Basically, you’re describing a system in which the earnings are just more vulnerable, more dependent on the kindness of strangers.

Yeah. And more at risk if those strangers become a little less kind.

Yes. And this issue has become so much a part of the national conversation that it’s actually entered the presidential race. Both former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have announced policy plans to help service workers. And essentially, they’re calling for no tax on tips.

Yeah, that’s right. So President Trump announced this several weeks ago as his big new “no taxes on tips” proposal. Kamala Harris followed up and basically endorsed that proposal, again, a little while later. We don’t have a lot of details on how this would work. But essentially, it would mean that if you earn tips, those tips are exempt at least from federal income tax.

What would that mean?

Let me tell you, economists hate this idea. Left-wing economists and right-wing economists, this is one point they can kind of all agree on.

And why do they hate it?

Because they say it’s unfair. It singles out this one group of workers for special treatment. The person who works at McDonald’s who doesn’t get tipped, they don’t benefit from this. The retail worker doesn’t benefit from this. It’s just this one group of workers who get this special treatment where they don’t have to pay taxes.

Right. Right.

But there’s also maybe an even more fundamental issue, which is that if you think you hate tipping now, if these proposals go through, you’re going to see so much more tipping.

Uh-oh, I’m holding on to my hat.

Because it’s basically a subsidy for tips.

As a worker, we said before, you don’t care whether you make, $25 an hour or $20 plus $5 an hour in tips, except that if some of that money isn’t taxed, you want more of that. You want more tips.

Basically, you want your entire salary to be a tip.

Ideally, right? And so that works great for the business perspective. Great, I don’t need to pay my workers.

[LAUGHS]: Wee!

It’s all tips now. Workers happy about that. What that means is you’re going to see more businesses looking for ways to have their workers count as tipped. Maybe you start to see tips in places that we’re not seeing them at all. Maybe you really do start to pay tips at a retail outlet, at a gas station.

Grocery store?

At a grocery store, why not? And the issue there, beyond just it being annoying for you and me, is that it further ingrains this system. All those problems that we were talking about in tipping now involves even more workers across the economy. And they’re even more vulnerable to that possibility that you and I start tipping a little bit less.

Ben, how would you describe where we are in this tipping moment? Is this just the new normal?

I think we’re still in a period of transition here. The fact that we’re having this conversation on some level tells you that we’re not totally in a new normal yet. You don’t leave a restaurant and say to yourself, man, I can’t believe I was asked to tip. But we’re still all the time having this conversation about, you wouldn’t believe I got asked to tip at the self-checkout.

Right. The bakery, for god’s sake.

It’s still a transition. It’s still happening. Over time, norms will develop. We’ll figure out the places where we tip and the places where we don’t, and how much and all of that.

But the dust hasn’t quite settled yet.

It hasn’t settled. But I think what we do know is that we’re not going back. We’re now going back to a world where we only tip in those set of circumstances where we used to. And remember, this whole transition has happened during a period of relative economic strength, when people have had money to go out and spend and to tip. The question is, what happens when that’s no longer true?

Right. When there’s a recession, people are going to be nervous about their pocketbooks and probably won’t be as generous.

Whenever we get to the next recession, it will be the first one in this new era of tipping.

And there’s a whole new group of workers who are going to lose out when that happens, who are dependent on tips and will suffer when customers start pulling those tips back.

Ben, thank you.

Sabrina, thank you so much. And the screen is just going to ask you a couple of questions at the end here.

[LAUGHS]: Ben, 30 percent.

Here’s what else you should know today. On Wednesday, at least 10 Palestinians were killed when hundreds of Israeli troops launched major raids overnight in the occupied West Bank, targeting Palestinian militants, after what Israel said was months of rising attacks. The operation, the largest since 2023, followed months of escalating Israeli raids in the occupied territory, where nearly three million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule.

And the Supreme Court maintained a temporary pause on a new plan by President Biden to wipe out tens of millions of dollars of student debt. The plan was part of the president’s approach to forgiving debt after the Supreme Court rejected a more ambitious proposal last year that would have canceled more than $400 billion in loans. The scaled-down plan was directed at certain types of borrowers, including people on disability and public service workers. The court’s decision leaves millions of borrowers enrolled in the new plan in limbo.

Today’s episode was produced by Mooj Zadie, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Eric Krupke, and Clare Toeniskoetter. It was edited by Lisa Chow and Brendan Klinkenberg, contains original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, and Rowan Niemisto, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

[THEME MUSIC]

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

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Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

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Produced by Mooj Zadie Asthaa Chaturvedi Eric Krupke and Clare Toeniskoetter

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Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow ‘The Daily’ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Tipping, once contained to certain corners of the economy, has exploded, creating confusion and angst. Now, it is even becoming an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign.

Ben Casselman, who covers the U.S. economy for The New York Times, cracks open the mystery of this new era of tipping.

On today’s episode

Ben Casselman , a reporter covering the U.S. economy for The New York Times.

Background reading

How to deal with the many requests for tips .

Former President Donald J. Trump called Vice President Kamala Harris a “copycat” over her “no tax on tips” plan.

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Ben Casselman writes about economics with a particular focus on stories involving data. He has covered the economy for nearly 20 years, and his recent work has focused on how trends in labor, politics, technology and demographics have shaped the way we live and work. More about Ben Casselman

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