Summer is the perfect time to bring those two favorites, music and camping, together. This is why outdoor music festivals are so popular. People can rough it for a weekend by sleeping in tents but at the same time they get to enjoy some excellent live music. For many, the thought of doing their own cooking on camping stoves or fires is too much to bear, though. However, you can grab this opportunity to make some money on the festival circuit. You simply need to rent a food truck.
Outdoor music festivals have been around for many years. The most legendary of them all was probably Woodstock back in 1969. Like Woodstock, most of these events are held in the countryside and far away from the city, so the music lovers who attend can't just call and order pizza or Chinese take-out for delivery. They need to bring their own food or rely on the vendors at the festival.
If you're planning on selling meals at a festival of your choice, you first need to get permission from the organizers. You normally have to pay a fee to be able to run a stall at the event. For the more popular festivals, you'll need to contact the organizers months in advance because the competition for vending permits is quite tough.
Next, you have to decide what to sell. Know your target market by doing some research. Different festivals cater for different musical tastes and often there is a pattern in what fans of certain genres prefer to eat. At a more traditional rock festival you may still get away with serving burgers but at one that attracts a New Age kind of person, healthy and vegetarian options are a good idea.
Another important consideration is how practical it would be to prepare the meals you want to sell. Customers don't want a long wait for their order, so you should sell something that can be prepared within less than five minutes. It's also much easier to choose something that you can prepare in bulk ahead of time, such as a curry that you can simply dish up from a large pot.
It's also important to remember that your space for cold storage will be limited. This is why it's best to choose dishes that use ingredients with a long shelf life. The supply of power to your truck's refrigeration system may be unreliable so don't opt for foods that depend entirely on refrigeration, such as sushi or ice cream.
A headache for most festival organizers is the amount of litter produced during the event. Help keep this to a minimum by serving foods that don't need cutlery, such as burgers or wraps. Even curries can be served creatively in edible containers made from bread, for instance, instead of on paper plates. Cutting out the cutlery will also lower your overheads.
Finally, your venture will only be successful if you're open for business at the right time. Most people at festivals get up later in the morning because they party until the wee hours. It's best to open a little later and stay open until late at night for those people who want a midnight snack.
Outdoor music festivals have been around for many years. The most legendary of them all was probably Woodstock back in 1969. Like Woodstock, most of these events are held in the countryside and far away from the city, so the music lovers who attend can't just call and order pizza or Chinese take-out for delivery. They need to bring their own food or rely on the vendors at the festival.
If you're planning on selling meals at a festival of your choice, you first need to get permission from the organizers. You normally have to pay a fee to be able to run a stall at the event. For the more popular festivals, you'll need to contact the organizers months in advance because the competition for vending permits is quite tough.
Next, you have to decide what to sell. Know your target market by doing some research. Different festivals cater for different musical tastes and often there is a pattern in what fans of certain genres prefer to eat. At a more traditional rock festival you may still get away with serving burgers but at one that attracts a New Age kind of person, healthy and vegetarian options are a good idea.
Another important consideration is how practical it would be to prepare the meals you want to sell. Customers don't want a long wait for their order, so you should sell something that can be prepared within less than five minutes. It's also much easier to choose something that you can prepare in bulk ahead of time, such as a curry that you can simply dish up from a large pot.
It's also important to remember that your space for cold storage will be limited. This is why it's best to choose dishes that use ingredients with a long shelf life. The supply of power to your truck's refrigeration system may be unreliable so don't opt for foods that depend entirely on refrigeration, such as sushi or ice cream.
A headache for most festival organizers is the amount of litter produced during the event. Help keep this to a minimum by serving foods that don't need cutlery, such as burgers or wraps. Even curries can be served creatively in edible containers made from bread, for instance, instead of on paper plates. Cutting out the cutlery will also lower your overheads.
Finally, your venture will only be successful if you're open for business at the right time. Most people at festivals get up later in the morning because they party until the wee hours. It's best to open a little later and stay open until late at night for those people who want a midnight snack.
