Best ways to sell food

When it comes to being self-independent by entrepreneurial means, food is the best way to go. Setting up a fine dining restaurant needs a lot of capital investments which comes with huge severe risks. With low startup costs along with the help of basic culinary knowledge, quick hands, excellent food service a small and easily manageable home food business can be easily turned into a profitable business opportunity. These ventures tend to have lesser risks on the way to achieve the financial goal. The classic examples of food stalls revolve around the concept of fast food. Fast food usually comprises of the food items that are suitable for commercial sale and those that go with the objective of speedy service.

Hence most of the food stalls we see sell items like rolls, momo/dumplings, noodles, ready to serve non-vegetarian items, beverages like tea, juices, sandwich (chicken-salami, peanut butter etc), puri-sabzi, pav-bhaji, chole-bhature etc. But as the cooking and serving techniques are simplified and getting advanced at the same time, the range of food items that are being sold has increased. Instead of traditional food stalls, now the vendors serve real gourmet platters, selling some truly unique and delicious food with its roots from around the world. One can also expand their businesses while being present in the farmers market, collaborating with grocery stores, or registering on an online home food delivery platform like Oota Box.

Here are some brilliant yet easy ideas for the foodie in you, to make your interest into a profitable business and earn some extra money. After reading this article, you can have a basic ground in coming up with unique ideas of being one of the food entrepreneurs in your city.

Ready-to-Eat Snacks

If your goal is to sell simple foods to make money, ready to serve/eat items are a clear winner. If you are interested in starting a grocery store and are already selling concession food but are not making the profits you were hoping for, a pre-packed snack could be the solution that you are looking for. With pre-packed snacks, you don’t have to take custom orders but keep a simple menu that is easy to make.

Concession Stands

The concession stands are small food kiosks or stall-like setups in front of the places of crowd gatherings like theatre, mall, stadium, amusement park etc. It is a great way to make money with low startup costs if you come up with the right menu. Whether you’re rebuilding an existing snack stand or inaugurating a new one, your ideas for the concession booths will help you develop this perfect blend of taste and profit. It is best to offer customers a variety of foods at your concession stand, but some foods work better than others and should be on your menu. In a game, customers can quickly get to their seats and head to other attractions or festivals. When the weather gets cooler, you can turn a simple meal into a winter-friendly event. Sandwiches are ideal for both day and night time events, and there is nothing wrong with serving a cereal-themed cocktail or sandwich. The holidays bring back many childhood memories at this time of year, but they are also a good opportunity for food kiosks.

Frozen Food

With less time to spare and limited weekends to enjoy, people prefer food items that can be prepared and served on the dinner table in less time. In these kinds of situations, frozen food emerges as a hero. Whether it is a Netflix binge night or a sleepover night, a plate of chicken nuggets or cheese shots is more preferred than meals that take hours to prepare. Hence one can be a sole provider of such food items and make easy money out of it.

Sharing the Family Recipe

If you sit down with a family recipe where people are always begging for more, why not pull it out and make it more profitable? You can make a food business out of it and sell it for a fraction of the cost of sitting in front of it? Food businesses require a initial investment, but they are worth it if you have the right products. You can sell almost anything, while the food kiosks offer only limited offers. Add the suspense of a secret ingredient and you will have a rush of customer orders in.

What’s in the Menu?

If you have a great menu, people will try your offerings, and the tempting flavours and menu delights will entice customers flocking to you for a taste. This is a slightly more challenging task, but you can still offer a convenient and delicious meal to your clientele, e.g, gourmet candies. You could also try disguising your basic menu options to set them apart, such as with a unique name, or even a new colour scheme. This display strategy can also be applied to all foods you want to snack on – such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, fruits and even meat.

‘Tis the season to be jolly

For a little extra holiday flavour, put a sandwich or dessert pudding on a lightly-eaten filling like a sweet potato pie. Served with a fork, it is easy for your customers to try these cuisines, even if they haven’t before. You can also go desi by offering seasonal festival sweets and savoury items like jalebi, ghewar, biryani etc. Some earn a few thousand rupees a month from selling popular niche products, while others make more money by focusing on festivals and major events.

Something sweet

In 2019, the sales value of ice cream and frozen desserts in India have reached up to 2.26 billion dollars. So even if you feel guilty about following your gut, (or rather the sweet tooth), now the statistics has the support for setting up an ice-cream shop, cookie dough cafe, cake shop, candy business etc. Milk plays a role in ice cream and is on this list because it is one of the most popular dairy products in the world.

No matter what your approach is to attract the customers, some basic key points are needed to be paid attention to be a consistent player in the field of food entrepreneurship. The food service is important. Time management and behaviour around the customers play a very crucial role in the success of a food venture. Same goes with the other components such as the food options in the menu, the availability of food, meeting the dietary requirements of the target customers and keeping the health benefits in mind, following the food safety standards and food manufacturing laws etc. Once you get the hang of it, your venture will make you and customers happy in a very short time.