Or is this a viable business idea?

[roxyfoxy89]

For the last few years I've been toying with a business idea. I want to buy a food/ice cream van, that I can trade from in the day around businesses, but also in the evenings/at weekends in residential areas. In winter I'd sell mulled wine, hot chocolate and coffees etc as well as brownies. In the summer I'd sell ice creams/ice lollies and iced coffees! It'd have an artisan feel and be more targeted towards adults.

Is this a viable business idea or a pipe dream?

Viable yep. We have a coffee van come round here every Sunday.

Its not so much a pipe dream - but i reckon it will be 12 months before things go back to normal...

Sounds good, if your product is nice and brand is memorable, I can see it would work.

As long as you make all of it really good quality and a realistic price then I think you'll do well.

You need to look into licencing, you can't just drive up anuwhere, really. If that's doable, cost of a van and so on.

Love this idea, we need more winter stuff/traditions being created.

Ice cream vans are terrible polluters. I would try and go green (added benefit that it future proofs the business) and use this as part of your USP.

Great idea. A grown up ice cream van is such a good idea.

My dream is a pizza van.

Viable!

Deffo! Especially around industrial offices.

Look for local coffee roasters etc that you could partner with.
Good idea as long as the market in your area is not too overcrowded; not sure it's the ideal time right now, but no harm in getting your business plan together and working how much cash you'll need to get started.

DH and I thought about converting a horse box into drinks cart/van thing. Look on Pinterest plenty of ideas. If it's funky enough you can even hire out for weddings and functions .

@lioncitygirl

Its not so much a pipe dream - but i reckon it will be 12 months before things go back to normal...

It's an ideal time to get a business like this off the ground.

I order weekly from a coffee and cake room that comes around the neighbourhood to order. Every time I get it, some passerby takes down the number too, and I've ordered the van to work when we went in.

One thing to note, OP, is that my coffee van is a franchisee, and he gets his cakes from local bakeries - delicious, but I reckon he can't make a lot of profit per cake.

As long as you make all of it really good quality and a realistic price then I think you'll do well.

unfortunately good quality doesn't come at realistic prices

4 coffees and 4 cakes is going to be around £25, that £3 for a latte and £3/4 for a cake

you'll need a licence to sell alcohol

It is a pipe dream

The business costs would be exorbitant both in set up and running costs. Van costs, running costs, insurance, tax.

To sell alcohol you need an alcohol licence.

To trade you need a pitch licence or a trading licence . There is a waiting list in our area. www.gov.uk/street-trading-licence

@Iwanttogetthisright There is a pizza van which operates outside our local pub (in non covid times obviously) and they sell out every night.

Just before all of this hit, they were doing so well they bought another and hire it out for weddings etc.

I really hope they survive this. It's a great business idea.

There’s a fancy ice cream van that comes to our village - like one of those dessert bars that are everywhere now but in a van. It’s seems very popular mainly because there’s bugger all else here although I’ve no idea if that translates into profit. Personally I’d love what you’re offering 😋

It does sound nice!

Would people in the businesses know your van was there at that specific moment? What if they couldn't take a break at that point? It isn't like being able to pop to a shop which is open at any point in the day which would worry me a bit. I wonder if being near parks etc which don't have an established cafe would work better than office blocks.

Could you try it out some how without committing to it some how? e.g. work part time in your current job, lease the van etc?

Also, once it was set up and the branding was done and you'd got your recipes etc (the fun bits!) would you be bored? And cold? Have you worked day in day out in a coffee shop (or similar) before?

Good luck if you decide to do it! I'll visit!

It's an ideal time to get a business like this off the ground

I agree. One thing I miss working from home is the proper coffee and fancy piece I’d get from the shop near the office. In fact, it’s pretty much the only thing I miss. I’d love if a van came round our way with this daily.

If you did a round with warm fresh croissants on a Sunday morning like they do in France I'd be first in the queue

There’s a fancy ice cream van that comes to our village - like one of those dessert bars that are everywhere now but in a van. It’s seems very popular mainly because there’s bugger all else here although I’ve no idea if that translates into profit

The eye watering prices these places charge is why they make a profit. Took DD and her friend, the bill for pretty basic dishes and drinks for three came to nearly 35 quid.

@LEELULUMPKIN interesting! We live in a fairly crap town so I’m unsure how many people would pay 8-10 for a pizza here but maybe in Glasgow which is only 20 minutes away! My DH and I went to one after a night out down south once and it was mobbed!

Oooh yes! Croissants. I miss my chocolate croissant I get on the way to work. So I need a van twice a day.

It all depends on how much you'd have to charge to make a profit. People are likely to have coffee/wine/lollies at home (unlike vans that go to offices or markets) so what they're actually paying for is saving a few minutes of time making their own drinks/snacks.

I think it's definitely viable!

Everyone's working from home at the moment, and I think after so many businesses folded when they were forced to close in the first lockdown that take away / delivery will always be allowed.

If you came round mine I would definitely be getting a latte and a cake or something for breakfast!