Thinking of a lucrative small business to venture into? Have you thought of starting a small barbecue business? If you are good at making barbecues that people find delectable, then you should consider building a business around this niche. Thorough planning is necessary to ensure your barbecue business does not vanish with the smoke.
Where to Start?
For this type of service business, the first step is to select your preferred service delivery methods. Barbecue business offers tons of options when it comes to getting your smoked and grilled food across to your target audience. Consider opening a conventional barbecue storefront. However, there are other avenues you can also venture into such as the following;
- Sports and social event spots or an open place
- Beer or wine festivals — using a full-sized trailer
- Sourcing for corporate functions and private parties where you can offer a barbecue service
Depending on your choice of service, the equipment you would need as well as your operating plan would vary. Whatever service method you choose, an important factor to consider is the costs involved, including other costs such as licensing fees, the cost of acquiring your grill and other barbecue equipment, and remuneration for the few hands that would work with you at the onset.
Creating Your Barbecue Business Plan
You should make your business model as clear as possible and precisely choose your service method, as well as consider its all-round costs. If you choose to go on a big scale at a start-up stage, the cost would definitely be substantial. A typical example is serving varieties of barbecues and sides during big events such as corporate functions and regional festivals. In this case, you will need a larger food truck that will take more.
On the other hand, if you choose to start on a small scale — e.g. starting with a drive-thru barbecue business on weekends using a nearby vacant lot, you can probably make do with a 12v refrigerator for transporting the raw meat and fresh vegetables, just one portable smoker and low-cost packaging.
So, when you write a business plan for your grilling business, ensure you include all essentials. Particularly, you should focus on the following;
- Your budget — this should be as detailed as possible and should include supplies, food ingredients, and the prices of equipment
- Menu features — not forgetting sides and entrees
- Finance options to raise startup capital
- Staffing requirements
- Location choices, including any related permit or rental costs
- Promotional/marketing approach
- Licenses for operation, including food-service regulation and associated fees
- Feasibility study to help you know how the locales prefer barbecues and grilled foods. It’s also a great way to find out who your competitors are, so that you can brainstorm on how to gain greater competitive advantage over your competitors.
Shop for the Things You Need
Another major step you need to take while starting a small barbecue business is to shop for suppliers and equipment. Go online and do a comparison shopping to find out the best deals for your barbecue equipment — grills, smokers, serving utensils, cooling equipment, and paper products. You should factor all of these in your projections and consider purchasing high end product when it comes to the smokers and grills for your barbecue business. If you are on a tight start-up budget, consider getting used items for certain equipment — e.g. used refrigerators and so on. Alternatively, you should start on a small scale and grow big.
Starting from home is a great way to save money on storefront rental. Alternatively, you can go for low-cost space rental at a local food incubator. Whatever option you go for, you will still need to purchase serving equipment. Also, remember to source for a nearby meat supplier that will always make meat available to you at a great price.
Licensing Is Necessary
Running a food business requires licensing such as an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It is also necessary to register with the state where you will be operating your business. There are certain rules or policies you should know — for instance, in some states, you can’t sell food products made in a home or residential kitchen. So, confirm the applicable regulations in your state or area before commencing your grilling business.
Some certifications may also be applicable for a barbecue business. For instance, majority of food operators are required to undergo food-handling safety training and obtain relevant certifications. And, in order to protect yourself and your business financially, you need to get some form of small business insurance.
Promote Your BBQ Business Grand Opening
If you have found a fixed spot to plant your BBQ business, you should consider promoting your business on wide varieties of platforms, including social media, with the use of fliers, and in the local papers. Don’t forget to print an attractive storefront banner for this purpose.
Another catchy approach you can adopt is to offer specials that flaunt the best items in your menu or barbecue business. Another approach that has proven effective over and again is to give out freebies, so that prospects would eventually get glued to your barbecue delicacies. You should also adopt discount coupons in your promotional gimmick, to achieve return visits.
Get Extra Hands to Help
Food business is one business you can’t handle alone even from the onset. Therefore, you should hire motivated employees who are customer-oriented. Your employees will be of good help to you in taking orders and working the grills.
You should make sure these employees are customer-oriented and have the capacity to offer impeccable customer service — bearing in mind that the success of any food-oriented business depends largely on customers’ experience in addition to the quality of the food. Satisfied customers would definitely spread the word and refer others to your grilling business.
Finally, do not delay in lunching out your barbecue business once you have the essentials in place. Don’t let the fear of the unknown chain you down. Smoked and grilled foods are becoming increasingly popular, and for health reasons also. So, you can be sure of good patronage for your barbecue business, as long as you are good at what you do.
