Office Sandwich Delivery

Patsy · Aug 18, 2007

I would like to set-up a small office sandwich delivery business but don't know how to start. Which assets to purchase? How to organize deliveries? Would 300 sandwiches per day be enough to start with? Would I need a delivery van? To start with, me and my business partner would make sandwiches, part-time staff will make deliveries. Is 150 sandwiches a lot for one to sell?

The business will not be in the UK, and in my country (office deliveries) this is something completely new. Let's hope it works!

Thx.

Matt Quinn · Aug 18, 2007

Patsy said:
I would like to set-up a small office sandwich delivery business but don't know how to start. Which assets to purchase? How to organize deliveries? Would 300 sandwiches per day be enough to start with? Would I need a delivery van? To start with, me and my business partner would make sandwiches, part-time staff will make deliveries. Is 150 sandwiches a lot for one to sell?

The business will not be in the UK, and in my country (office deliveries) this is something completely new. Let's hope it works!

Thx.

I know someone who used to do this back in the late 80's. They started off with a motorbike fitted with a top-box and panniers. THEN they got a van, but went back to the bike after discovering it was less prone to getting stuck in traffic.

Eventually the took a little shop on the edge of the city centre...

I'd GUESS (but you need to do some proper research) that in a fair sized city 150 sandwiches is EASILY done by one person

Alice3537 · Aug 18, 2007

Firstly, good luck with the business!!

It's hard to answer some of your questions, to be honest, from the information you've given.

Do you need a van? Well, you need to transport the sandwiches from were they are made to were they are being sold! 300 cartoned sandwiches and anything else you are selling with them - buscuits/cakes/crisps/fruit/drinks etc (I would certainly suggest canned drinks so that an office worker can order and then not need to leave the building to get a drink!).

Without knowing how concentrated an area you are working in etc it's hard to say how many sandwiches you should be aiming for. May be an idea to supply some to various offices you want to be involved with as a 'taste test' and for a little market research - if this is a new concept, it's an idea to find out how well received it will be before you start buying assets etc. Are there any 'work culture' issues that may prevent the idea working? If it's offices in one of the European countries were everyone tends to go home at lunch, or leave the office for the hour and sit in the square to eat etc, you may find it more hard than in a country were people find themselves shackled to their desks all day (like here!).

P.S. Duh! The idea of a bike hadn't occurred to me! LOL

Matt Quinn · Aug 18, 2007

You know; the other thing I've seen around Glasgow is people going 'round with little plastic 'carts'; odd little things that seem to be made for the purpose... they hold about 48 cans of juice in the bottom, tray of sarnies on top... And must weigh a ton!

.

I'm sure I've seen these being 'loaded' from the back of a van.... So maybe they're bringing the stuff in on a van then 'decanting' it to these wee trollies for delivery?

Alice3537 · Aug 18, 2007

Carts? Are they on wheels? :| Are they refrigerated? Guess that would be an even bigger issue in a hot country than here!

Patsy · Aug 18, 2007

Thanks. People here don't go home for lunches, they work long hours. Lots of business buildings don't have canteens and the shops that sell food usually have a poor range of sandwiches. City center is well covered but everything else is not.

I got this idea - while working in London - when somebody came to the office every day with a basket full of sandwiches. I am not sure how to incorporate drinks into this.

The parking issue is VERY BIG as we will be making sandwiches in a little town outside the capital where our main customers will be. We would have part time staff pick-up the sandwiches at our place with their own vehicles. ??? We will probably have to give them in some sort of a cool box? We want to start with the business in October and the warm weather doesn't start untill late March/April so there is still time to think about this.

Matt Quinn · Aug 18, 2007

Alice3537 said:
Carts? Are they on wheels? :| Are they refrigerated? Guess that would be an even bigger issue in a hot country than here!

No, not refrigerated ; they look like little 'office trolley's ' with bigger-than-average pneumatic tyred wheels... I think a lot of places tend to have drinks machines; sarnies though; hard to get good ones...

The of course there are offices that HAVE little shops or canteens and would buy them off you for resale....

wingodav · Jun 10, 2008

hi all! i'm new to this forum *waves*

hope you don't mind me digging up this old thread but i came across it and it's something i'm considering doing too. i was wondering about gaining access to the offices for selling sandwiches. do you need to organise permission beforehand from an office manager? or do they mind if you just turn up with a basket? i'm thinking of targeting the large corporates. i'm interested in hearing anyone's thoughts on this. thanks!

Aspect Investments · Jun 10, 2008

For a second there I thought your username was Pasty. Good username for someone whos starting a sarnie round.

ginantonic · Jun 10, 2008

I have been doing this for 2 years. I don't see why you need so many staff to start off. My partner and I easily managed to shop for ingredients, prepare around 250 - 350 rolls and sandwiches every day, deliver them, do all the admin, website, marketing, and anything else involved. I am now running the business on my own, and can do it single handedly, although I must admit I will be taking on help for prep soon, as I do buffets, too.
At my peak, I can make 50 items an hour, including packaging and labelling.
As for equipment, if you are just making rolls, which may be easiest to start with, all you will need are film fronted paper bags. If you are doing sandwiches, you will need a sealing machine (I used one called an L-sealer), these are expensive at anything from £900 for the cheapest, and the consumables (sealing film, wedges, etc) only come in huge quantities and are also expensive. You can put sandwiches in bags, but it doesn't look as good, or keep them as fresh.
If you are supplying salad bowls, pasta bowls etc, you will need suitable bowls and forks, again, these only come in large quantities.
If you are running this from home, you will need to go through all the relevant EH regs, and do not underestimate the number of fridges you will need, bearing in mind the EH guidelines that food can only be un-refrigerated for up to 4 hours max. Which leads to the delivery method, which should be in a refrigerated vehicle.
I have had people tell me what I do must be so easy...it is hard work, long hours, and sometimes complicated, but the financial rewards are good, you should be aiming for a retail price that is 2.5 times the cost of making it.
If you would like any more info/help, I am more than happy to offer advice, and pass on suppliers' names if you need them.
Good luck.
Lynne.

davehurst · Aug 5, 2008

Lynne,
Could you tell me a bit more about the EH regs and how I find them please.

Regards
David

ginantonic · Aug 5, 2008

Hi
The EH regs can be had from your local Council Environmental Health Dept, just ring them and they'll either post them to you, or you can collect. They are pretty much the same wherever you are in the UK, but some areas have extras added. I'm not sure, but they are sometimes on your local council's website, too. Try Googling "EH regs in ..." it should give you some idea.
Most of it is common sense, like having separate sinks for handwashing and food prep, any windows that open have to have fly screens, you have to have stored foodstuffs date labelled, a covered bin...there's quite a bit more, too, especially if you are working from home like we were at the time.
2 EH inspectors came to see us, it was quite informal, cup of tea/biscuits, then quite a long form with boxes to be ticked. We missed a couple of points but they said they would check them the next time they inspected in 12 months! You have to keep on top of them, though, as they can do spot checks without warning, but they never have with us.
I hope this has been some help. Please email me if you need to know anything else.
Regards
Lynne.

nabykills · Aug 6, 2008

ginantonic said:
Hi
The EH regs can be had from your local Council Environmental Health Dept, just ring them and they'll either post them to you, or you can collect. They are pretty much the same wherever you are in the UK, but some areas have extras added. I'm not sure, but they are sometimes on your local council's website, too. Try Googling "EH regs in ..." it should give you some idea.
Most of it is common sense, like having separate sinks for handwashing and food prep, any windows that open have to have fly screens, you have to have stored foodstuffs date labelled, a covered bin...there's quite a bit more, too, especially if you are working from home like we were at the time.
2 EH inspectors came to see us, it was quite informal, cup of tea/biscuits, then quite a long form with boxes to be ticked. We missed a couple of points but they said they would check them the next time they inspected in 12 months! You have to keep on top of them, though, as they can do spot checks without warning, but they never have with us.
I hope this has been some help. Please email me if you need to know anything else.
Regards
Lynne.

Hi gina i was actually looking to start up a simial sandwich and fruit delivery business in my area it a large industrial town with lots of offices and factories. I just need information on how you operate what things to sell prices . If you could reply with detailed information it would be a great help . My father has a restaurant so all food will be prepared there . But how much would i intend to sell in one day from about 8am to 2pm . I was looking to set started asap would i have to visit the offices before hand to get permission?

Thanks:|

ginantonic · Aug 6, 2008

Hi
If you are selling to businesses on industrial estates, first check out what any competitors are doing, and what time they deliver, as you will more than likely have stiff competition from them; some can be quite confrontational if you tread on their feet!
You can go about it 2 different ways: one is to personally take a menu/pricelist or flyer to businesses you think may be interested. Ask them what time would suit them best, and work out a route based on this. Maybe give them some samples. Then turn up on time (very important) and be reliable.
The other way is to operate on an order-only basis - again, personally visit them and explain how it works (they ring up before a certain time the day before and order, then you deliver at the arranged time the next day.)
Regarding what to sell - try to beg, borrow or steal menus and pricelists from other businesses, this will give you the best idea of what will sell.
Our "special selling point" is very fresh ingredients, very good presentation, excellent friendly customer service, and realistic prices. Most sandwich delivery companies will be selling almost the same things, so you have to be good to take business off them. We found most of them were either not very clean, not reliable, or the items were poor quality, or too expensive.
Most offices and businesses have drinks machines, water coolers, or at least tea/coffee making facilities, so don't concentrate too much on drinks. Crisps and snacks are good, apples and bananas, salad bowls in the summer, and good old traditional sandwich fillings, nothing too fancy. Home made cakes go down well, too, as well as donuts, cookies and flapjacks.
I could go on endlessly! I hope this has been some help. Good luck with it, I hope you so well. Bear in mind, though, that it is VERY hard work. Most of your time will be preparing stuff, so you will have to get up very early!
Lynne.

ginantonic · Aug 6, 2008

Sorry, didn't answer all of your questions! You don't have to ask permission usually, but it is good to do so, as in theory you are trespassing on their property if parking in their carpark. If you can park in a sort of neutral area, you can service more than one business at the same time.
Re quantities to sell - at our peak, we were doing 240 sandwiches or rolls every day, as well as at least 150 bags of crisps, 50+ pieces of fruit, and in the summer, 100+ salad bowls and pasta bowls. When we first started, we made just 60 sandwiches and rolls for the first week, then doubled it 3 weeks later.
Our rolls started at 99p for something like just cheese, going up to £1.60 for ham salad or similar. The salad and pasta bowls were £1.40. Cakes 50p - 70p.
Incidentally, we now have a shop, and sell the same items for only a little more.
We work on Sir Alan Sugar's method...profit is between 2 and 2.5 times the cost of making it. Doesn't always work out, but as long as we make 100% profit, we're happy.

Aug 6, 2008

I can't give a behind-the-scenes opinion but I can offer an office worker's perspective.

Where I do some temporary work there was an established shop in the nearest town that used to send one person in every day at roughly 11 (obviously they had been to other places before) and they used to sell sandwiches, chocolate bars, drinks, etc. How this arrangement came about I am not sure.

Recently, a new twosome has started coming around (why two I am not sure, it seems to me it might be better to split it up), about two hours earlier. They've shaved £1 off the price of the original seller's price but sell a lot more, so much so that some people just buy from these rather than just using them as a treat or if they've forgotten. They just turned up one day and asked if they could come in, they were allowed and then eventually the first company stopped coming around.

My opinion would be to cater for all the groups that you're going to encounter. Some will want a treat, say once a week. Try to cater for this with a pricier item. Some will just want your average sandwich or bap, so this is your standard item. The new company around here splits up bags of chocolate covered nuts and and also raisins into smaller bags and sells them. You don't want to be eating too much if you're at a desk and burning nothing off.

Remember fruit, which some people will want, and it would be a good idea to mix the menu up. Provide some staples but then, like McDonalds, provide a couple of different things every day. Leave the menu with the office receptionist which they can give to staff if they want to ask about what's on today. On your way out, gauge opinion on your stuff by asking if anyone has asked for the menu. If they have, sounds like you are doing well.

CISK · Sep 1, 2008

Some great recommendations and ideas.

Try Tastees - a new snack which taste delicious.
Tastees is a cheese, rice snack which is baked not fried.

stevon · Sep 7, 2008

It's definately worth smoothing your relationship with the receptionist... If she phones in an order of say £x or more she'll get her lunch half price/free or something. At the end of the day she's the gatekeeper so keeping her sweet, even if just initially will pay high dividends.

Another tip for when I used to go pitching around industrial estates - if you smoke, never carry a lighter, the amount of stuff I sold outside asking for a light and then asking who they were and getting chatting and getting them to agree to organise a staff night out at my venue was unbelievable!

tariq · Nov 11, 2008

can you please guide me how to start the business and are there a lot of expenses involved thanks

ginantonic · Nov 11, 2008

You can start up from home provided you have a suitable kitchen - Environmental Health will come and inspect - or rent a small unit or shop. Again, EH will inspect. They will also inspect your van.
See my other posts for information.
The only start up expenses you will have is for Liability insurance (essential) and basic equipment like packaging (bags etc) and colour-coded chopping boards (Ikea are good), and suitable clothing/hats. Then your ingredients, of course.
There is a lot of useful info at www.countyfetes.co.uk.
Lynne.

SRD · Nov 11, 2008

Patsy said:
I would like to set-up a small office sandwich delivery business but don't know how to start. Which assets to purchase? How to organize deliveries? Would 300 sandwiches per day be enough to start with? Would I need a delivery van? To start with, me and my business partner would make sandwiches, part-time staff will make deliveries. Is 150 sandwiches a lot for one to sell?

The business will not be in the UK, and in my country (office deliveries) this is something completely new. Let's hope it works!

Thx.

Hi,

Which country? I presume a City?
I would suggest you take a look at Darwin's Deli. They have a pretty good business model and do good business in London. Take a look at their website for some idea of how they operate, www.darwinsdeli.co.uk

They operate on bicycles which are slightly powered to make it easier! Have a trailer which they tow and do daily visits to business estates/Office areas.

GetQuotes.co.uk · Dec 2, 2008

Hi

Great thread, some good reading and advice!

We are discussing starting an office sandwich service too in the new year....

We have a business park with about 1500 office workers so I'm targeting that first... Our plan is to do an order via phone or internet delivery service, the office park is only a mile away so no minimum order required.... We have catering premises we can use in the daytime so no issues there...

My passion is food but business background is marketing / design (although its gone very quiet hence the need for new start) but as a resource I can design a website and build a with an order form, I can make some attractive menu /flyers with some special offer vouchers attached (stuff like free crisps one week, free choc bar the next etc....) perhaps do a new flyer every month....

Anyhow what I am wanting to know is how much custom I might expect?

The office park is made up of half a dozen or so large corporate offices, it is serviced already by two van rounds (the type who sell not take orders) and I'm told there is a similar email order sandwich company but I'm also told that all three are not too good and most people tend to use the co-op which is within the business park....

So 1500 ish staff I'm intending on getting a flyer / menu in front of every single one so they are at least aware of the new supplier in the area... There will be no minimum order and on the hour deliveries, but its already got a few companies servicing it... What sort of % do you reckon will order and (assuming my product is good) will keep ordering???

WHat do you reckon?

Oh and the domain I have bought for the business is GetStuffedSandwiches.com / .co.uk

Look forward to any replies!!!

Call Tracker · Dec 2, 2008

I wish someone would do this for us - we are in a courtyard of local businesses and have to drive into the local town unless we got to the pub! I know someone who sold coffee's every morning outside the local station from 6 am until 9 am - very lucrative. It all depends on the area and the number of people. Somewhere fairly remote where there is no competition and a good idea is to get the businesses in your area to pre-order so leave them with a leaflet each week that they can call in or pass on to you - stops them from going anywhere else.

ginantonic · Dec 5, 2008

If you already have van sales servicing the area you are interested in, I would tread carefully, as some have been known to get nasty. I know it is every man for himself in business, but do not expect hundreds of your potential customers to instantly swap allegiance and buy from you. Thoroughly research what they are actually selling before you do anything, so at least you know what you are up against. I wouldn't put too much faith in online ordering, we did that, and found that the van sales option worked far better; it is very, very difficult to provide everything requested via pre-ordering without a lot of waste. Most sandwiches at lunchtime are an on the spur of the moment choice, not something to be decided as soon as you get into the office at 8.30am. When we did the pre-ordering thing, we were overloaded and once found we were delivering ONE sandwich to ONE company, (because of no minimum order), which was ridiculous.
Think hard about the online pre-ordering, it didn't work for us.
Good luck with it, anyway.

cindylh · Jan 20, 2009

Hi

I have recently been running a sandwich/smoothie round for 3 and a half years. I have ended the business recently as I have a change of circumstances. Nonetheless, Please feel free to contact me for further info on setting up and running such a business.
I also have a suzuki van with fridge freezer, sink etc for sale. My van is ready to go and earn you lots of money, I can even supply baguette bags, cups, straws etc.
If this would also interest you, I can give you all the info you need.
Many thanks

smokeyjoe · Jan 21, 2009

Some very good info.

I am starting a sandwich round very soon and would like info from anyone happy to help.

Do you buy your supplies from supermarkets or catering suppliers?

I am considering using the preorder method, would you recommend this? or just pack as much in to a van as possible?

If using the pre-order method do you box the orders up for each work place?

Would you recommend crisps, drinks, fruit. would you supply salad bowls on order only?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

ginantonic · Jan 22, 2009

We buy most of our supplies like salad stuff and packs of ham from the supermarket and get rolls from the bakery. We find the cash and carry can work out expensive for fresh things like meat, as the packs are so big there is waste. They're good for cans of pop and crisps though. Packaging is bought from a local supplier and also from an online supplier.
Personally I would load the van (preferably refridgerated) rather than use the pre-order method. If your van is not a fridge van, you only have 4 hours from the time of making the sandwiches to when it has to be fridged again, so 2 or 3 trips back to base to reload would have to be done.
Yes - crisps and drinks (cash and carry) and fruit from either your localmarket, or the supermarket.
Yes- salad bowls on order only in the winter, but in the summer put some on the van (chilled, use camping iceblocks) as they sell better then.
Also try cakes like flapjacks, muffins etc. Things like sausage rolls sell ok, too.

bluelight · Jan 22, 2009

Hi ladies and gents........I just wanted to drop this in on the thread just in case it helps out.

My old man has a sandwich fillings company (I don't know if he would be able to deliver to your respective areas??!?"?£?) He has over 300 different fillings and has done work for both Sweetmans and Greggs etc etc etc the company is called ezefill

Hope this helps

ginantonic · Jan 22, 2009

Ezefill - would love some samples - how do I get in touch with them, and what area do they cover?

bluelight · Jan 22, 2009

ezefill.co.uk

they may not cover your area though???

AndrewU · Feb 1, 2009

I too am thinking of starting a sandwich delivery round. I have the opportunity of either buying an existing 20 year established round which would have a pretty high capital outlay or starting my own with minimum outlay. Has anyone got any experience of this?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Andrew

ginantonic · Feb 1, 2009

If you look through all the posts on catering on here it will give you an idea of what you're up against, rather than go through it all again. A lot of information is available.

bluelight · Feb 2, 2009

AndrewU said:
I too am thinking of starting a sandwich delivery round. I have the opportunity of either buying an existing 20 year established round which would have a pretty high capital outlay or starting my own with minimum outlay. Has anyone got any experience of this?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

I am sure you have thought about this, if the company has been established 20 years (I hope you have had a look at their books??? Are they a LTD company???) Wouldn't they be a huge slice of competition for you if you did start up on your own??

Have you thought about what you would offer to make you stand head and shoulders above this company if you decide not to buy them....

Judging by the worth of my fathers company (he has been trading 15 years) you are going to have to pay a pretty penny to buy the business.

Are there any other smaller sandwich companies in the area??? Do you know how they compare?

AndrewU · Feb 2, 2009

Hi Bluelight thanks for your comments, company isn't large just one guy who has been delivering hot and cold sandwiches to local industrial estates for the past 20 years. He is retiring so wont be competion and I plan to cover a slightly different area if I do start on my own.

He is asking nearly 3 times the value of the assets just because its established, the pros of that is there is a ready made business I can walk straight into and hit the ground running.

The cons are I'll have to borrow money to buy the business and there is no guarantee his customers would remain loyal.

If I start on my own the set up costs are minimal but it could take weeks/months to get etablished. AArrgggh just dont know what to do!! :|

EleganceCateringServices · Feb 8, 2009

ginantonic said:
If you look through all the posts on catering on here it will give you an idea of what you're up against, rather than go through it all again. A lot of information is available.

Hi Gina,

Been reading a lot of advice from you on the forums.

Sorry to be a pain, I was wondering if I could ask for some advice as well.

Are you registered for VAT, if so, did you do it from day one or later?

There are loads of accounting packages about, but I was wondering what you use and is it easy? I want to spend more time cooking and serving than doing my books.

Do you use a standard systme for recording all your HACCP stuff or did you do your own?

Sorry for asking a lot, thanks for all the adive you have already given on the forums, it has answered a lot of questions for me.

Thanks

ginantonic · Feb 9, 2009

I use manual HAACP forms, and I'm afraid I also use manual (paper) accounts, simply because I find it quicker than having to get my head round an accounts package.
Best idea is to voluntarily register yourself for VAT (free if you do online, £50 if you get it done for you) as well as register yourself as self employed.
You can get the HAACP forms as an e-book off eBay (99p) and then just print them off as you need them. Keep them in a handy folder, as you do have to keep them updated.
Any other advice you need, I am happy to help.
Lynne.

EleganceCateringServices · Feb 10, 2009

ginantonic said:
I use manual HAACP forms, and I'm afraid I also use manual (paper) accounts, simply because I find it quicker than having to get my head round an accounts package.
Best idea is to voluntarily register yourself for VAT (free if you do online, £50 if you get it done for you) as well as register yourself as self employed.
You can get the HAACP forms as an e-book off eBay (99p) and then just print them off as you need them. Keep them in a handy folder, as you do have to keep them updated.
Any other advice you need, I am happy to help.
Lynne.

Thanks again Gina, when I do launch, I'm gonna have to pay you commision, lol.

Thanks again

ginantonic · Feb 10, 2009

EleganceCateringServices said:
Thanks again Gina, when I do launch, I'm gonna have to pay you commision, lol.

Thanks again

There's an idea...

Seriously, I hope it all goes well for you.

jochq · Feb 20, 2009

After reading this thread, I decided to subscribe to this site. It is really interesting to hear from ppl who have the same mind and who are already in the business.
I am planning to start an office lunch delivery service in Dublin. Food will be prepared in restaurant (my partner owns it), both sandwich types of lunch and healthy hot asian dinner. I have a lots of questions atm, such as how to organise transportation, (since office lunch hour is fixed), price range....
I will hv to figure out how to start a new thread

AVC · Feb 20, 2009

Good luck with your new venture.
You have received lots of good advice here. The option of a vehicle for your purpose is always worth looking at. Finances permitting, taking on a new, small van would not only promote your company wherever you go but enable you to show that you mean business. First impressions last and all too often the battered and beaten sandwhich vans that you do see driving around are enough to put you off eating anything that comes from within!! There are so many options out there for low cost, low emission vehicles and by choosing a commercial vehicle you can also claw back the VAT element of payments. Naturally, I am suggesting contract hire as oppossed to purchase, for reasons that would keep me typing here all day, but none better than money you will effectivley save.

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