How do you price a food menu?

[rayjay01]

I am thinking of starting a burger van, this would be my first venture into the world of business, so as you can imagine I have a lot to learn, so please bare with me.

The main question I have is regarding the pricing of certain menu items, I can understand how you would work out items where it clearly states the amount your going to receive for example 48 cans of coke at £13.40 would roughly be 28p per can, so I would need to charge anything over this to make a profit.

However, when it comes to extras such as gherkins or mushrooms which your not told how many are in a pack, how do I work out how much extra I charge for these items? If it costs me £0.47 per burger which only includes the bun and burger, how do I work out the individual cost for those extras?

Am I going about this the right way, or is there an easier way to do this?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ray

 

[DesignerNick]

You need to think about Gas too

 

[rayjay01]

You need to think about Gas too

Thanks, but I think I have that covered. I hope anyway. Any advice you can give me regarding the question?

 

[matt.chatterley]

Figure out the average number per pack and deduct a couple from it - that should give you something accurate enough, particularly for relatively low cost ingredients.

Don't forget to factor in:

1. Daily running costs (e.g if profit on an item is £1, how many must you sell in a day to cover your fixed/misc costs?)

2. Competitors prices in your area

(etc)

 

[Rhodes100]

Yes there is an easier way of doing it, get into your car and find other burger vans situated in similar positions that you wish to have and take a note of their prices.

You can't simply buy a van and park in a layby and start selling food. You would also need food hygiene certificate and a street trades' licence.

 

[Billmccallum]

In terms of burgers and hot dogs, forget how much they cost, just find out what the market is charging in your area and how mcuh you are paying for your pitch.

Burgers and hot dogs vary from £1 to £3 each, but where you are selling is more important than anything.... a roadside van would be looking at the lower end, but outside a nightclub at 2am would be looking at the top price, a car boot sale around £1.50, but a musci concert/festival £2.50 ish.

You don't need to add extras like gerkins & mushrooms, most customers will want onions & sauce.

Get in touch with a trade supplier (not a Cash & Carry) such as http://www.tquality.co.uk/our_products/frozen_products/burgers/index.html

More important research is where will you pitch? My uncle ran a business with 3/4 vans before he died, he had sites in town centres for nights, industrial estates for days and car boot sales for weekends, special events like music concerts and festivals, but sales could be anything betwwen £100 and £5000 for a days work, with six part-time staff and two drivers, it was a non stop struggle to keep things running smoothly, but he did make a good living from it.