Does anyone do Catering "Off the Radar?"


 
I've considered "going pro" a time or few. I wouldn't compete w/ BWW or Dickies etc, more just like a little shop to pull in an extra 50-60K/yr. What's rent for a low end fast food joint type building? I guess you'd have to be a little liquid but................... add in a liquor license, a surveillance system and a few people you trust..... Just to diversify a bit.... I've also wanted to open a salon & lease space to a bunch of ladies just for fun.

I saw a guy go out of business though last year......... he got out of his line of biz for whatever reason, kind of forced out, so he opened a BBQ restaurant in a nice building. A national chain is now rebuilding there.

You could probably find a commercial building for $450/mo but you'd have to be pretty lucky to find one suitably equipped.

There was a guy last year that set up a BBQ stand in the parking lot of a fruit/veggie etc shack (1000 sq ft bldg.) It was decent, but he was only there a few months.

My place (pipe dream, just for fun) would be wings, beer, pulled pork, soups/chilis, burgers, brats, fried pickles... a dank little joint ;
 
Ron A said:
What fun is smoking ribs, bacon, butts and briskets if you have to put your financial a$$ on the line with every meal. Heck...... just do BBQ because it's FUN, it's good food and friends & family love it. Once you bring money into the picture, all the "fun" goes right out the window.
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But what if you're indifferent/apathetic to your current job? Can you really have a full and satisfying life if you don't enjoy your career? This is a serious question, I'm only 28, so I'll have to defer to older (ahem, more experienced) folks for wisdom on this topic.

I guess I see 2 possible scenarios that I could take:

Scenario 1 = keep working a job 40 hours a week that I neither hate or love. I just feel meh about it. Money is pretty good though. And I can enjoy the rest of my life when I'm not working.

OR

Scenario 2= do something I love 80 hours a week. Not have as fun free time for family/friends, etc. Risk turning my most enjoyable hobby into work and no longer enjoying it.

I guess that is where my current thought process is.
 
It is tough to answer if you will love cooking for a business or not because everyone is different. The bigger concern is making sure you have enough knowledge about the food service business. Most small businesses that fail do so because they didnt know the business part of it. A guy could make great bbq but if he doesnt figure out the business part of it, he will find himself in trouble. I dont know your background so forgive me if I am overstepping. I now there are some good classes and books that are specifically geared to teach people about small business ownership. Unfortunately, there is a lot of crap that goes along with the fun stuff. :)

Like I mentioned earlier, my neighbor and I started down the exact path. With a full time job, I just didnt want to spend all of my free time working the business but my neighbor doesnt mind. He doesnt have other hobbies or commitments so he stuck with it and I got out. I dont think it is as romantic to him as it used to but he is still plugging away. He still has to work his other job too because the profit just isnt big enough to live on. Just stuff to consider.
 
Daryl - D.B. said:
It is tough to answer if you will love cooking for a business or not because everyone is different. The bigger concern is making sure you have enough knowledge about the food service business. Most small businesses that fail do so because they didnt know the business part of it. A guy could make great bbq but if he doesnt figure out the business part of it, he will find himself in trouble. I dont know your background so forgive me if I am overstepping. I now there are some good classes and books that are specifically geared to teach people about small business ownership. Unfortunately, there is a lot of crap that goes along with the fun stuff. :)

Like I mentioned earlier, my neighbor and I started down the exact path. With a full time job, I just didnt want to spend all of my free time working the business but my neighbor doesnt mind. He doesnt have other hobbies or commitments so he stuck with it and I got out. I dont think it is as romantic to him as it used to but he is still plugging away. He still has to work his other job too because the profit just isnt big enough to live on. Just stuff to consider.
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Gotcha, I'm actually reading 3 books on starting a restaurant right now. Restaurant Success by the Numbers by Roger Fields (an accountant's take on the business), Restaurant Owners Uncorked (tells 20 different stories of successful restaurant start-ups), and The Complete Restauranteur by Elizabeth Lawrence.

I definitely plan to my homework thoroughly before diving into anything.

Your advice is helpful though. I would certainly hate to turn a fun hobby into something that I no longer like. As you say though, everyone is different. Perhaps I would still enjoy it, who knows.
 
Bryan B said " Scenario 2= do something I love 80 hours a week. Not have as fun free time for family/friends, etc. Risk turning my most enjoyable hobby into work and no longer enjoying it."

You hit the nail on the head. I've been in my current field of business for going on 35 years. I neither hate nor love it (although as I get closer to retirement, I'm liking it less and less....). I think almost anybody would do things different career-wise if they could turn back the clock to their mid-20's. For me, I minored in Theater in college and would have taken an offer I had to be on the stage crew for an off-broadway touring company. The problem was it paid crap and I was a Business major brainwashed into believing "white collar" was the only way to go. For you, I say GO FOR YOUR DREAM! If you want to take a shot at BBQ as a career, just do it. You may find that even 80 hours a week doing something you love is more enjoyable than 40 hour a week at something else. If it doesn't work out, you're young enough to start over with something else. You'll never know unless you try.
 
Bryan B said:
Your advice is helpful though. I would certainly hate to turn a fun hobby into something that I no longer like. As you say though, everyone is different. Perhaps I would still enjoy it, who knows.
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If I didnt have to work the full time job, which I neighther love or hate, I would probably love cooking. But I was working 50 hours at one job then spendin my Friday shopping and prepping, Saturday cooking and Sunday cleaning gear. Made for a long week. Plus my daughter is very active in school and sports both during the week and on weekends.

We went to Georgia on vacation a few years back. We ended up finding this small little restaurant in the mountains that was family owned. The menu depended on what they decided to cook that day or who was available to cook that day. They were open for breakfast and lunch most days but stayed open a little later on Saturday. The family all worked there to run the business and helped each other with daily life stuff like watching the kids etc. If I could have that type of a setup, I would do it in a second. Not a way to get rich but a way to live your life how you want to and cook for people every day. The owners told us one of the days we were in there (we went back every day after we found it) that they were selling it so they could retire. My wife looked at me with those "I'll kill you if you say one word" eyes but I thought about that place for a long time.

I love the idea of cooking for people but I am getting to a point in my life where I want to create more time for non-working activities. That probably played into my decision not to stay in the bbq business. If you are young and can take the risk for a while, absolutely go for it. I dont have that luxury because I have a household to support and a startup bbq business wasnt going to cut it.
 
After having grilled and q'd for groups of 1200 to 1500 people years ago, I find it much more fun and relaxing
to invite friends over to grill or enjoy bbq, have a couple beers and share some laughs.
 
Bob H. said:
After having grilled and q'd for groups of 1200 to 1500 people years ago, I find it much more fun and relaxing
to invite friends over to grill or enjoy bbq, have a couple beers and share some laughs.
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Completely agree with this 100+%
 
It is your county laws - your county's health department - that dictate food service requirements. In most counties in the US one cannot get a food service facility license in a private home. Period. There can be some variances for 'catering' licenses, as someone noted upthread. Your county HD's website should have all the info you need. Check the various license types and the requirements for each. As someone else noted, a food truck can be a way to go. Not every county allows food trucks to be licensed - so check first.

If the specter of working many hours in the restaurant/catering/food service biz gives you considerable pause it's probably not for you. I've been in the business in one way or the other (sometimes a few ways at the same time) for nearly forty years. I love the business. I've exec cheffed, managed, opened or consulted for numerous restaurants, cafes and catering outfits. For over the past two decades I've been a private chef. It's a career - a way of life - not a 'job'. It's not for everyone.

A few thoughts:

There are places such as some bars/lounges, churches, etc., that have licensed kitchens that they do not use, or do not use often, that are available for rent. There is, for example, a kitchen in a bar here in Vegas I keep seeing on Craigslist that is available. In some counties, churches are required to have food facility licenses for their kitchens if they use them at all, let alone commercially. Many get the licenses because they have to but rarely use them. There are also caterers that have licensed kitchens that are willing to rent their space as well.

A food truck or, for barbecue, a food truck with a trailer with the smoking/cooking apparatus, can be the way to go if barbecue is your thing. Check to see if your county (and those counties you might sell in) allow food trucks.

Many members here have simply set up a little side business and sell to friends/coworkers/family, taking orders upfront, often smoking on the weekends or overnights, properly cooling and vac-packing the meat, and selling by the pound under the table.

An existing licensed or formerly licensed facility that is no longer in business can be a lot cheaper than starting from scratch as one can often lease the facility, get the necessary licenses/permits and so forth rather than having to buy equipment, do the build-out, etc.
 
Does anyone have experience using a church or school kitchen for catering or sauce making?

I was thinking of starting a business off small that maybe only made sauces and marinades, but that would require a commercial kitchen as well.

I read somewhere in this thread or on another site that some people are able to rent out church kitchen's for catering or other needs. There are only a handful of churchs in my area that do this, but it seems like darn near every public school has a commercial kitchen.

Does anyone have experience with this? Just wondering if this would be a viable idea. There is 1 incubator kitchen in my area, but unless you sign up for a large amount of hours per month, the cost is pretty high.
 
Brian,
If you're single and have a 40hr/wk job, why not see about get a part-time job
in a local restaurant (or preferably Q-restaurant) or caterer and get a feel for what
they do on a day-to-day basis. Try it for 6 months or a year and see how you feel
about it then. Any experience you can gain in the field will be a huge plus.
You'll either decide to jump in with both feet or run away quickly at that point.
You have a lot of years left to be working a 'meh' job - although at least it isn't
something you hate. That would truly suck.

Also, if you are planning a family at any point, remember to take the extra hours
running a business will require. You don't want to be in a position where either
side gets neglected. The family needs to come first - otherwise, what's the point
of having one? Life has a way of getting pretty complicated quickly...if all this stuff
was easy, everyone would do it.

Good luck with whatever path you choose. You are wise to seek as much advice
as possible - it is all good. I'd especially listen to those that have 'been there, done
that'.... you can't get better advice than that....it's all been hard-paid for...
Best wishes,
John
 
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