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Cafe, Coffee Van or Food Stall

Coffee carts, market stalls and small cafes
5
Setup steps
3
AI prompts
5
Tools & links

What it is

Selling coffee, food or bakes from a stall, a van or a small cafe. Margins are small, so knowing your daily takings, what you buy and what staff cost matters, and inspectors will ask to see your hygiene records.

Watch this first

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How to start a coffee van or food stall (UK)

Step by step

  1. 1

    Register your food business

    Register with your local council at least 28 days before you start trading. It is free, and they will tell you whether you need anything else, such as a pitch licence or street trading consent.

  2. 2

    Get food hygiene sorted

    Take a Level 2 food hygiene course (about £15 online), keep a simple record of cleaning and fridge temperatures, and know the 14 allergens you must declare.

  3. 3

    Get insured

    Public liability, and product liability for food. Markets and events nearly always ask to see the certificate.

  4. 4

    Work out your margins

    Cost each item (cup, milk, beans, labour) and aim for a gross margin of 60% or more on drinks. Check your prices against the cafes nearby.

  5. 5

    Build regulars

    Learn names and orders, offer a loyalty card and take catering orders for offices and events. Catering is where the high margin work is.

AI prompts to try

Copy one of these into ChatGPT, Claude or your AI tool of choice and adapt it to your situation.

Allergen sheet
“Create an allergen information sheet template for a small cafe menu, listing the 14 UK allergens with a tick grid per dish. Include a note to ask staff.”
Daily checks
“Write a one page daily opening and closing checklist for a small cafe covering cleaning, fridge and freezer temperatures, and handwashing. UK food safety friendly.”
Catering offer
“Write a short message to local offices offering a breakfast and coffee catering package for meetings. Mention allergens and delivery. Under 100 words.”

Useful links

Food Standards Agency↗Gov.uk: register a food business↗NCASS (market trader insurance)↗Simply Business (insurance)↗Gov.uk: set up as a sole trader↗
Started? Run it from one place

A free OddSync account gives you a booking page, quotes and invoices sent as a link, and a running tax estimate for your side hustle.

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