Related:What is the difference between a sole proprietorship, partnership, Corporation, or LLC? In order to serve any type of food or drink, a food service license will be needed. Keep notes/receipts of all expenses as some of these can be deducted when filing tax. Additionally, StartingYourBusiness.com may earn a small commission from products or services mentioned on this site. Below there are some things to consider to help increase your chances of profit. Organisers may therefore not be keen for you to sell both, as it may cause problems with the other bar operators. You may also find that your pitch money gets caught up as deposits several months in advance. Required fields are marked *. Alternatives to beer often have better profit margins, and may provide more opportunities to get into events, as event organisers may be more likely to select your business for their event if it is unique or you have a different take on things. When we have nothing else to judge but an image aesthetic is everything! Do I know what drives my target audience? Eventunity,32 Eyre Street,Sheffield,United Kingdom,S1 4QZ, this other post on how to organize one of those, event with competition having something like a great design, Staff cost (4 staff on 10hr shifts for 4 days). Then theres all the items that are easy to forget: corkscrews, bottle openers, chopping boards and knives, cocktail shakers and stirrers, trays, jugs and so on. Make them really easy and clear to read. The Licenses You Need to Start a Bar or Restaurant | Lightspeed you might find useful. bins, spare stock etc., can look messy. All of the gazebos I talk about there are suitable for mobile alcohol bars. A2 These are offices for professional-type services. You will need the following items/equipment to get started. Incfile A personal licence is granted to an individual, enabling that person to authorise alcohol sales from licensed premises. Make sure you arent in a dead end or by the toilets often people wont walk past in volume or tend to dwell in these areas for long. This is particularly important when you are trading over the summer on hot days and when you anticipate busy periods and will need surplus stock. Then you or the event organisers might need to get a temporary event notice (TEN) from the local council. As a start-up business having a well-defined target market is key in order to help compete with larger and more established businesses. Once you have your business plan mapped out, you are in a great position to start setting up your mobile bar business. Please be aware that you need a license for everything from playing music to offering alcoholic drinks to customers. Start-up and stock costs can be substantial. Which pages are popular etc - it helps us improve customer experience. Many charge fixed fees, others want a percentage of your sales, and some a mixture of the two. NCASS member?You'll already be subscribed to the member-only edition. In this article, I will explain in more detail, what alcohol/liquor licenses and permits are needed for a mobile beer truck in both the UK & US. Everyone loves a freebie! What do you need to know to become an employer? Membership packages for Mobile & Fixed Site food & drink businesses. Do I need a registered agent or can I be my own? Many events will already have the bar already sorted, and most mobile bars are run on a part time basis by people already in the licensed trade, such as pubs, restaurants, wine bars etc. We're hiring! What would work for your business idea? These can be obtained in the UK and require you to pass an exam by an accredited board to receive your licence. Once you receive this qualification you can then apply for a personal alcohol license. All the above applies only to retail sales. Whether you choose a mobile truck or bar you are going to need storage for all your equipment and/or truck. It can feel like plucking figures from air at times when you are starting off, as often experience is what guides you here. Serving or selling drinks from a mobile bar in UK requires the business owner to have a Premises License and also apply for a Temporary Events Notice (TEN). Colour, decoration and set up can easily be changed as demands dictate. Make sure you take some good photos of your vehicle, you, and your mobile bar in action. To give you some inspiration on ways to serve from your bar I have listed a few things that prove popular: On top of deciding what you choose to stock and sell, there are also a range of different and innovative ways you can create and repurpose everyday items into your bar. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. No spam, notifications only about new products, updates. Youll quickly be exhausted running a successful bar on your own. Your first starting point is getting yourself a Personal License. Whether that be starting up or getting on top of your compliance and marketing. Not only are these welcomed by teetotallers and motorists, theyll also help you extend your bars hours to earlier in the day. What activities do I need a licence for? We use cookies to provide you with the best, most personalised experience possible. As a general rule of thumb, it would be advantageous to work to the following: Firstly, mobile businesses selling drinks, as opposed to food, are often on to a higher profit margin, with less waste (due to a less perishable product), little preparation time involved and your immunity to seasonality (you can sell alcohol all year around, summer, Christmas is also a bumper time). Will they benefit from what I am offering? cocktails. Safe & legal start up checklist - NCASS It makes you look professional, helps you connect to the public and other businesses and can help to bring in some serious revenue. Anywhere there is alcohol there is always the potential for violence to flair up. Therefore, in this post, I will go into what licences you need and any key things to note. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. A resale certificate only allows a business to not pay sales tax for items being resold, and sales tax will still need to be paid for supplies or equipment. Need to know: You will need a TEN for each event and can get up to 5 per year. Napkins and cloths to mop up spills are essential, as are waste and recycling bins. You can also go with fridges if you have your own generator or there is power onsite. Finally, choose the right catering insurance to cover your vehicle, fittings, generator and stock. These Are the Permits and Licenses You'll Need to Open a Restaurant This protects your own assets in the event of issues with the business. If you are new to bartending, its well worth going on a course to help increase your skills and therefore product. In most cases, you can bartend as long as you have received the necessary training, but when you start supplying alcohol, you would definitely need to acquire a license for your business. Doing a great job can get you far. The 16 Licenses and Permits Needed to Open a Restaurant Setting up a Mobile Bar Business - CPD Online College You wont pay organisers as much for a pitch, but will you cover your costs? Any business with employees or those that form as a partnership, Corporation, and in many cases an LLC, the business will need to get an EIN. Even if youre just employing staff on zero hour contracts on a casual basis, you still need to give them statutory employment rights. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. When do I need it? Vehicle safety systems licenses will replace brake and lamp licenses soon pursuant to AB 471 (Low, Chapter 372, Statutes of 2021). While its important to make the most of the summer months, you must also ensure you dont overbook yourself. Many bartenders wanting to open their own mobile bar company, frequently ask "Do I need a licence for a mobile bar"? From my experience at both indoor and outdoor events many lend themselves perfectly to having mobile bars serving at them. How much is an alcohol license? Being in a busy area is always desirable, but more expensive, as you will have a high footfall passing the stand. Lets look at the licenses to consider when starting a bubble tea business. A business credit card will help you spread expenses rather than having to pay everything all at once (especially if you have to do all your spending pre-event and may only get 50% payment until event completion). There is significant demand for Mobile Bars at private and corporate functions or events. Make sure you do your research for what your competition does (you dont want to overprice yourself nor undercut yourself too much). If you are looking to set up a serious business rather than just a hobby, having a website and presence on social media channels will really help take your business to the next level. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. They record pages you view and other targeting information. Another big advantage is that they have the buying power to get beer, wines and spirits at the right price, as well as somewhere to store them and a way of selling off anything that might be left after the event. They are cost effective, easy and a safe way to charge people. Offline vs online marketing which is better for your mobile catering business? For my event business, Ive been using a Monzo business bank account for the last four years. To get a personal alcohol license you will need to do the following: Here is a link to the GOV.UK website of the list of Accredited qualification providers: personal license to sell alcohol. In this article, I will, therefore, explain in more detail, the steps you need to take to start a mobile bar business. What is the difference between a trademark, copyright and patent? Obviously this will depend on the size and type of operation that you are looking to run. To get this, you must first gain an accredited qualification to show you understand licensing laws and your social responsibilities in terms of alcohol sales.