/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.15566962]

could this be a legit idea if operated as bare-bones as possible?

[Anonymous No.15566973]

>>15566962
You would need to sell a lot of sandwiches

[Anonymous No.15566984]

Are you operating it yourself? Or are you having Paco and Jon’Tavious do it?

[Anonymous No.15567005]

>fuck vaping millennials
>hold you against the griddle, which will be embarrassing
$10 says the guy who owns this has a lip piercing and buzzed temples

[Anonymous No.15567008]

>>15566962
Hippies have been doing this at Grateful Dead shows since the 1960s. You can swap grilled cheeses for money, drugs, tickets, and invites to parties.

[Anonymous No.15567034]

>>15567008
is shakedown st still a thing? only two times I went to a D&C show there didn't seem to be anything

[Anonymous No.15567070]

>>15566962

Alright lets do the math
>a loaf of bread is about $2.50 and you get 22 slices minus the crusts which means each slice is 11c
>restaurants, on average, pay 25c per slice of cheese
>25c+(11*2) = 47c in cost
>Sell a sandwich @ $1 means you get a GP of 53% which is a good ROI

Now lets work out volume:
>sell 2 sandwiches a minute
>do a 6 hour shift at a festival
>2 * 60 = 120
>120 * 6 = 720
>$720 * 0.53 = $381.60
>$381.60 / 6 = $63.60 p/h

Not counting overheads such as power, fuel and fixed costs such as actually building the unit, you'd make roughly $64 p/h

[Anonymous No.15567075]

>>15567070
>>sell 2 sandwiches a minute

[Anonymous No.15567085]

>>15567075
Replace with whatever number you think you'll sell... The working is there so you can figure out whatever you think is realistic.

>that's why teachers always tell you retards to show your working

[Anonymous No.15567088]

>>15567085
Fucking CALM DOWN. I was just pointing out how unrealistic that sounds. You don't wanna fucking do this with me.

[Anonymous No.15567090]

>>15566962
I looked into starting a food cart/truck awhile back and from the conversations I had with some owners it sounds like it really sucks. Six day weeks, long hours, takes years before you turn a profit, if you ever do. If it's not your primary means of income then it might be fun as a side gig

[Anonymous No.15567102]

>>15567090
Where do you live?

[Anonymous No.15567103]

>>15567088
It's not unrealistic... If you have a family of 4 come up and all get one, that's 4 sandwiches in a minute.

Then you only need to sell 2 in the next 6 minutes to be on par.

[Anonymous No.15567113]

>>15567070
Operating the stand would be more expensive than making thee sandwich
You need electricity for the griddle and fridge, you would be charged by the city to operate a food cart and, you will be charged by whoever own the place you are parking that thing and you will be charged to maintain a license to prepare and sell food plus you will need to take a test you also have to pay for and retake

[Anonymous No.15567114]

>>15567102
Portland. Food carts/trucks are huge here.

[Anonymous No.15567127]

>>15566962
This truck just screams:
>fucking zoomers and their tomatoes and vaping im an insecure little bitch and im whining about everything that I don't like

[Anonymous No.15567129]

>recently got a panini press as a gift
God damn I've never consumed so much bread and cheese in my life. I can't stop either.

[Anonymous No.15567130]

>>15567113
I know, that's why I said my figures don't include overheads and fixed costs.

Fucking dish-pig learn to read.

[Anonymous No.15567138]

>>15566962
There's almost this exact same thing in my small city (it's more like a town, really). A trailer towed by a truck, selling various grilled cheese sandwiches. I don't know how they are, as I fucking refuse to pay for a grilled cheese, but judging by the customers they get, they seem to be doing pretty well.

[Anonymous No.15567140]

>>15567114
Shit, you'd think they'd be doing pretty well. Is it that the market is oversaturated?
I live in a shithole and foodtrucks just became huge over here, because it's a dumb trend we've picked up from america, even though we didn't need them at all (a lot of empty buildings no one's willing to rent). They do great too, which pisses me the fuck off.

[Anonymous No.15567156]

>no tomato slice
Well of course not. The trailer clearly says “grilled cheese”, not “tomato melt”.

[Anonymous No.15567169]

okay, now that this thread has gotten enough replies. how do I sell weed using this as a front?

[Anonymous No.15567174]

>>15567169
Use THC oil in the grill.

[Anonymous No.15567180]

>>15567140
Over saturation is a big part of it. We have million Thai and Middle Eastern carts and yet you'll see one go out of business and then another one will open it's place. Fucking why? Based on my observation, the carts that do really well usually have three things going for them:

1. Exceptionally good food.
2. Great location with lots of foot traffic.
3. A hook or gimmick. Something that distinguishes them from the other carts.

Pic related was the best food cart in Portland because she had all of the above. Amazing food, in the heart of downtown, plus she's cute and was on Chopped, so everyone knew her. She made enough from her cart that she was able to open a brick and mortar restaurant and is now selling the sauce she makes in grocery stores.

[Anonymous No.15567195]

You could easily make profit selling 1$ grilled cheese sandwiches from a food truck.

Here's a little food truck 101 for you though:
even if you got your ingredients for free do you really wanna cook 100 grilled cheese sandwiches a day just to make a measly 100 dollars? Now with the food cost added, shit... I'd have to be grilling like 500 sandwiches a day 5 days a week just to make what I'm making now and I aint that well off.

So fuck that shit.

[Anonymous No.15567206]

>>15567180
>Fucking why?
Asians are natural hustlers, the Western world has made them lose their touch

[Anonymous No.15567207]

>>15567070
>didn't factor in butter
>thinks he can both cook and sell a sandwich every 30 seconds

fuck your math math is easy lrn2 critical thinking

[Anonymous No.15567215]

>>15567005
It's photoshopped brainlet

[Anonymous No.15567221]

>>15567008
Can confirm. Sold smokes, tea and water at the shows.

[Anonymous No.15567233]

>>15567207
>he uses butter to grill his cheese
ngmi

[Anonymous No.15567234]

>>15567206
Also the Thai government helps offset the cost if you open a restaurant in other countries. They view it as spreading Thai culture through "culinary diplomacy". That's why there's a Thai restaurants everywhere all of a sudden.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/paxadz/the-surprising-reason-that-there-are-so-many-thai-restaurants-in-america

[Anonymous No.15567236]

A grilled cheese sandwich isnt complete without a slice of ham in my opinion

[Anonymous No.15567240]

>>15567233
Ahem

[Anonymous No.15567486]

>>15567215
sorry I didn't know I'm new around here and a little gay actually

[Anonymous No.15567510]

>>15566962
I want
Uhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Anonymous No.15567518]

>>15567180
But I want extra extra chicken liver

[Anonymous No.15567551]

>>15567070
>didn't calculate cost for cooking oil
>didn't calculate for the cost of fuel or electricity for running the grill
>didn't calculate the time necessary for cleanup and prep
>didn't calculate for other materials like packaging and cleaners
>let alone how much it costs to maintain and fuel the truck
Do you not realize that more goes into a plate of food than the potato you can see with your eyes? plebeian non cooks get off my board

[Anonymous No.15567560]

>>15567103
That's one sandwich a minute.

[Anonymous No.15567568]

>>15567551
You. Stupid. FUCKING. DISH PIGGLET.
Read my fucking comment again.
Cooks are fucking retarded, and you're not smart enough to be a chef.

[Anonymous No.15567617]

>>15567236
Then it would cease to be a grilled cheese and instead become a hot ham & cheese.

[Anonymous No.15567660]

>>15567070
people arent gonna constantly line up every minute like in flash games you idiot

[Anonymous No.15567673]

>>15567660
during lunch rush in a high traffic spot they will
>t. worked register for a buddy in his truck

[Anonymous No.15567717]

>>15567070
>>a loaf of bread is about $2.50 and you get 22 slices
Walmart brand has same store brand budget loafs for 88 cents.

[Anonymous No.15567726]

every time americans talk about grilled cheese i think of this
t. not even czech, just another slav

[Anonymous No.15567743]

>>15567726
>not even czech
whoa no one cares, boris

[Anonymous No.15567890]

>>15567233
stop trying to push this, it's fucking nasty.

[Anonymous No.15568054]

>>15566962
based

[Anonymous No.15568153]

>>15567070>>15567070
cart, no fridge or electricity
white bread, american cheese and ghee (no fridgeration) and propane skillet

[Anonymous No.15568194]

>>15567070
This has to be bait.
Business expenses are death by a thousand cuts.

[Anonymous No.15568273]

>>15567070
>25c per slice of cheese
108 count 3lb pack is around $12 here, or half that price.
Bread is similarly half the price, around $1 for a 20 slice loaf.

You guys need to move to the midwest, I guess.

OP, there is money to be made doing grilled cheeses, but you probably want to triple your sales by having tomato soup on tap and bottled drinks for sale.

Selling a 12 cent bottle of water for a dollar is way more profit than the cheese sandwich, but people are unlikely to buy just a bottle of water - but $4 for a cheese sandwich, a styrofoam coffee cup of canned soup, and a bottle of water will have a lot of people ponying up the cash and dropping that extra dollar in your tip jar.

[Anonymous No.15568322]

>>15567070
$2.50 for a loaf of bread!? WTF Americans?!

[Anonymous No.15568354]

>>15567726
A friend set my kitchen on fire making these

[Anonymous No.15568378]

>>15567088
>unrealistic
Somebody has n experience with vending events

[Anonymous No.15568398]

>>15568273
this anon has the right idea

drinks are where you make your money

[Anonymous No.15568402]

>>15568273
>money is ripping people off with $4 canned soda from costco along with your .25 (costs) grill cheese

>>15567070
govt cheese
>$125.95 - 30 lbs, 40 slices/lb = 1200 slices or 0.105 ea
https://www.foodservicedirect.com/land-o-lakes-american-extra-melt-yellow-process-cheese-loaf-5-pound-6-per-case-186622.html

might be able to get loaves from bakery outlet ~ $2 each, maybe even cheaper if closer to expiration (<$1 and freeze)

[Anonymous No.15568458]

>>15567726
that's fried cheese

[Anonymous No.15568472]

Make your own bread, wala

[Anonymous No.15568485]

>>15568378
a vending machine can't even toss a sandwich out in a whole minute

[Anonymous No.15568499]

>>15568485
>he thinks a vending event is a vending machine

[Anonymous No.15568502]

>>15568499
i can't read (but i'm straight)

[Anonymous No.15568508]

>>15567070
>>a loaf of bread is about $2.50

Stopped reading here. Literal child thinks that vendors pay the same price for food inventory in bulk as he does when mommies takes him to Walmart.

[Anonymous No.15568514]

>>15567180
tell me about the sauce

[Anonymous No.15568560]

>>15568514
It's like a garlic ginger soy sauce. It's so fucking tasty. You can get it on Amazon or at Whole Foods.

[Anonymous No.15568590]

>>15567180
>>15568560
oh wow, i forgot i went here like in 2019

[Anonymous No.15568608]

>>15568590
When I worked downtown I used to eat there like 3 - 4 times a week. I believe the original cart is gone now. That whole block got bought and turned into a hotel or something.

[Anonymous No.15568624]

>>15567070
>a loaf of bread is about $2.50
Out of your fucking mind: That's only if you get the artisan crap.

[Anonymous No.15568647]

Any person that willingly spends money on a grilled cheese is an absolute fool. It is literally the easiest food to make and unless you're buying one for your two year old child there is no reason you should ever spend more than $5 on a bread and cheese sandwich. If you can't make this sandwich yourself you are a failure.

[Anonymous No.15568834]

>>15567070
Your analysis is admirable but we can improve on it.

At my local (major city) Restaurant Depot they sell five pounds blocks of cheese packaged as 160 slices for $7.95, $0.049 per slice. The cheapest I could find bread for was also at the Restaurant Depot, they sell it in packages of 10 28 slice loaves (280 slices) and when you but the ten loaf packages at a quantity of four or more they charge $31.64, this equates to $0.113 per slice. When bought in bulk your new material cost is $.221 per sandwich.

So lets actually get into the overhead of recurring costs.
In my state (which yes is applicable in specific because its where you're buying the materials at this specific cost) the minimum wage is $10.10.
You need to drive your thing around, a 2021 honda civic (most "generic" model I could think of) gets 32 MPG city, because we're hauling lets add and round 10% and say we're getting 35 MPG. lets assume you drive around 25 miles everyday, AAA says gas is currently $2.419 as a national average, this means everyday you're spending $3.3866 on gas.
Looking at just a basic propane griddle you'll probably be using 1.5 pounds of propane per hour, with lowes (home depot can piss on my balls) selling 15 gallon propane refills for $19.97 you're going to spend $1.997 on gas for cooking per hour.

I do have basic knowledge of Baltimore food certification but lets leave that out for simplicity right now. So where we're at now is on top of $3.39 per day, we're spending $12.097 per hour. So at a profit of $0.887 per sandwich we could use slope intercept to compare these two rates but lets just say that for the first hour of the day you'd have to sell 17.46 sandwiches per hour and every following hour you'd break even at 13.67 sandwiches per hour. This is not taking into account the cost of a commissary and running water (which are both required in many places) and assuming you're running as a sole proprietorship you're still paying taxes on the profits. Just don't do it.

[Anonymous No.15568894]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSAWRdvVCgc

[Anonymous No.15568925]

i can defecate on about 4 sandwiches per minute for maybe 3 consecutive minutes, how much would i make selling those? assume 10 customers a minute because that's reasonable.

[Anonymous No.15569436]

>>15568402
>$4 canned soda
Not quite what I said or implied.
$1-$0.12=$0.88 on the water
$1-$0.25=$0.75 on the cheese griller

I haven't done the exact math, but I figure you can get a 12 case of tomato soup cans for around $40, which would yield pint servings for around $0.57, so $2 a big cup is a reasonable price.

... and the tips are pure profit, so make sure your common order total comes out to $3 or $4, so people can foolishly donate to your poodle's collage fund with their change from a $5.

[Anonymous No.15570056]

>>15568472
That costs a lot more in dollars than buying it wholesale... and then there's the time.

[Anonymous No.15570069]

>>15568834
And the 100 to 500 a week to Guido and the boys so that your cart doesn't accidentally catch fire when you need to close for 5 minutes to have a shit.

[Anonymous No.15570121]

>>15567169
Free sandwiches for police

[Anonymous No.15570176]

>>15570121
No.

[Anonymous No.15570204]

>>15567088
Fucking retard. Anon said it was at a festival. Ever see concession lines at a festival/fair/event? No? Oh yea, you have no friends or family that cares, haven't left mom's basement in decades.

[Anonymous No.15570214]

>>15566962
don't drinks have a gigantic profit margin? seems stupid to not just stock a couple dozen soda cans in there

[Anonymous No.15570215]

>>15566962
I dunno but I'd glady pay a buck for a grilled cheese even if the truck has douchey wording all over it.

[Anonymous No.15570300]

>>15567070
Where the fuck does bread cost 2.50 a loaf?

[Anonymous No.15570736]

I was hoping to do something similar to this on campus, but with egg sandwiches like Surly King.

I'd try to get a local deal with some of the farmer's markets(KY) and have about 100 eggs ready for any given day. I'd do omelettes until I could figure out a way to bring sandwiches into the fold, just have a couple of propane tanks and a griddle top with a cart I can roll around campus.
I'd do onion, pepper, mushroom, spinach, and maybe 3 different cheeses - blocks/shredder.

Have a little condiment bottle of oil, just clean up with some rags. I could only operate between certain hours but since I'm graduating soon it's just an old dream. Maybe I could even do a JUST egg vegan option. Egg white options. Paper forks and plates.

[Anonymous No.15570754]

>>15566962
You're not willing to put a single slice of tomato on there? I DEMAND TO SEE THE MANAGER!

[Anonymous No.15570756]

>>15566962
Ok, I read your boomer bullshit... but really, can you put some bacon on it?

[Anonymous No.15570777]

>>15566962
holy cringe

[Anonymous No.15570841]

>>15570756
No.

[Anonymous No.15570894]

>>15568153
>american cheese
>no refrigeration
Good luck with that. When they come in large commercial quantities they're separated, but not like kraft. You get humidity on them and you end up with some ugly discolored blobs stuck together.
>ghee
There goes all your budget.

[Anonymous No.15570908]

>>15566962
I'm going to be honest. If I were walking down the street and I saw this thing parked and handing out food, I'd go up and buy a grilled cheese for a buck. I like a business owner with convictions. I also like no frills food and uncomplicated exchanges of goods and services. Pretty much everything about this appeals to me.

[Anonymous No.15570909]

>>15570894
>There goes all your budget.
Seriously, just get some butter-flavored oil like everyone else uses.

[Anonymous No.15570999]

>>15570909
>tfw you work an open station and switch to butter, then regulars ask you switch back to Butter-It
Not going to lie, it tasted rich as fuck. I can understand why people would like to have a lingering butter flavor on breakfast items.

[Anonymous No.15571208]

>>15566962
uhhhh, can I get a slice of tomato and some lettuce please? If not I'm just gonna go to Sonic

[Anonymous No.15571214]

>>15571208
Fuck off to Sonic then. Nobody cares.

[Anonymous No.15571222]

Why bother with a food truck why not just have a makeshift stand you can quickly set up

[Anonymous No.15571224]

>>15567890
have you even tried it? you put mayo on the bread and butter on the pan. it's not like you slather the bread in mayo. the mayo makes it come out extra crispy without having to brown too much.

[Anonymous No.15571228]

>>15570300
I buy sara lee whole grain white and eve it isn't $2.50 a loaf where I live

[Anonymous No.15571232]

>>15570894
Whats the cheapest cheese you can possibly get?
cheapest cheese possible+cheepest bread possible + cheapest mayo possible

[Anonymous No.15571235]

>>15567070
retard

[Anonymous No.15571238]

>>15566962
uhhhh, do you sell chili?

[Anonymous No.15571248]

>>15571232
You're going to need refrigeration once you open that mayo fella. I mean, according to any health code.

[Anonymous No.15571607]

>>15570214
>drinks have a gigantic profit margin?
Absurd margin. Depends on price, of course.
I had no problem making money vending soda at 50 cents a can 12 years ago.

[Anonymous No.15571613]

i saw a dude running one of these out of his driveway yesterday. brilliant or not brilliant?

[Anonymous No.15571640]

>>15571222
You can set up a truck, trailer, or cart faster on site.
You've already done 90% of the setup in advance.
Position, maybe level, go.
No need to set up the tent/ez-up, then the power, the work table, the reefer, the cooking gear, the sink (health inspectors are fussy about sinks)... each step may only take 5 minutes, but if it's just you, that's 25 extra minutes of not selling as the crowd buys from a guy in a trailer.

[Anonymous No.15572043]

>>15571613
I wish zoning laws were less restrictive. In an ideal world it could function like in Japan, and you'd have some interesting mixed use. The U.S. has all sorts issues that would probably render that infeasible, also NIMBY types wouldn't have it.

[Anonymous No.15573457]

WAOW!!!! THEY USE SWEARS!!!!!!!

[Anonymous No.15573941]

>>15573457
I've been trying to limit my use of the word nigger. They make it very difficult sometimes.

>>15567726
That looks good

[Anonymous No.15574011]

>>15567890
WEEEEEOOOOOOWEEEEEEOOOOOO
RETARD ALERT
RETARD ALERT
WEEEEEOOOOOOWEEEEEEOOOOOO

[Anonymous No.15574111]

>>15570894
>>15571248
water cooler + ice, and regular butter/mayo whatever is cheaper

[Anonymous No.15574145]

>>15572043
shit is comfy as hell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8KtM2y6kfM

[Anonymous No.15574152]

>>15571640
isn't there way more upkeep and licensing costs? a cart can also be setup where trucks cannot - trucks have specific zones too (maybe besides tacotrucks)

[Anonymous No.15574183]

>>15566962
But why would you do that? Selling soda cans and water bottles is easily profitable, you could easily include more types of grilled cheeses for more money, and selling bowls of tomato soup for high-margin on the side would be a great way to make extra profits.

Seems to me like the shittiest implementation of a grilled cheese food truck imaginable. Relies only on grilled cheeses, which if they’re good, aren’t high enough margin to be worth it for 1$. Sure you could use shit bread and shit cheese, who the fuck is gonna buy it? Unless this is an undercover operation for selling drugs/selling liquor to minors, i don’t see how this could ever be worthwhile.

[Anonymous No.15574201]

>>15574145
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8KtM2y6kfM

Crowded like a lot of east asian countries, but clean and functional.

I found this article about zoning in Japan, but there's a paragraph of full-on lefty cognitive dissonance. https://marketurbanism.com/2019/03/19/why-is-japanese-zoning-more-liberal-than-us-zoning/

[Anonymous No.15574551]

>>15567560
Anon, you can make multiple sandwiches at once.

[Anonymous No.15574581]

>>15567114
Portland makes no sense to me. How are the descendants of people with the balls to undergo the Oregon trail in a state that outlawed negros such complete cuckolds now? What the fuck happened?

[Anonymous No.15574865]

>>15567114
>OR

[Larper No.15574989]

>>15567034
cause your a fucking loser

t. been on tour longer than you've been alive

also,

john mayer a shit

[Anonymous No.15575029]

>>15574152
There is usually a vendor permit.
You're (probably) not getting around that by setting up on a plastic card table under an umbrella.

Most everyone around here is in a trailer. They're allowed to bring their trailer in to their licensed area, disconnect the tow car, drive the tow car off to a legal spot, and then begin their operation. End of day, clean and pack up trailer, bring car back, hook up, go away.

Trailers are minimal maintenance.

Trucks have an advantage where you're moving 3+ times a day. Say going from one factory to another to hit a few early lunch breaks, then setting up at a park to catch the office building lunch crowd, then another place to feed the soccermoms.

Carts are basically tiny trailers you can't tow. Upside, you can push them. Downside, you have to push them.
Great if you don't have a tow car, but you're probably not going too far from anywhere you could set up a trailer. Maybe slightly more flexible; smaller, so you don't get fined for blocking a sidewalk/street.
Smaller, so you run out of inventory earlier/carry less variety.

It's all a tradeoff.

[Anonymous No.15575035]

>>15574581

Californians

[Anonymous No.15575064]

>>15567114
Thanks anon I'll remember to literally never fucking go to Oregon

[Anonymous No.15575071]

>>15570894
You could make your own clarified butter and if your such a sissy get a cooler and bags of ice to keep the cheese cool.
Checkmate loser stay mad and stay poor

[Anonymous No.15575076]

>>15574581
>>15575035
That and leftists
its a mental illness