Yes, it is possible to earn thousands of dollars in a matter of days with an investment as low as $500. No, this is not a get rich quick scheme. If you've seen hordes of hungry people standing in line at food booths at the fair common sense tells you operating a food booth is a viable way to make money. You've seen with your own eyes the small investment, low overhead costs, high mark up, and the high volume of sales. What you can't see is how these businesses came to be. Now you can!

If you are serious about investigating the opportunities of the food concession business
and want to learn everything you can before you start, this book is for you.

Ask Yourself:

• Are you concerned about the size of your retirement nest egg?
• Do you need to supplement your fixed income?
• Do you need quick cash for home repairs, a vacation, a new car, or a down payment on a house?
• Are you struggling with inadequate income?
• Do your teenagers need to earn college tuition?
• Are you tired of scraping by as an employee and wish to become self-employed?
• Do you want to start your own business but are afraid of the financial commitment, or have inadequate start-up capital?
• Or, do you want to start your own business but are concerned about your lack of business experience?
• Are you seasonally employed and wish to use your spare time to supplement your income?
• Are you a free spirit and want to be responsible for your own income?
• Do you need an excuse to travel? Or, want to earn money while you travel?
• Do you simply want the tax advantages of being self-employed?
• Or perhaps you're a student needing a job that won't interfere with your class schedule.
  

A stick joint and manufactured trailer

These are just some of the reasons the food concession business might be the solution you have been looking for.

• how you can sell food at events without spending any money on a booth or equipment.
• why some vendors make a fortune while others don't.
  
• the 8 core things you should know to determine an event's profitability before you sign up.
  
• how to profit from the mistakes other vendors make.
• 5 ways to determine if your menu will be a winner.
• the key secrets vendors know to successfully compete on the midway.
  

What can the food concession business offer you?

• High profit potential with a relatively small investment.
• Your time investment is half of that of a regular job.
• The tax benefits of being self-employed.
• An ability to be more financially flexible than you otherwise can be with the same amount of money earned over a longer period of time.
• This is a cash business.
• It empowers the concession operator with absolute control over nearly all aspects of your business.
• The rare opportunity to customize your business to the level of involvement and earnings that's best for you.

Yes, there is unlimited income potential. Or, if you want, keep it small and simple. With a food concession business you are in control.

"I've been studying this business for about a year and thought I knew alot...until I got your book. WELL DONE.
I would make it mandatory reading for anyone interested in the food booth business". JC Troy, Atlanta GA

Whether your goal is:

A Small Operation..
to supplement your income at small events
such as parades and auctions

            A custom-built trailer

     A stick joint

A Medium Operation..
earning a moderate income at
weekend community festivals

Or,
A Large Operation..
earning a substantial income at large fairs

         A manufactured trailer

The Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to the Food Concession Business
is your blueprint to a lucrative new business.

"Thank you for your book "Food Booth"! We are in the planning and purchasing stage and your book
has already saved me more time and money than I can count". Otis, a Customer

A pop-up tent and stock trailer

• What is required to start your business.
• How to realistically plan for business success.
• How to determine the best booth and menu for you.
• How to acquire the booth and equipment you need.
• Learn why some menus make money and some menus don't.
• How to locate events, determine an event's profitability, and procure event contracts.
• How to determine costs and budget for adequate financial resources.
• How to plan for and initiate booth set-up.
• Learn the yearly, weekly, and daily routine and lifestyle of a concessionaire.
• How to stay competitive on the midway.
• Record keeping.
• Growing your business.
  plus much, much more

If you are seriously interested in the food concession business and want to learn everything you can before you start, this book is for you. Yes, there are other information products out there, but none are this professional and highly detailed in giving you the information you need to succeed. This book provides you with concrete, no-nonsense information about how to start your food concession business from the ground up. Unlike the many “how to” concession products available that are written by people with limited experience and a narrow perspective of the business, the author of Food Booth, The Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to the Food Concession Business, has over twenty years of professional experience in a wide range of concession industry arenas. Please scroll to the end of the listing to read the Table of Contents and Author's bio.

A custom-built trailer

The concession business is not a get rich quick scheme. Like any business venture, understanding through education should be acquired before investing. This book is a rare and important source of information.

The food concession business is unique. It allows you to customize your operation to suit your time and financial resources while you reach your income goal.

For complete information about the concession business please go to: www.foodbooth.net/theconcessionbiz.html

The Bottom Line: You want to operate a food concession business but don't know how.

Finally, The food concession business made clear! Like sitting at the kitchen table with your personal concession consultant, this book will let you in on all the inside secrets.

Sneeze guards and heat lamps on the
service counter of a pole-tent

Retiring soon...How's your nest egg? How adequate is your income? How's the kids' college fund? Tired of working for wages? Need an excuse to take out your RV? Need extra cash for a new car, a vacation, to remodel your home, or even a down payment on a home? A food concession business may be the solution!

A home built push-cart

Thank you for your kind endorsements. We have many of the posted on our web site.

A manufactured carnival floss wagon

• Important things you should know before you buy a concession.
• A detailed analysis of what the business entails and what you can reasonably expect to get out of it.
• Creative ways to examine and define your personal concession goals.
• An in-depth discussion how to estimate the risks and rewards.
• Research your options and develop a distinctive concession business plan.
• Learn how to thoroughly weigh the pros and cons when designing your booth and menu.
• Complete step-by step guidance on locating, analyzing, and getting your toe in the door when scheduling events.
• Secret tips for management and operational procedures.
• Proven inside tricks for outselling the competition.

Two pop-up tents

Table of Contents

Introduction - What's in it for You?
This chapter is a realistic introduction to the concession business. You will learn what it takes to successfully start and run a concession. How much time, and effort is involved. What to expect the business to entail. And, most importantly, what you can reasonably expect to get out of it.

Chapter 1: What Type of Concession is Right for You?
Did you know that there are different types of concession opportunities to choose from? I describe the differences, and list the positive and negative aspects of each one.

Chapter 2: Getting Started Planning Your Business
Brainstorming concession style! How to define your goal, organize your ideas, learn essential considerations, research options, and develop a road map for planning, designing, and implementing your business plan.

Chapter 3: Licensing, Insurance, and Other Red Tape
You will be provided essential information about the various types of licenses, permits, and insurance that are required for a concession business, as well as detailed instructions how to acquire what you need.

Chapter 4: What's to Eat? Planning Your Menu
Planning your menu is the most critical aspect of starting a concession business. You will learn advantages and disadvantages to different menus, identify what determines whether a particular menu will make money, conduct a product cost analysis, as well as logistical considerations to help determine the best menu for you.

Chapter 5: Designing, Buying, or Building Your Booth
Concession trailers, tents, stick joints, pushcarts, manufactured, custom, conversion..the list goes on. Learn detailed information about the different types of food booths, and the advantages, and disadvantages of each. Get tips for acquiring and designing the best booth for you.

Chapter 6: Choosing, Buying and Building Food Service Equipment
Food service equipment are the tools of the trade. Information about various considerations when planning and acquiring equipment and the way it relates to your menu and booth will be described in detail. Also included are tips for designing and building your own equipment, as well as an in depth discussion on signage and lighting.

Chapter 7: On the Road
Food concession vehicles are as diverse as the creative vendors who own them. Vehicles must do everything from transport the business, related supplies and equipment, provide a place to live while you're on the road, and be a gopher. I'll share some ideas with you.

Chapter 8: How much will this Cost? Budgeting for Success
Before you get started you'll learn how to determine seasonal costs, operating costs, budgeting for capital reserves, and how much money it will cost to start a concession business.

Chapter 9: Analyzing and Event's Potential for Profit
Events are your sales venues. This chapter provides comprehensive information about various types of events, and addresses how to determine if an event is likely to be profitable.

Chapter 10: Event Scheduling Know-How
Event scheduling will be demystified in this chapter. You will learn the secret of finding good events, appealing for space, getting your toe in the door, and being awarded a contract.

Chapter 11: Putting it all Together for Your First Event
Before you hit the road you need to finalize every detail of your business including purchasing supplies, and preparations for safe cash handling.

Chapter 12: Your Grand Opening
You have arrived at your first event. Now what? Learn about set-up protocol, health inspections, and hiring a staff.

Chapter 13: Successfully Marketing your Product
This chapter will teach you the secrets of conventional marketing principles-price, quality, and service as they pertain to the concession business. You will also learn about the unique dynamics of competing on the midway. Learn how to manage your business to maximize sales. With this chapter you will learn the yearly, weekly, and daily routine of a typical food concessionaire.

Chapter 14: Record Keeping
This chapter addresses the whys and wherefores of practical record keeping for a concession business. Included are example concession operational forms and worksheets.

Appendix:
A sample cost list, shopping list, and a planning guide to keep you on track. Sample event, and temporary restaurant permit applications. And, a list of industry information resources including event listing guides, concession manufacturers, suppliers, insurance providers, and fair associations

Index

A home built  RV conversion trailer

Meet the Author:

Barb Fitzgerald has over twenty four years of experience in the food concession industry. She has successfully designed and operated fourteen different concession operations and has served a large assortment of menus at hundreds of events in the Northwest. In addition to running her concession business she also designed and operated a successful espresso cafe for Portland Oregon's Tri-Met transit system.

In 1994 Barb was honored to become involved in the administrative and regulatory process by Co-Chairing a position on the Oregon Food Services Advisory Board as representative for the food concession industry. It was that experience that inspired her to found NWVN, Northwest Vendor’s Network, an association of vendors and coordinators for the purpose of improving communication and cooperation among associates in the concession industry.

She also is a long standing member of IAFA, International Association of Fairs and Expositions, and NICA, National Independent Concessionaire Association.

The advise of this busy professional has been sought by many event organizers and she has served as consultant to countless entrepreneurs starting out in the concession business.

Her dedicated entrepreneurship, accumulated experience in concession development, management and marketing, and her passion for the concession business qualifies her as a concession operations authority.

Thanks for looking.

Happy Vending!

This proprietary material is copyrighted by Carnival Press, Barbara Fitzgerald. No part of this ad or contents of the material it represents may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, format, or by any means. Please inform us if any resell activity related to our products is discovered. Any such violation will be prosecuted under local, state and federal jurisdictions.