selling food out on the water

[DayCruiser]

Re: selling food out on the water

Ya I would think a Ice Cream boat would be a winner. With either, you need need permits and health dept approval. Maybe a business license. You need to find all that out. Just don't ASSume anything.

 

[seaboo]

Re: selling food out on the water

Ya I would think a Ice Cream boat would be a winner. With either, you need need permits and health dept approval. Maybe a business license. You need to find all that out. Just don't ASSume anything.

I read `an article in a North Carolina boating Mag. about a guy selling icecream off a pontoon. He wasn't tring (at first) to make any money, but rather pay for his fuel while out on the water enjoying life). Short story a couple years later he graduated to a bigger boat, comerical coolers, large generator, and a grill (for Hot dogs and burgers). He did have to get inspected by the health department when he "graduated from ice cream, chips, and drinks. He wasn't making a killing, but was making good money. Depending on the lake, and state requirements it can be doable.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: selling food out on the water

what is the difference in a catering truck and a catering boat?

more bikini clad customers!

My Red Neck dream is to open a floating Topless Bar that sells BBQ!

 

[seaboo]

Re: selling food out on the water

what is the difference in a catering truck and a catering boat?

more bikini clad customers!

My Red Neck dream is to open a floating Topless Bar that sells BBQ!

Add Chicken wings and you shall become a God among men!!!!

 

[dwco5051]

Re: selling food out on the water

Sounds like a great idea but as was mentioned by the other posters a lot of details to be worked out regarding licenses, permits, and insurance. The county health department would more than likely have to issue the food license since you are not going to be doing it in an incorporated city. Question would be which county since the river is the dividing line between two counties Maybe you could work out a deal with one of the marinas to be their agent and piggyback on their license and insurance.

 

[silveraire]

Re: selling food out on the water

WOW, ty for all the replies. I have been making alot of phone calls and getting some info, and alot of peeple passing me on to another person/gov org. To touch on a few questions, the only place that serves any kind of food on or near the lake is a kayak rental place that also serves ice cream. Def. wouldn't be steping on any toes.

Lancaster county line is all the way on the york side of the river, so its their them I have to deal with.

the idea, or joke of an idea of a food cart on a toon is actually one of the best ideas so far. Also the easiest to get permits/licence/insurance. Not shure thats the route that I would wan't to go, but I will keep it in the back of my mind.

I used to be ****'s neibor, the owner of long level marina. I think I need to put in a call to him. He used to have a lady that ran a food stand off of the marina property many years ago. He may be a very helpful person to know. Don't know why I didn't think of it earlier.

All in all, I have made a little headway. It kinda makes me chuckle at some of the dumbfounded looks I get when I ask this question. Or just silence on the phone for a bit. Like its a new concept. Nobody seems to know how to address this.

I guess it comes down to this, we spend our weekends out on the water all summer. We like to smoke and grill food, and if I can make a buck on it while I get to hang out on the water, then so be it. I'm not shure I wan't to jump through hoops and go crazy just yet. This seems like a very simple idea that I forsee the gov. making complicated.

I will keep diging and updating you guys, keep the good ideas coming.

chad

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: selling food out on the water

"This seems like a very simple idea that I forsee the gov. making complicated."

This seems to be the primary function of government these days. Look at all the frustrated posts about titling.

 

[hostage]

Re: selling food out on the water

I live in Rochester, NY and I use to run a small business. First of all as a former business owner, don't do it for money. I want to write a book, why not to start a business.

Anyway we did some minor concessions. Prepackage food w/o preperation requires no certificates from the heatlh department. As some other suggested you will have to get insurance, usually $1 mil for liability. The cost will vary. Also the suggested to become a LCC or a corporation will prevent you from being found liable. If I remember correct PA has no sells tax so you don't have to worry that.

When I started my business at first we had prepackaged snacks, drinks, and candy. None of that required anything from the health department as they were already inspected when we got them. So selling a snickers bars, icecream, soda/pop, and hotpockets were okay for us. Customers would use a microwave.

A couple years after I started my business, we moved to low risk prepared foods. We required to have someone who worked for us to get a L2 SafeServe certificate. This allowed the employee to make sure everything was done correct and safely. Cost about $100 if I remember correctly. We were limited in what we could do. We couldn't do major cooking. But we made cookies, had a fountain machine, made pretzels, popcorn, and other concession stuff (all semi-prepared). No raw meats, I don't recall if we were allowed to do hotdogs or not.

To do more complicated stuff we would have to get a L1.

Starting a business is not an easy thing. If you decide to do it, do it for a couple years tops then sell it!

-Hostage

Edit: Forgot to mention we had a concession place that sold all the stuff we bought, it was higher quality foods, etc.

 

[rbh]

Re: selling food out on the water

I believe as has been said raw meat's are going to be an issue.

Veggies????

For that matter hot dogs and premade patty's seem to be what we see on the vending carts, as long as you have a fridge/cooler, nothing precooked sitting around going bad.

 

[LazyCruiser]

Re: selling food out on the water

My opinion is to do it small, and unofficially.

 

[silveraire]

Re: selling food out on the water

hmmm....

So to start out, sell prepackaged candy, drinks, snacks, etc. Then have a donation jar "wink, wink" and sell the stuff we are cooking?? You know, the stuff we were giving away in the past.

chad

 

[sasto]

Re: selling food out on the water

Sell them the plate and give them the food for free!

 

[Dick Sorensen]

Re: selling food out on the water

First of all you can do anything you want in America as long as you don't get caught...that said one of my fundamental rules is "I'd rather as for forgiveness than for permission!"

That said I'm in the food business and operate a banquet, catering facility along with a Golf Course and we host mobile carts out of our warehouse. Here in Columbus OH you would need a 'mobile cart' license....basically means a way to cook food (dogs, burgers, brats, etc.)....a steam table on the cart to keep the cooked meat at temperature and then a 3 compartment hand sink (useless because each compartment on a cart is about 3 inches by 3 inches...) Cooling is by ice chests. There is also a fire inspection...looking at propane and to insure you have a fire extingusher....you're in business. NOW, beer/spirits is an entirely different matter....my advice is....get a good booze attorney (my guy has saved/made me tons over the years.) and follow his advice....

If you've got the traffic.....go for it! I know a family in Chicago that started out of an old (as in crappy) converted house trailer selling hot dogs and now they have 19 restaurants!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: selling food out on the water

start by pricing commercial insurance for the boat. I bet that will be the end of it.

 

[GaryO]

Re: selling food out on the water

There's a guy north of Elkhorn, WI. on Hwy 12 that runs a hotdog stand in a roadside trailer, Lefty's Chicago Style Hot Dogs. Been there for years. I've heard that he now has a pontoon boat out on Lauderdale lake and really making a killing out there on the water. There is a weekly water ski team that performs and he ends up with boats tied up to him and selling like crazy. I had thought about doing the same thing a year ago on Koshkonong after I saw a unit for sale on craigslist.

I'd say go for it!

 

[hostage]

Re: selling food out on the water

I believe as has been said raw meat's are going to be an issue.

Veggies????

For that matter hot dogs and premade patty's seem to be what we see on the vending carts, as long as you have a fridge/cooler, nothing precooked sitting around going bad.

Veggies are also an issue with preparation, we weren't allowed to work with veggies with the L2 Safeserve. Though processed veggies like Pickles I think are okay. High salinity and Acid levels kill a lot of things.

Also keep in mind you might need some floating docks. There is a place that sells food and drinks on the shore with a dock, the problem is the dock is always taken.

Another possibility is you could always have a small restaurant on shore and have your pontoon sell prepackaged snacks and drinks. When someone wanted a hamburger, they could order it and you could shuttle it to the pontoon. Look delivery on a busy day you could have the shuttle bring the burgers in anticipation, you could also have a headed thing like McDonalds has. Though you might have to toss some things after x amount of time. I think coffee and donuts would go well in the morning for fishermen.

You also would have a captive audience so you could charge higher prices like a theater. Bait, tackle, life jackets, swim toys, ropes, and other very generic items could be an additional selling point.

Another idea, buy a couple of jetski's for cheap attach something to it to hold items and you can then shuttle food and drinks between the pontoon and the other boat, would be much quicker than having some novice try to dock to get food. You could even look at the jetskiiers as waiters, the other boats as tables and your pontoon as a kitchen.

-Hostage

 

[GaryO]

Re: selling food out on the water

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2008/07/floating_food_couples_serve_up.html

 

[GaryO]

Re: selling food out on the water

Okay, just one more.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rascalsriverdogs/3738693867/in/photostream/

 

[Bruser]

Re: selling food out on the water

On Lake Macatawa in Ottawa County Michigan 2 guys have started the same business. My wife and I have stopped and bought hotdogs from them. They started with a pontoon and picked up a stainless steel food prep table from an auction. They have a portable generator to power the fridge and cashregister. The steem table and hot water are powered by propane. Had to have it inspected by the health department but once on the water they have done very well. gourmet hotdogs, ice cream bars and cold drinks, chips etc.

There is usually a line waiting to raft up with them on the weekends.

Good Luck...

 

[rbh]

Re: selling food out on the water

How about something like this!

http://shuswapsharkshack.ca/