Street food has been growing in popularity over the past few years. It’s not hard to see why: it gives consumers a chance to try restaurant-quality food from around the world at great prices. From a food-loving entrepreneur’s perspective, a street food business makes for a very attractive prospect.
The upfront costs are much lower than those attached to starting a restaurant, you can take your business from concept to reality in weeks instead of months, and you can pick your business up at any time and move it to where the customers are.
There’s never been a better time to start a street food business — especially if you live in one of the following cities, which we’ve identified as the best in the UK to set up your own mobile catering enterprise. So, read on to find out whether you’re in the perfect place to take advantage of the UK’s ever-growing love of street food.
London
There aren’t many better places in the world to start a street food business than London. As the UK’s foodie capital, Londoners and tourists are always on the lookout for exciting new foods to try. As the country’s richest city, London’s residents also have plenty of disposable income, meaning you can afford to charge enough to see a healthy profit margin.
When you set up a food truck in the capital, you’ll also have plenty of opportunities to tap into its already thriving street food audience through events like KERB markets and Street Feast. While getting in front of potential customer might be your main problem in smaller cities, you’ll have a different issue in London: standing out from the competition.
In their guide to starting your own street food business, Alliance recommends that you research what other vendors in your area are offering before launching your own food truck in a busy metropolitan city. This really rings true in London, where you’ll have to really niche down if you want to compete.
Newcastle
Head 250 miles north of London and you’ll find the UK’s second city of street food, Newcastle. With a thriving student population that has a taste for new cuisines, this is the perfect place to launch a food truck. Popular local events like the annual Christmas market and the Late Shows will give you the perfect opportunity to get in front of the city’s foodies and build up a following.
Edinburgh
Another great location to launch a food truck this year is Edinburgh. This thriving metropolis is a hotbed of innovative start-ups and gourmet food, making it the perfect place to set up as a street food vendor. Not only will you have the city’s student population as your customer base, but you’ll also have plenty of opportunities to increase your appeal by setting up shop at one of Edinburgh’s many weekly markets, which you can find a full list of on Edinburgh.org.
This year, the Scottish capital will also be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the famous Edinburgh Fringe, which attracts tens of thousands of tourists to the city each year. If you manage to grab a spot as a caterer at this iconic festival you can make a serious profit — especially this year when the celebrations are bound to be bigger and better than ever. Take a look at the Edinburgh Fringe’s official guide to landing one of these exclusive stalls to find out how to become an official caterer at this year’s festival.
So, there you have it: the best cities in the UK to start a street food business this year. If you’re thinking about taking the plunge and starting up your own food truck, there’s no better location than these UK foodie capitals.
Further reading on street food
