Here's how to start a Fast Food & Snacks Business in Easy Steps

How to Start Fast Food Business in India?

Fast food is a type of food that is mass-produced and is delivered quickly to customers. It usually consists of pre-cooked meals kept ready for a customer’s arrival. Other ingredients, such as frozen cooked meat, boiled and sliced vegetables, etc., are also semi-prepared. The chefs prepare the dish in a jiffy as soon as the orders come in, serve it for dine-in customers, and pack for take-aways. Fast food outlets provide a quick service and may have a seating area.

A fast food center, also known as a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), is a specific type of small restaurant that serves fast food and has less table service. The process involves bulk cooking in advance, and the menu is limited. The food is kept finished and hot, involves just a bit of last minute prepping up and ready to serve to a customer in a packaged form.

The Indian fast food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18% by 2020 propelled by an increasingly affluent young population and changing consumer behaviour. It was predicted to reach US$ 27.57 billion by 2020, and only about 10% of the market is organised. It is mostly an urban phenomenon, loved by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians due to the delectable range of food options available.

You can start your fast food restaurant by becoming a franchisee of a bigger chain that will provide partially prepared food and supplies or standardised ingredients. The franchise operation has controlled the supply chains.

You can choose between a fast-casual restaurant or a food truck. A fast-casual restaurant will have limited table service. But a fast-food truck will park outside offices and can be a hit with the office staff.

A fast-food outlet can have the following items on its menu: Burgers, French fries, Fried Chicken or Fish, pizzas, ice cream, etc. Fast food is served in a bag or a plastic wrapping with an identifiable brand logo.

An aspiring fast food restaurateur can take the following steps to open a fast food center in India:

Step-1: Market Analysis

First of all, study the market and the customer’s tastes in the area where you would like to serve. Your fast- food centre should be different from existing chains. Try to offer a variety that will be different from the competition, and also attract customers.

Study your target consumers, and choose the right niche so that you can offer food and services to their liking. You can be the franchise of a well-known food brand, and look for suitable suppliers. Choose the food that you are most comfortable with; it can be burgers, pizzas, momos, or Chinese.

Step-2: Make a business plan

A business plan is necessary to keep a check on work as it progresses. It will also help you to get loans from banks, or funds from investors.

Step-3: Look for space

To get customers you should locate your fast food centre in a crowded place like a market. The place should have proper electricity, gas, and water connection. Grocery supplies must be available nearby. The proposed kitchen area should have proper ventilation to release the exhaust smoke.

Step-4: Get the business registered

You have to get your shop registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). They will give you a license to operate in a particular state, and it will be valid for 12 months.

Step-5: Finance

You have to arrange for funds for the following:

• Rent
• Raw materials and condiments
• Advertising
• Insurance
• Marketing

If you don’t have the required funds, you can raise the money from banks or financial institutions.

Step-6: Design the outlet

After renting a place for your food outlet, you have to design it properly. It should be kid-friendly because fast food joints are popular hangout places for families. You can add child-friendly menu combos and play areas. A popular idea is to gift toys to the kids along with their meals.

Cutleries, tables, and chairs, the music that you want to play in the background-all are important, along with the food that you will serve.

Also Read: Best Chips Brands in India

Step-7: Franchise option

You can take a franchise of a famous fast food chain, and you will get permission to use the parent company’s logo and name. You have to pay an initial fixed fee and a percentage of monthly sales. The benefit that you will get from this is brand image, consistency, and uniformity in products and services.

You have to follow the instructions of the original party, like designing the interior of the outlet in their chosen way.

Step-8: Hire Wisely

One of the most significant aspects is to hire experienced staff like accountants, chefs, cleaners, managers, and waiters for the smooth running of your business. Ideally, your employees should have worked in the food service industry before.

Happy employees contribute to a profitable business. You can try out giving bonuses to new hires, and also provide them with proper training.

Step-9: Incorporate healthy foods

Apart from the usual fast food, it is a good idea to add healthy alternatives to the menu like fresh fruits, salads, white and grilled meat, etc. This is to appeal to the health-conscious consumer.

Step-10: Marketing

It is a good idea to channelize the marketing efforts of your fast food center towards the children and teenagers. You can use kid-friendly mascots, vibrant colours, and playgrounds to draw children towards your items.

Step-11: Technology

To ensure accuracy and enable quick service, you have to incorporate hospitality point of sale systems. The kitchen crew can view orders placed at the front counter through this. Modern point of sales systems uses a variety of computer programs.

A snack is a small serving of food and is not considered a main meal by itself. It helps to satiate hunger pangs in between meals. Home-made or packaged and processed, snacks require common ingredients and little prep time. Snacks are usually portable, quick, and fulfilling and processed snacks are less perishable than prepared ones.

Try to open a snacks centre near a crowded place, like an airport or a bus terminus. Here, you will come across a lot of hungry people looking for something quick to eat. Your snack centre can be simple or elaborate, offering a varied fare like chips, popcorn, or sandwiches.

Apart from the fare you should offer your customers a clean and friendly atmosphere. If you want to open a food business, but don’t want the pressures of a restaurant or a fast food chain, then the snacks business is just right for you.

Below are some tips on how to open a snacks centre:

Step-1: Prepare a business plan

Write a business plan where you put in all your ideas. It will illustrate your goals, financial expectations, projected income and expenses, target demographic, and marketing plan. You can present the business plan to the owner of the place that you intend to rent and discuss all legal matters, like insurance.

Step-2: Get a unique business name

The name of your snacks centre should relate to what you are selling and the customers you are aiming to serve.

Step-3: Location

Consider heavily traveled places such as a beach, a bus, or a train station, business areas, parks, etc. You might have to visit several locations before taking a final call. Compare rental spaces by talking to various owners.

Step-4: Determine the product

Snack centres do not cook on-site. Options include baked goods, premade sandwiches, candy, or chips. Install a microwave to heat the food before serving it to the customers. Contact local bakeries or food wholesalers to purchase your ingredients.

Step-5: Healthy snacks

Nowadays, more and more people are practicing healthy eating and avoiding fried food or food with high sugar content. Stock snacks that are high in fibre and protein; this is sure to appeal to the health-conscious buyer.

Step-6: Make water available

After eating snacks, people tend to get thirsty. So, it will be a good business idea to make available water and cold drinks, alongside your regular food.

Step-7: Equipment

Buy equipment for your snack centre like a microwave, display cases, refrigerator, utensils, cash register, coffee maker, cold drink case, etc.-everything that you need to get your business running.

Many of the points to start a fast food or a snacks outlet overlap - so we have not repeated the common factors.

Final Words

Starting a food business is a great idea because no one can live without food. We hope that the above article will inspire you to open a profitable fast food or snacks center business and provide a quality snacking experience to customers.

Also read:

1) Serving Meals on the Wheels - How to Open a Food Truck in 10 easy steps?
2) OkShop- India's Online Digital Dukan!
3) What type of permissions are required before starting any business?
4) Namkeen Manufacturers in India
5) Best Pasta Brands in India
6) OkStaff: Your one-stop solution for Staff & Attendance management

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