Floating Take Away?

[floatsyourboat]

I am looking into the ins and out of having a floating takeaway to serve food and brews on a stretch of canal near our moorings.

Are there any restrictions I need to look into from the CRT point of view?

[Paul C]

If you're selling food from the boat without having customers on board, then you can use a less onerous business/trading licence from CRT. If customers come on board, even if the boat is moored, there's more regulations. I know its nice and sunny now, are you going to make customers wait outside if its raining etc though?

 

Also, most of the takeaways round here deliver; and when we've ordered a takeaway in a mooring in a town, the local ones are quite happy to deliver to the boat. Would/could you offer delivery and if so how (car?)?

[Athy]

You may find it hard to get a licence to sell alcohol, too. Perhaps better to stick to soft drinks.

 

I'm sure most boaters would buy a take-away meal from another boat rather from an in-town chuck-out, providing the quality was comparable or (one hopes) better.

[Guest]

We would certainly patronise a floating takeaway as opposed to a land based one, even one that delivered, but to be viable it's going to have to ply it's trade in a popular part of the system, certainly a busier part then up in the North East.

 

If it was me I would consider very carefully where I was going to operate, near to one of the huge marina's like Mercia may work or the busier parts of the southern bits of the system.

 

You could operate a bit like the coal boats do and have a regular run up and down parts of the system with maybe a simple web site saying where you will be and when.

[system 4-50]

There is no way I would patronise a floating takeaway venture. I don't believe there is enough passing trade (boaters) to sustain such a business and therefore its standards would fall as the pressures build up. If it had a delivery side it would be no better than shore based institutions some of which are good. This is a solution looking for a problem. Sorry.

[Grace and Favour]

I am looking into the ins and out of having a floating takeaway to serve food and brews on a stretch of canal near our moorings.

Are there any restrictions I need to look into from the CRT point of view?

Whilst I doubt if any floating takeaway business could attract sufficient passing trade to make the business viable (unless you were based on a really central, highly populated and expensive mooring) - there are an host of hygiene requirements that will apply to your operation and your premises - - you may find the attatched link useful (linky)

[paulstoke1975]

There's a oatcake boat in stoke that seems to do a lot of trade with the football fans , if you could latch on to something like that and get the passing trade

[Athy]

There's a oatcake boat in Stoke

Try saying that after a few pints.

[RLWP]

Try saying that after a few pints.

 

I prefer Pork Scratchings after a few pints

 

Richard

[floatsyourboat]

There is no way I would patronise a floating takeaway venture. I don't believe there is enough passing trade (boaters) to sustain such a business and therefore its standards would fall as the pressures build up. If it had a delivery side it would be no better than shore based institutions some of which are good. This is a solution looking for a problem. Sorry.

That's a bizarre point of view does your kitchen get dirty because you are skint?

[Phil Ambrose]

That's a bizarre point of view does your kitchen get dirty because you are skint?

The fact of the matter is that when a kitchen is not busy the staff use the time to make the pristine, spotless or at least we did when I was a chef.

Phil

Edited August 3, 2014 by Phil Ambrose

[patty-ann]

The idea has its merits but position would be all important, there is a baguette barge at Stratford and others selling foodstuffs so why not takeaway.

[ditchcrawler]

IMO those boats that sell thing but don't move like the ones in Stratford should be removed from the water as they are taking up good mooring places for what could just as easily be run from a shed. I have no problem with the roving traders moving around the system.

[john6767]

IMO those boats that sell thing but don't move like the ones in Stratford should be removed from the water as they are taking up good mooring places for what could just as easily be run from a shed. I have no problem with the roving traders moving around the system.

The baguette barge is actually boxed in by a foot bridge so not taking up any space you could use! In reality it is as you say just a shop, the boat part in just to appeal to the tourists, and why not. The icecream boat though is taking up mooring space.

[Phil Ambrose]

This thread has just reminded me of a photo my mate has of his aunt buying groceries from a floating, mobile grocers boat which used to service a large community of boat and house boat dwellers at Horning on the Broads (amongst other groups of boaters. The grocers boat now resides in The Museum of the Broads

Also at one time there was a mobile Pizza boat and there still is a ice cream boat.( Saw him on TV a few weeks ago)

Phil

[Guest]

IMO those boats that sell thing but don't move like the ones in Stratford should be removed from the water as they are taking up good mooring places for what could just as easily be run from a shed. I have no problem with the roving traders moving around the system.

If a static boat like the Gongoozlers cafe at Braunston attracts more people to the waterways be it by boat or on foot I don't understand what your problem is.

[ditchcrawler]

The baguette barge is actually boxed in by a foot bridge so not taking up any space you could use! In reality it is as you say just a shop, the boat part in just to appeal to the tourists, and why not. The icecream boat though is taking up mooring space.

Yes, that is where the essential Drop in center use to be. the one that absolutely had to be there for the locals to use and couldn't possibly be anywhere else. I don't know where it is now. and as for the bridge, is that really needed?

If a static boat like the Gongoozlers cafe at Braunston attracts more people to the waterways be it by boat or on foot I don't understand what your problem is.

Do you think it attracts more people and would it attract any less if it was inside the marina? PS they do good grub and I have eaten there more than once.

[Guest]

Do you think it attracts more people and would it attract any less if it was inside the marina? PS they do good grub and I have eaten there more than once.

I think it's fine where it is, bothers nobody.

 

If it was in the marina I wouldn't have stumbled across it the first time I ate there....

[scrumpylurcher]

I don't believe that the Gongoozler would do the same trade if it were in the marina, they attract all groups because of their position. They do a good trade with cyclists, walkers, fishermen and the odd visitor besides the boat related trade. I also believe that their success is obviously based on quality and price but would not happen if they were mobile.

[mark99]

 

I prefer Pork Scratchings after a few pints

 

Richard

 

 

Stick a few pubic hairs on a oatcake and Bobs ya Unkle.

[Daiboy]

Good idea but as has been stated before, you would have to think of a type of business plan as to what you would provide for consumption. Bacon butties, Chinese, Indian, pizza and the list goes on. You would, I presume, be at the mercy of the Environmental Health rules about cleanliness, 2 sinks one for washing hands and one for washing pots etc.. Would you need a traders licence for operation on the canals or rivers?

 

It will need a great deal of thinking, planning and internal alteration to your boat. Fridges and freezers to keep raw meat separate from cooked stuff, cookers and cool cabinets to keep food stable before selling.

 

Best of luck anyway and if it does come to fruition, let us know where you are operating from as I'm sure that we all will patronise your establishment !!

[Hey Ho]

As has been said, having people on board your boat in the course of a business does get more complicated. I think (no expert) that food hygiene legislation is enforced at a local level so I'm not sure how that would work if you were moving around.

 

Having cast my doubts, I do think you might be onto something here. The Gongoozlers Rest has been upheld as an example, and it does seem successful. I don't know whether it actually is, but it was for sale recently at a significant premium over what the boat itself would be worth, which gives an indication. Whether it sold or not, and for what, would give a better indication but I don't know that. In my fat boy's breakfast experience, they weren't cheap but were usually busy, so there might be something in it.

 

If it's anything like burger vans, there might be a hefty premium to pay for the mooring. Might not be though - as I say, no expert. If it was me, I think a mobile service might work really well. Bit like a coal boat as others have said. As a liveaboard, a passing fast food boat every few weeks would be tempting indeed. Your margins might be better too, but you'd probably need to be a couple to make it practical - one cooking whilr the other does the steering.

 

Like any boat based business, I doubt you'll ever get rich. Might just be able to fund your lifestyle choice though. As I've said, I'm not really qualified to give any advice but happy to give encouragement in the hope that you're around with decent food when I'm living aboard.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Hey Ho

[floatsyourboat]

We are thinking about this as where we are there is an industrial estate where it's inconvenient to get across the canal without a good ten minute walk into the town center to get lunch,buttys ect.

So we are thinking at 1st having a lunch time floating burger van that is towed by another boat.

Not too sure what food to serve but proper coffee and lattes seem to be popular along with a kind of tuck shop.

It's just an idea at the moment and certainly not a get rich scheme.

[RLWP]

Make sure it isn't a get poor scheme

 

Remember, a business has to make a profit - including your wages - otherwise it's an unregistered charity

 

I would suggest you phone CRT and have a chat with them. I suspect that the regulations combined with the marginal profits will kill this idea

 

Richard

[Daiboy]

I was moored for 6 months at Langley/Iver until June this year. There was a trading estate (or now called a business park) which had quite a few large companies one of which did the outside broadcast for the BBC. Every lunchtime a van would come a calling, open up the side hatch and people would pour out of the offices and workshops and descend on this van like a plague of locusts. Make sure that your area doesn't have this already.

 

Being facetious, towing a burger VAN behind a boat!!

 

The other thing you should think about is of course your weight distribution on board. These coffee, latte machines are quite heavy.