How to Start a Meals To Go Business

Start a meals to go business by following these 10 steps:

1. Plan your Meals To Go Business
2. Form your Meals To Go Business into a Legal Entity
3. Register your Meals To Go Business for Taxes
4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
5. Set up Accounting for your Meals To Go Business
6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Meals To Go Business
7. Get Meals To Go Business Insurance
8. Define your Meals To Go Business Brand
9. Create your Meals To Go Business Website
10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your meals to go business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

• What will you name your business?
• What are the startup and ongoing costs?
• Who is your target market?
• How much can you charge customers?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Meals To Go Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

• Your state's business records
• Federal and state trademark records
• Social media platforms
• Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening a meals to go business?

It is possible to start a business like this from home as long as you can get the health department to approve the kitchen for operations. However; most businesses in this sector start as a commercial operation. This requires leasing an appropriate space and having the equipment necessary to cook the food. You will also need delivery vehicles if you offer home delivery services.

A typical startup will incur these costs:

• Formation of the Limited Liability Company and Getting a Business Permit – About $1,000 depending on the jurisdiction. You will need to have an inspection by the health department to approve your operations as well.
• Lease Payment and Security Deposit. This amount will depend on the square footage of the facility, with typical rates being $3 to $5 per square foot.
• Equipment Leasing – You will need ovens, stoves, refrigerators, food preparation stands, dishwashers, dishes for serving and utensils. This equipment can easily cost over $100,000 but it can be leased as part of a master equipment lease if you have a decent credit history.

The total budget (some of which can be financed) for opening a new food-to-go place is about $125,000.

What are the ongoing expenses for a meals to go business?

The ongoing expenses include marketing costs, rent, utilities, staff costs, materials, and insurance.

Who is the target market?

The preferred customers are those with disposable income who like good food and do not have the time required to prepare it for their families. They do not want to go to the trouble to visit a restaurant and they find fast-food less than satisfying. They are willing to pay more for the quality of food that is made using better types of ingredients.

How does a meals to go business make money?

Meals-to-go businesses prepare home-cooked food for customers, and sell these meals (often with a delivery service). In any food preparation business, there is a markup on ingredient costs and labor costs with some allowance for waste. For example, if the ingredients for a meal cost $10 and the labor to prepare it costs $4, and then we add in a contribution to overhead and allowance for waste the meal should sell for about $24 to include some profit for the business owner. This is a great price for a quality gourmet meal for two people. Delivery charges are usually factored into the price of the meal. Selling wine to make extra revenues and deserts as an up-sell item, makes the profits go up.

How much can you charge customers?

The successful businesses in this sector spend 32% for the materials, 33% for the labor and about 5% for overhead. Typical prices for two people are in the range of $24 to $28 dollars, depending on the area. Naturally, an operation in New York City will charge more because the cost of overhead is higher than in other parts of the country.

How much profit can a meals to go business make?

Investopedia says the average profit margin for a food and beverage business is 5.5%. If the business is selling about $50,000 per month, the owner can expect to take home profits of 5.5% of that amount or $2,750 per month. You have to sell a lot of food per month to make good profits. This business is low margin/high volume in order to be successful.

How can you make your business more profitable?

This business model lends itself well to offering catering services. Providing food for large groups such as office parties, convention attendees, events, or large private dinner parties is an added revenue stream for these businesses.

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your meals to go business is sued.

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

• Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
• Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

• Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
• Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

Federal Business Licensing Requirements

There are federal regulations regarding what can and cannot be added to, sold as, and processed with food. Attached is a resource from the Food and Drug Administration detailing the process of starting a food business: FDA - How to Start a Food Business

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

State permits and licenses are typically needed to operate a meals to go business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits. In particular, most states require restaurant and meals businesses to obtain a seller’s permit. A seller’s permit allows states to record and collect taxes from goods (and sometimes service) sales.

 

Certificate of Occupancy

Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

• If you plan to lease a location:
• It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
• Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a business involved in food preparation.
• After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued .

• If you plan to purchase or build a location:
• You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
• Review all building codes and zoning requirements for your business’ location to ensure your meals-to-go business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

Is this Business Right For You?

You should really like to cook. You should like to explore the ingredients that go into making a great meal and especially enjoy serving such a meal to others. The state of the art in this business is not based on the fast food model. Instead, in order to be more profitable, it is based on a quality food model that is prepared in advance and is delicious and nutritious.

What happens during a typical day at a meals to go business?

The most successful business owners in this sector take to time to hand-select the best ingredients. They get up early to go to the wholesale markets and pick out the very best things that they can find in order to prepare delicious meals.

One of the greatest challenges in this business is to buy enough materials to make the food that is ordered and at the same time control waste. Since many items are perishable the balancing act is to get enough supplies and sell out the food, without having to throw much of it away. Controlling waste is a big issue because it can be as much as 20% of the raw materials cost.

Another big part of your day is to make sure there is sufficient staff given that your business employs multiple people, and if that is the case, owners must make sure that employees show up on time. Food preparation is very time dependent and being late is not acceptable. There is a tremendous rush to prepare orders at certain times of day and being short-staffed during those periods of heavy daily activity can cause a disaster.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful meals to go business?

The most critical skill is the ability to make food that is very tasty and to keep materials and labor costs under control. Great tasting food that is prepared in such a way that costs too much to make it will drive a food-to-go operation out of business. Being a good chef, understanding cost controls, and knowing how to promote your business effectively are the main things that will make you successful.

What is the growth potential for a meals to go business?

Each meals-to-go operation will serve a local area that has a limit of its geography because the food cannot be taken further away and still remain hot and fresh. Because of this need for localization, it is possible to expand the operations to other nearby areas to grow the business. There are plenty of national franchise chains that started out with a single location and expanded in this way to serve other communities.