Catering Vehicle or Gazebo Stall? Find Out Which is Best

The Van

Whether it’s a shining chrome American-style caravan, classic burger van-style unit, or something altogether more unique like a refurbished London Bus, there’s no denying that a van unit is a great way to supply your food from. Adding extra flourishes that really emphasise the type of food you make and sell is a good idea, like painting the unit in the country colours that your food originates, or in ultra-modern and unique designs to help you stand out.

Benefits of a mobile catering van: Everything is in the van, ready to go so that when you arrive at your destination you can simply switch on the electrics and away you go.

Drawbacks of a mobile catering van: A good quality van can set you back anywhere from £10,000 to £50,000 and beyond. This is a huge outlay, especially for a start-up business.

The Pop-Up Gazebo

Now you’re talking. A pop-up gazebo is a vendors’ dream come true. They offer an ideal spot from which to sell your food in pretty much any location you need to be; whether indoors or outdoors, in a muddy field at a festival or in a city centre seasonal market.

Pop-Up catering gazebos can be custom printed with pretty much any level of design that you can imagine, especially with the advanced dye-sublimation process used by Gala Tent. It doesn’t have to be all the way over the top, however. You may prefer a more subtle and simple logo-and-business-name combination that can be achieved using the vinyl printing method. Many mobile caterers will use a plain pop-up gazebo for selling their street food, and simply add branded flags or a PVC banner. The point is, you absolutely NEED some level of branding on your street food stall, so that people can remember you and find you again on your socials.

Benefits of a mobile catering gazebo: They cost far less than a vehicle, and can be custom printed quickly and easily. A pop-up gazebo is also a great idea for catering firms who have a bricks-and-mortar shop but want to be able to take their food to events up and down the country.

Drawbacks of a mobile catering gazebo: It is a little less plug-and-play than a catering van, with an extra ten minutes of set-up time. Is that ten minutes worth the additional £20,000 of outlay for a stall?