Vending Push Carts

Start a unique vending business by putting food push carts to use
By Andrea Townsley Making a living off vending cart sales is relatively simple. You don't have overhead to worry about since you don't have to rent a permanent office; you don't even have to deal with advertising since your customers are purely from foot traffic. As you become better known, patrons will keep coming back when they're in your area.

There are all sorts of vending push carts available. There are small three-foot push carts to larger six-foot carts you can pull from a bicycle. Just find your niche and get started.

1. Do some research on what it takes to start up a vending cart business. Your most expensive cash outlay is for the cart itself, although some companies do offer financing.

2. Determine the best location for your push vending cart. You must choose a place that has a lot of foot traffic and a customer base that will use your services. For example, setting up an ice cream push cart at an outdoor summertime art festival would be a good strategy; selling from a coffee vending cart might not be.

3. Start with a small, basic cart and then upgrade as you begin to see some profits.

Give customers a quick meal by starting a business with hot dog vending carts

Hot dogs are an American favorite. Franks, buns and condiments are inexpensive to stock, giving you a healthy bottom line. Keep chips and drinks on hand, too, so you can give your customers a full meal. Perhaps expanding into Polish sausages and brats is a possibility, complete with fried onions and sauerkraut, depending on the market you serve.
Try:  Get your business rolling with The Starter, a basic hot dog cart from Worlds Best Hot Dog Carts. Check out the Famous New York City Street Cart at the All American Hotdog Co. It comes equipped with a double size cooler for sodas, a condiment tray, a double sink and a 20 pound propane gas tank.

Provide refreshments in the heat of summer with products from your ice cream push cart

Ice cream vendors make big bucks during summer. Whether you set up on a street corner in a big city or at a local event, you can count on customers lining up to cool off. You can sell scoops or you can offer individually packaged popsicles and novelty ice cream bars.
Try:  The Worksman Trading Corp offers a few different models of ice cream push carts and provides an online ordering system. AllStar Carts and Vehicles provides custom branding on some of their ice cream carts.

Explore other types of businesses using vending push carts

Your options are endless. You can sell merchandise, like sunglasses and visors, at a theme park. You can set up at a concert with a beer or liquor cart. You can sell cotton candy to kids at a carnival. The only limit is your imagination.
Try:  Display merchandise with the versatile cart from Rich Gallagher & Sons. Their cart folds up to fit in the back of a van or SUV for easy transportation. Customize your cart at Unique Vending Carts, which carries carts for vending beer, corn, coconut juice, lemonade and popcorn, among other selections.

• If you plan to start a business selling something from food vending carts, you must comply with your area's health regulations. Contact your state's Department of Health to find out about licensing laws.
• Make sure you have all the equipment you need for your vending cart. You can buy other items like grills for hot dogs, griddles for funnel cakes, kettles for heating nacho cheese and rotating warming racks for soft pretzels. You can very easily expand your business by adding these things to your existing cart.