Asking established food service to sell my bbq

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ntbushwick

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Good morning everyone. I’ve been a member on this site for a number of years...lurking mostly, and learning a lot. I’ve built a few UDSs and they serve me well.

I have been smoking meats of 15+ years and I think my food is decent as do others. Lately I’ve been thinking about selling bbq (mostly spare ribs). I’ve studied a great deal regarding what is needed and what not for a licensing, insurance, etc.. perspective. The problem is I’m not trying to do this full time...I just want to sell a couple times per month on the weekends. I’ve thought about approaching a small established “deli” type shake that has a licensed kitchen and offering to add my ribs to their menu a couple times per month. I would prepare it and cover all costs. I just want to use them for the license. Have any of you ever heard of this type of agreement with an established food service? If so can you provide details around the agreement? Anything to help my quest?

Thanks beyond I appreciate it.
 
I've never heard of this, doesnt mean it hasnt happened. First you need to call health department, figure out how the licensing would work, also you need to approach the business to see what kind of interest and relationship would be established. If you're selling meat to another business, I believe you are under USDA jurisdiction. If the other business hires you on as employee, you have much less to worry about then.
 
Said deli would get in mojo trouble if caught buying from you. Their liability would shoot through the roof as well.

If you were an employee, completely different story...but then they would have to be able to use your smoker on premises. That could be another issue entirely. Each state/department varies on that. The law is somewhat uniform, but with variances anything is possible.

I'm fairly sure you don't have to be in a USDA kitchen to sell to them...which is a good thing because you don't want to go that route. You simply need to be able to be inspected by your health department (FDA regulations, or some form of). Now you "could" be inspected by your health department and use the deli as your designated commissary kitchen. You would still likely have to get a variance for your smoker, and probably have to use it on the deli premises...but you could work all that out with the deli & HD.
 
Thanks for the responses. I would approach the deli with the intent of me cooking onsite, with my smoker. I wouldn’t necessarily sell to the deli, but rather offer a percentage of my sales to the deli in exchange for using their kitchen space. I would like to go down the designated commissiary kitchen path...need to research that. If I go down that path, would I still need inspection, especially if their kitchen already has a license? Of course I would carry insurance and such.
 
Thanks for the responses. I would approach the deli with the intent that I would cook onsite, with my smokers. I would give the deli a percentage of my sale in exchange for operating under their license / kitchen etc.. of course I would carry insurance. I would like to go down the designated commissary kitchen path...need to learn more about that. If I go down that path, would I stil need an inspection? Hey hanks again!
 
I was approached by a restaurant here for something along those lines. Aside from the pitfalls mentioned in the replies above, the return on investment is going to be negligible. The amount the restaurant will have to charge to cover your costs + a small profit and also be profitable for them will inflate the price beyond what people would want to pay.

Your best bet would be to have them pay you as an employee and have them supply the meat. Even then it's not going to be very profitable for you.
 
I don't think you're getting a lot of encouragement here. Sorry, I can't help either. I do small business mentoring with score.org. If you approached me or one of my clients, here is how I would analyze the proposal.

First, would this be a good product for me? If I simply sell BBQ to a customer who would otherwise have bought something else, BBQ does me no good. IOW will it increase my revenue?

What about this guy pitching me? Established brand name? Track record of success selling this product somewhere else? Experience and track record in food safety? Experience and track record as a reliable vendor? Financial resources to run his business and, hopefully, grow it with me?

Sorry to say, you probably are too risky for me even if you sell me on the idea of adding 'Q to my display case. If I do want 'Q, my next move will be to contact the most successful BBQ restaurant within reasonable delivery distance and to try to do a deal with them, including use of their brand name.

It's tough out there. :sad: Sorry.
 
ntbushwick said:
Thanks for the responses. I would approach the deli with the intent of me cooking onsite, with my smoker. I wouldn’t necessarily sell to the deli, but rather offer a percentage of my sales to the deli in exchange for using their kitchen space. I would like to go down the designated commissiary kitchen path...need to research that. If I go down that path, would I still need inspection, especially if their kitchen already has a license? Of course I would carry insurance and such.
Click to expand...

If you are operating as a separate entity, you need your own license and inspection. A commissary kitchen is a licensed and inspected facility, but each company that works there also needs their own license and inspection. Look at it this way, if I'm in the same facility as you, and I'm following food code and you arent, my company should not fail inspection due to your operation. Contact your local health department, that's really the best or only source to see if its feasible.
 
You need to check with the health dept. is always going to be the standard answer and it is correct.

I doubt any licensed deli or established place will want the liability of selling something not cooked or prepared in their place by someone else.

If you want to live on the edge ( been there, done it).

Look for a bar with no kitchen, they want food to keep people there drinking.

work out some kind of revenue share to start and show up and sell some ribs at the place, find out if there is an audience for your product.

If yes, then you get everything you need legal, find a commissary and continue to march.
 
RangerJ said:
... Look for a bar with no kitchen, they want food to keep people there drinking. ...
Click to expand...
Good idea. Locally, almost all of the craft beer tap rooms have deals with food trucks that park outside on regular schedules. This way the tap room is a completely separate business with no liability for the food. It also requires no real commitment on either side. If the food truck is not popular, does not appear reliably, etc. it is easy to say goodbye.
 
The restaurant wouldn't need to cover my costs...I would supply the meat and all costs associated with the bbq. What cost are you referring to?

medic92 said:
I was approached by a restaurant here for something along those lines. Aside from the pitfalls mentioned in the replies above, the return on investment is going to be negligible. The amount the restaurant will have to charge to cover your costs + a small profit and also be profitable for them will inflate the price beyond what people would want to pay.

Your best bet would be to have them pay you as an employee and have them supply the meat. Even then it's not going to be very profitable for you.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for the insightful feedback, I very much appreciate it. I believe BBQ would increase revenue...it certainly wouldn't decrease it. I do not have a brand name yet...again, I'm talking about 1 or 2 days per month...as a feeler. The big brand BBQ joints in the area would have no reason for partnering with a 1 person run deli - that would be financially unfeasible.

Thanks again...you do present very sage advice.


airedale said:
I don't think you're getting a lot of encouragement here. Sorry, I can't help either. I do small business mentoring with score.org. If you approached me or one of my clients, here is how I would analyze the proposal.

First, would this be a good product for me? If I simply sell BBQ to a customer who would otherwise have bought something else, BBQ does me no good. IOW will it increase my revenue?

What about this guy pitching me? Established brand name? Track record of success selling this product somewhere else? Experience and track record in food safety? Experience and track record as a reliable vendor? Financial resources to run his business and, hopefully, grow it with me?

Sorry to say, you probably are too risky for me even if you sell me on the idea of adding 'Q to my display case. If I do want 'Q, my next move will be to contact the most successful BBQ restaurant within reasonable delivery distance and to try to do a deal with them, including use of their brand name.

It's tough out there. :sad: Sorry.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for responding. I wouldn't operate as a separate entity...I would operate under the existing entity from a licensing perspective. So essentially, the current deli would simply expand their menu to includes ribs that I prepare in their facility using their kitchen and my smokers.


ynotfehc said:
If you are operating as a separate entity, you need your own license and inspection. A commissary kitchen is a licensed and inspected facility, but each company that works there also needs their own license and inspection. Look at it this way, if I'm in the same facility as you, and I'm following food code and you arent, my company should not fail inspection due to your operation. Contact your local health department, that's really the best or only source to see if its feasible.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks...this is an option. I appreciate the response.


RangerJ said:
You need to check with the health dept. is always going to be the standard answer and it is correct.

I doubt any licensed deli or established place will want the liability of selling something not cooked or prepared in their place by someone else.

If you want to live on the edge ( been there, done it).

Look for a bar with no kitchen, they want food to keep people there drinking.

work out some kind of revenue share to start and show up and sell some ribs at the place, find out if there is an audience for your product.

If yes, then you get everything you need legal, find a commissary and continue to march.
Click to expand...
 
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