Emma Radebaugh
Hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, candy, and sodas taste great when cheering for your school team or during your school play’s intermission. A concession stand provides tasty snacks to complement big events while satisfying your attendees and raising funds for your school. It might be time to consider opening a concession stand so your school can profit from your events. Discover how to start a successful school concession stand by following these steps.
Create a Concession Team
A successful concession stand begins with a team of invested volunteers. Consider asking parents, grandparents, former coaches, teachers, and alums to join your team. The volunteers who staff your stand need a leader to plan, guide, and create a work schedule. Choose a leader from your volunteer team who displays a passion for your school, charisma, and good communication skills.
Choose a Location
Get creative when choosing a location for your stand. With multiple options available, you want a place that requires the least time and effort from your customers so they don’t miss as much of the game. You might select an outdoor or indoor location close to stadiums, ballfields, theatres, stages, or auditoriums. Mobile guard shacks are incredibly versatile, so it would be pretty simple to repurpose one into a convenient mobile concession stand.
Decide on Foods and Pricing
The size of your stand and its capabilities, your typical customers, the season, and the type of events it serves help determine the foods and prices necessary for your booth to succeed. Decide if you want to offer hot or cold drinks, snacks, or healthy food choices and if you need to supply napkins and containers to hold food. Consider obtaining your supplies from a wholesale club or perhaps a generous donation from local businesses in exchange for advertising on your stand. Visit other school concession stands to determine the going prices for foods and price yours similarly to start. You can adjust them later as needed to maximize your profits while still offering a reasonable price.
Get Proper Permits
Learn the requirements to legally operate your stand and speak with your local government officials to obtain the necessary permits and paperwork. Keep in contact with your school leadership or local school board to acquire permission and support for your concession stand. Be sure to display any permits in an easy-to-see place if required by law.
Knowing how to start a successful school concession stand helps create a plan that benefits your team, club, school, and event attendees. Fun and food go together well, so why not bring fun and food together in one place? Benefit your supporters, concession stand, and school with full bellies and pockets.
