The need and demand for good food is a never-ending thing. If you love cooking and feeding people, starting a tiffin service would be a great way to nurture your passion, earn good money and establish yourself as an entrepreneur in India.
Tiffin service business has good potential for growth and expansion. A lot of people live away from their homes, young people staying in another city for work, many students staying away from home near to their education centres, they are always in need of good quality, fresh, hygienic & homemade food. In the present scenario, the need for tiffin services increased hugely. There are so many cloud kitchens popping up in each and every corner these days serving authentic, fresh and good food of different regions by women and men across India. People are looking for reliable and credible food sources even in the pandemic. So if you want to start your own tiffin service business, it would be the ideal time for you to invest in.
STARTING A TIFFIN SERVICE BUSINESS IN INDIA
Extensive Market Research:
It is important to research the market before setting up the business in order to know the scope of the market. You need to know the areas where there is a demand for tiffin services, where there are more young working people or students or offices or all. You can target those areas and utilize them accordingly. You can set your menu, strategize your marketing policies and your price factor based on the available market.
WorkSpace:
You always need a kitchen space to work in. Indian kitchens are usually spacious enough. As a starter, serving maybe 20 heads on a regular basis, you can easily start from your home kitchen. However, as your tiffin service business scales up, you need to invest in a big kitchen space as the number of heads you will be cooking for will increase every day.
Food & Safety Licence:
It is important for your business to register and obtain a business licence for legitimate and hassle-free operation. The permits you will require are:
- License from Food and Health department
- Shop and Establishment Act License
- A permit from the Fire Brigade.
- A permit from the Police department.
- Society’s NOC- In case you are operating from your home kitchen and living in a society, a no-objection certificate from your society is important as cooking involves certain risks obviously and since it has a commercial side, this NOC is important so that you do not face any hazard on the way.
Investment:
Investment can be of two types – one-time investment & recurring investment. One time investment includes investment in burner, gas, utensils and other essentials needed for cooking. Recurring investment involves several recurring costs related to groceries, employees, cleaning and delivery charges. It is best to create a menu plan, then you need to know the cost of it. Remember to include all costs inclusive of groceries, employees and all the recurring expenses.
Tiffin Boxes:
You will be serving tiffins for your tiffin service business, so investing in good quality tiffins is important. Please do not use plastic tiffins that are not biodegradable in nature and cannot be reused. Invest in tiffins that are eco-friendly. This will leave a good impact on your customers too.
Management process:
As your business grows, having a robust management process is the only way to show you success. Tiffin service can be really really more than simply cooking, serving and taking money. Order management, delivery management, payment and collection and finally tax implications are vast areas that require special attention to ensure that your business runs smoothly and continues to grow. A good tiffin business management solution can come in handy for you and help you run a business with minimal manpower.
Safety & Hygiene:
Considering the present scenario, safety & hygiene are the most crucial things to look after, if you want to run a successful tiffin service business. You need to set some ground rules like checking the temperature of your employees, using sanitisers, washing hands, using masks, gloves and shower caps whenever in the kitchen space. Cleaning the kitchen, doing pest control, washing utensils properly are mandatory rules to follow. For more details, read precautions for tiffin business owners in the new normal era.
Digital Marketing & Advertisement :
In today’s world, the best way to grow is by going digital. Use the technology to increase the reach of your brand. You can invest in your own app and website or choose to take your business online using a discovery app like oneapp. You can open a page on any of the social media platforms and promote your business with correct posts, images, captions, videos and keywords.
SOME MORE TIPS FOR YOUR TIFFIN BUSINESS SHOULD REMEMBER :
- Get your client’s feedback.
- Interact with your clients.
- Try to learn what your clients prefer.
- Share the ingredients you use in your food.
- Pack your tiffin properly and use your brand logo.
- Keep the menu dynamic.
- Arrange pop-up kitchens once in a while.
- Conduct mini tasting sessions for your customers or in big communities for exposure.
The food industry will continue to grow as always. So tiffin service businesses will definitely work if done properly. What will mark a difference from the competition is the quality of your food, the variety you deliver and the engagement with your customers.