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Does anyone have a good solution for providing some form of food and beverage at a smaller ski area with no kitchen?
Two things we considered doing this year when faced with a dearth of candidates to work in our CafĂŠ, and subsequently not opening it this year, were (1) to purchase “Grab and Go” items from a local sandwich shop (pastries and sandwiches delivered fresh daily, stored alongside a selection of cold beverages in a glass doored beverage cooler), which can be rung up as a retail – food item ( It would be good to check what sort of requirements would be necessary for this type of sale from the Health Department in your state) and (2) to invite an independent food truck to park at your center on weekends and holidays. Consider if your location and snow removal operation can support that though, we had to rule out a permanent food truck for that reason.
Neither of these options would maximize your food revenue but would be a great addition to the guest experience.
Having a place to enjoy food is important too!
One thing I did a few years ago was partner with a local coffee shop and bakery. Invited them in to a no-rent kiosk as an experiment. A very nice amenity that allowed the food service professionals to deal with permits and inspections and the nordic center people to focus on operations. Not a lot of profit, but great exposure for a small business and a no-stress solution for the ski center
In 20/21, there were no F & B outlets open at the resort, instead we contracted with 7 or 8 food carts, so not specific to just Nordic but the whole resort. We took 20% of revenue as our fee, each food truck was responsible for their own propane costs. We provided space to fill water and dispose of trash. Overall it was logistically tricky with setup and snow removal, but once they were in a good location, it worked pretty well for us. It was important to have the right number of food trucks, they were happy with revenue; too many and not enough demand, the revenue is not worth it for them.
For the local grab and go option, we purchased items at wholesale from a local health based sandwich shop, and sold as any retail item by our Lodge staff.
I did a flat payment to cover utilities and let them keep any profits from the venture. It really didn’t cost me anything to host them and it was a great partnership and amenity. low cost, low stress and they hired their own employees. The big win for them was catering for parties and groups on site.
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