21 Mobile Food Van for Sale in Australia

You have the option of selling your restaurant privately or engaging a professional business broker. This decision will probably depend on the value of your business and the assistance you need to finalise the sale. At Bsale we have put together some resources to help guide you:

> Guide to Selling a Business in Australia

> Guide to Choosing a Business Broker

> Sell a Business Online

When searching for a mobile food van, mobile coffee van or mobile food truck for sale you will find hundreds of opportunities on Bsale. You may be purchasing the business as well as the vehicles, trailers or trucks so it's important to check the pricing and any lease agreements. When starting your search you will probably have a location and price point in mind, apply these filters to narrow down your search results. Once you make contact with a seller they will probably request you complete an NDA before more information is provided. At Bsale, we have put together a number of resource guides to assist:

> How to Buy a Business: Your Essential Guide

You can also setup alerts so you are notified when a new cafe is listed:

> Register for Buyer Alerts

There are many options when it comes to buying a mobile food business. You can buy a trailer, a commercial van, a marquee or a truck. Finding a good mobile food or catering business will depend on a few factors. Firstly, the condition of the vehicle or trailer you are buying, you want to make sure you are paying a fair price, so it's important you know what it would cost to buy and fit-out that particular type of van or trailer. Secondly, does the business have contracts in place to appear regularly at certain markets or venues, some markets may be hard to get access to. Thirdly, are they approved by the local council to operate, most councils require a food health and safety check before operation. Once you have assessed these 3 factors, you then need to look at the profitability of the business, how much money you can actually make. It's important to remember mobile food vans require exposure to be successful. 
 

When purchasing a mobile food van or truck they typically come setup with a certain cuisine, such as burgers, coffee or kebabs. You have the option to maintain that cuisine and the client base that knows the business, or you can rebrand to a cuisine more suited to your experience.  In terms of the type of setup, you can buy a trailer, a commercial van, a marquee or a truck. Each option has its benefits and downfalls, the most common choice being a trailer as it’s easy to maneuver into market sites, but it depends on what type of business you want to set up.
 

Mobile food businesses give the owner a lot of control over the business as it tends to be a smaller operation. It allows the owner to develop the cuisine, recipes, marketing and products offered. It is common for these businesses to operate nights and weekends. Depending on the size of your mobile food business, you may employ staff as part of your team. There is also the potential to purchase more vans and expand the business to cover more venues. Buying an established van or trailer will give you the setup necessary to start operating and may be cheaper than getting one built from scratch.
 

If the buyer intends to work within the business, such as serving coffee or food, they need to have an adequate level of fitness and work for hours whilst standing and serving. The owner will need to have completed food health and safety courses to ensure their business runs hygienically and follows food guidelines. Previous experience in hospitality would be beneficial but not a requirement. 
 

Mobile food and coffee van businesses are appraised based on a multiple of the net profit to the owner with some market predictions. Mobile food and coffee businesses may be stationery or they may move between locations, this may play a part in the appraisal. Obviously, the cost of the van, trailer, truck or marquee’s needs to be taken into consideration. It's important to seek professional advice when buying a business so you know exactly what you are buying and proper due diligence is conducted. 
 

No, you are just buying the vehicle. A business should include products, equipment, contracts, client base, distributors, employees, marketing documents, trademarks, etc. The mobile food van, trailer, or truck needs have an ABN included for it to be considered a business sale.  
 

Social media accounts can be included in a business sale. Mobile food vans tend to rely heavily on social media to make announcements such as where they will be located. It's important to check the TOS on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc for the current ruling as it can change. It's important to note that social media pages always belong to the social media platform such as Facebook, and as such, they have control over the pages and can remove it at any time. It's also important to check the authenticity of the followers of an account as people can buy followers, you will want to check the engagement of the posts. 

The most obvious way is by selling food or drinks, though the way businesses operate can be different. There are mobile food vans that rely on weekend markets and travel between them to make sales and generate income. There are vans that are stationary at locations such as petrol stations, that operate 7 days a week and rely on passing trade. There are vans that will move between venues and hot spots often announcing their arrival, they tend to operate Thursday-Sunday. The amount of exposure a mobile food van receives is important, as they can only make money when people arrive to buy food or drink. So determining the location is just as important as the food or drink being offered.
 

The best way to keep track of new mobile food van business opportunities is to save your search result. You will be notified as soon as a new food van business is listed for sale.  

Signup for alerts and be notified when new businesses are listed for sale.

> Register for Buyer Alerts