Know what a service costs before you pitch up.
CostReady turns your prep, your pitch fee and your gas into a price per serving that still works on a slow day, and keeps it right when supplier costs move.
The problem
Street food lives and dies on the day's count. The pitch fee is the same whether you sell 60 portions or 200, and so is the gas, the van, and the hours you spent prepping on Thursday. Price on food cost alone and a wet Saturday at a quiet market does not just earn less, it costs you money to have turned up at all.
How you sell, per serving
You sell per serving, so that is how CostReady costs. Enter the food for the whole service, the portions you expect to sell, and the pitch fee and gas that do not change either way. You get a price per serving with the takings for the service beside it, and you can drop the count to see what a slow day actually does to your margin.
How a service costs out
Cost one service
Price what you actually prep and take with you, in service quantities, including the waste you expect at the end of the day.
Add the cost of turning up
Pitch fee, gas, the round trip. These are the same at 60 portions as at 200, which is exactly why they decide your day.
Divide by a realistic count
Not your best ever Saturday. Then drop the count and see what a wet one does to the same price.
The pitch fee does not care how busy you are
What gets left out
- The pitch: paid up front, the same whether you sell out or stand in the rain.
- Thursday's prep: hours worked before a single portion is sold.
- The round trip: fuel plus the unpaid driving at both ends of a long day.
- Gas and consumables: small each, and quietly constant.
| A £95 pitch, spread across the day | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Busy Saturday, 120 portions | £0.79 |
| Ordinary day, 90 portions | £1.06 |
| Slow day, 60 portions | £1.58 |
| Washout, 40 portions | £2.38 |
Calculators for street food
Free, no signup. Pick what you sell for tailored guidance and a FAQ for that product.
Guides for street food
Cornerstone street food guide. The full method from a service's food cost to a price per serving that survives a quiet day.
Street Food Pitch Fees and the Costs of Turning Up (UK)The costs you pay before you sell anything, and how to spread them across a service without guessing.
Street Food Profit Margins: What to Aim For (UK)What margin and food cost percentage a UK street food trader should target, and how to tell whether you are hitting it.
Free to start, simple to grow
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do I price street food?
Cost the food for one whole service, add containers per portion and your time, then add the pitch fee, gas and travel you pay whatever happens. Divide by the portions you realistically expect to sell and apply your margin.
Why does a quiet day cost so much more per serving?
Because the pitch fee, the gas and the round trip do not shrink with the queue. At 120 portions a £95 pitch is 79p a plate; at 60 it is £1.58. The food is the part that scales, and it is usually the smaller half.
What margin should I aim for?
Many UK traders target 60 to 70 percent on the plate, which puts food at roughly 20 to 30 percent of the price. A lower margin needs a much higher count to clear a pitch fee that does not care how busy you are.
Should I count my prep time?
Every paid hour, including Thursday's prep, loading, driving each way, service and the clean down. Counting only the hours the hatch is open hides most of the labour in the job.
How do I decide whether a pitch is worth it?
Work out the count at which that pitch breaks even at your price. If it regularly falls below that number, the fee is too high for the footfall it delivers, however good the location looks.