Moscow is stuck in traffic jams every day, and with the reconstruction of city streets the situation has become completely worse. For motorists, this is a waste of time, but for businessmen it is a good opportunity to make money: people who are bored in traffic jams can be delivered food and drinks. Owners and managers of companies that have mastered this business told Inc. how they do it and what difficulties they encounter in their work.
Reason #1: it's a necessity
Timurmalik Elmuradov,
Marketing Director at the company "HUNGER" (Moscow)
We deliver food to traffic jams because people need it. We are not a food delivery service, but an instant lunch service with its own kitchen and logistics. Our couriers deliver food very quickly, which is important in a traffic jam: a person is stuck, but wants to eat. The client opens our mobile app and sees that a courier with food is five to eight minutes away from him, after which he places an order.
There are no difficulties with delivery. Thanks to GPS, the courier sees the exact location of the client on the map, and the client sees the courier. They meet right on the road, in a traffic jam.
This service is in great demand, especially in winter. Now the demand has dropped somewhat, but in the summer it will return again. It's still seasonal business.
Now we are working at a slight disadvantage. We could make a profit, but this would stop the development of the company: we are working for growth and scale.
Reason #2: this is a PR stunt
Denis Kutyurin,
supervisor pastry shop"Foreversweet" (St. Petersburg)
We were the first in St. Petersburg to introduce this service, but we never considered it as a priority. For us it was more of a PR move. We needed an additional point of sale. The introduction of a new service was supposed to increase demand and, therefore, increase revenue.
A few kilometers before our cafe, a promoter stood and handed out menus. The client could place an order by phone, providing the make of his car and its license plate number. By the time he arrived at the cafe, the waiter was already taking out his order.
I can't say that the service was popular. Such buyers care about price, not quality. This is an unacceptable principle for us, so we refused this service.
Reason #3: client desire
Ilya Chumak,
owner of the Hey Coffee chain (Moscow, St. Petersburg)
We deliver drinks and sandwiches to motorists because they want it. Many of us often find ourselves stuck in traffic jams. It happens that I didn’t have time to have breakfast or I’m just hungry. This is where our service comes to the rescue. We accept applications in two ways. The first is fully automated: through the website, social media and messengers. The second way is to pre-order already in the traffic jam itself. We have a person who takes orders at the beginning of a traffic jam and transmits the information to the food truck, after which the delivery person brings freshly brewed coffee to the customer.
For the third year now, we have been delivering drinks in traffic jams, every weekday and all year round. There are many difficulties in our business, but the main one is that the activities of auto shops in Russia are not regulated in any way. It is both not prohibited and not permitted.
From this point we earn from 100 to 200 thousand rubles per month. Revenue depends on the season and traffic situation.
Reason #4: people are willing to pay for it
Airat Shakirov,
owner of the catering company "S.U.P." (Kazan)
There is a need for this service, and people are willing to pay for it. We accept applications by phone or through the online store. A quadcopter is used to deliver the order. Sometimes a courier walks to a client stuck in traffic.
But this service is not very popular and therefore is not a priority for our company. The main problem we face is urgency. Usually food is required within 15 minutes, which is not always realistic.
Reason #5: this is an additional sales channel
Alexey Fedosov,
Managing partner of the mobile coffee shop "Coffegliano" (Moscow)
Initially, our mobile coffee shops worked in parks, but there were fewer places there than there was desire to work. That's why we started selling coffee in traffic jams.
The mechanism of work is very simple: employees walk around with coffee and offer it to customers. People are used to buying something in traffic jams, so the service is quite popular. The biggest difficulty is related to legislation: this type of activity is considered unauthorized trade.
What's stopping other companies?
Some companies have abandoned this type of service for the same reason: the traffic jam, although slowly, is moving. “We deliver food from nearby restaurants and are ready to bring it to any place, but to do this, a person must enter his address,” says Sergei Polissar, co-founder of the FoodFox project. - If a person is stuck in a traffic jam, he needs to enter the address of the nearest house. The difficulty is that the traffic jam is still moving and in 40 minutes the person will be in a completely different place.”
For the same reason, UberEATS does not deliver food during traffic jams. “From a logistics point of view, this is difficult to implement,” says Irina Gushchina, UBER communications director for Russia and the CIS.
The Delivery Club company has not yet delivered food in traffic jams, but does not rule out the possibility of doing so in the future. “If there is a traffic jam and the driver understands that he will spend at least 45 minutes in it, we will certainly bring him fresh hot meals. But so far we have not received such requests,” admitted Delivery Club Managing Director Andrei Lukashevich. In the future, he said, it will be possible to deliver food during traffic jams more quickly using drones. “But such an opportunity will most likely appear no earlier than in two or three years, when infrastructure problems are resolved and laws are adopted that allow the launch of drones without lengthy preliminary approvals,” added Lukashevich.
IN Lately Trading in traffic jams as a business has become popular. The Americans were the first to understand the benefits of such entrepreneurship, who began delivering fast food to traffic jams, and then the idea was picked up in Russia, starting to sell not only food, but also hot coffee.
- How to get a coffee machine for a coffee shop for free
- Project of a small mobile coffee shop
- How much money do you need to open a mobile coffee shop?
- Where is the best place to place a mobile coffee shop?
- What does it take to start selling coffee in traffic jams?
- Which OKVED code to choose for a mobile coffee shop?
- Do you need a permit for a mobile coffee shop?
- Equipment for organizing a coffee shop on wheels
- 4 types of coffee that customers prefer
- Coffee in traffic jams: 6 ways to beat your competitors
In traffic jams, the “Coffee to go” service has become very popular, and an average cup of coffee in a paper thermo-glass costs from 100 rubles.
How to get a coffee machine for a coffee shop for free
You can also rent a coffee machine from a coffee supplier, in addition, some suppliers have this service - they provide a free coffee machine if you enter into an exclusive contract with them for the supply of coffee.
Project of a small mobile coffee shop
If you are planning to organize a serious business and receive good income, it will be necessary to hire couriers who will deliver drinks to drivers.
How much money do you need to open a mobile coffee shop?
Initial investments will require no less than 250-300 thousand.
It is also possible to buy a ready-made “Coffee to Go” franchise, which will cost on average from 200,000 to 500,000 rubles. At first glance, it’s expensive, but by opening a franchise business, you can get not only support and assistance in starting a business, but also good condition for coffee, consumables.
The franchise provides an uninterrupted supply of coffee, proven methods for designing a mobile coffee shop, as well as its recommendations for placement in different times year, time of day, and also depending on weather conditions.
Where is the best place to place a mobile coffee shop?
Seasonality is the main enemy of a mobile coffee shop, so it’s worth foreseeing in advance where people will be, even if the weather outside is cold or snowing. That's right - traffic jams will only get worse and sales will grow.
On the other hand, beach and resort areas are most crowded on weekends and holidays.
Another must-do process is to keep track of major events and holidays and plan accommodations there in advance.
What does it take to start selling coffee in traffic jams?
If you decide to start selling coffee in traffic jams, then you can safely take on this direction, since the niche for Russia is relatively new, and the competition is not yet too great. First of all, you need register as an individual entrepreneur, and choose a simplified regime as a taxation system - simplified tax system - tax base - income (the rate may change over time, currently it is 6%).
Which OKVED code to choose for a mobile coffee shop?
- retail
- non-store retail
Do you need a permit for a mobile coffee shop?
First, you need to decide where you want to trade, since you must have permission to trade in the place where the mobile coffee shop is located. By law you cannot sell coffee with a non-stationary point of sale, if it is not in your permit.
Even before opening a business, you should contact the city or district administration to find out what is needed to register a business.
Many novice entrepreneurs often ignore the need for a trade permit and already negotiate on the spot or solve problems as they arise.
Equipment for organizing a coffee shop on wheels
To start a cork coffee business, you will need the following minimum equipment:
- equipped van (most expensive)
- coffee machine for mobile coffee shop
- thermal backpacks
- thermal spreaders
- blender
- cooling chamber.
You will also need plastic cups with lids, coffee, sugar, and napkins. In addition, you need a mobile stall or the recently popular coffee vans, which are an integral part of popular mobile coffee shop franchise today.
The most expensive parts are a car and a coffee machine; we already wrote above that you can often rent a coffee machine, and buy a car on credit for 5 years - then the investment at the start will be minimal!
4 types of coffee that customers prefer
It is advisable that the range of coffee and drinks based on it you offer be as wide as possible - at least 4 types, starting with regular espresso and Americano and ending with latte and mocha.
It’s better not to save money and use good varieties of coffee, then the product will be in demand.
You can add a little exotic. Many customers will certainly enjoy coffee with additives and syrups.
Over time, it is also good to add various types of tea, all kinds of non-alcoholic cocktails, juices, fruit drinks, and lemonade. You can increase sales through fresh baked goods, boiled corn, and fast foods.
Coffee in traffic jams: 6 ways to beat your competitors
As selling coffee in traffic jams becomes more and more popular, and the number of people wishing to build such a business grows, competition in this niche cannot be avoided. Therefore, at first you should think about how to attract more customers and beat your competitors.
This will help:
- First of all, it's delicious coffee.;
- Competitive prices;
- Form style (own logo on glasses and packaging, sellers’ uniforms);
- Discounts and promotions, which can be organized from time to time (for example: when buying 4 glasses, the 5th is free);
- High level of service(it is worth teaching couriers not to argue with customers and to smile. To see the mistakes and miscalculations of sellers, you can equip them with video cameras);
- Creating a mobile online applications , allowing you to reserve coffee online.
If everything goes well, the enterprise will pay for itself within a few months, and in six months or a year it is quite possible to reach another level, open new outlets and promote your coffee business further.
Traffic jams on Russian roads in large cities have become the talk of the town. Unfortunately, this problem is relevant in many countries around the world. When you sit in a traffic jam for a long time, late for an important meeting, and also angry and hungry, you just want to commit suicide... well, or have something to eat.
However, wherever people experience discomfort, there will certainly be a place for original idea entrepreneurship! took the liberty to think about it.
If traffic jams are a disgusting evil for road users, then for active entrepreneurs they are a wonderful opportunity to launch a promising and untrodden business (I have never seen anyone selling food to drivers in traffic jams).
An advanced entrepreneur perceives this slow movement as an inexhaustible huge flow of future clients. All you have to do is think through: what are the needs of drivers and passengers caught in a long traffic jam, and find ways to meet these needs. Mutual benefit awaits everyone here: it will become easier for road users to endure waiting times along the way. Active entrepreneurs receive a new source of income for themselves.
Of course, the most cherished desire of drivers and passengers is to quickly get to the place where they planned to go. Naturally, you cannot solve this problem. But it is within your power to alleviate the sad fate of drivers by making the wait for traffic more comfortable.
A person is designed in such a way that he periodically wants to drink or eat. Prudent citizens take food and water with them on the road. But the majority of people don’t think about it. And often many drivers find themselves in a situation where it is difficult and long to get home, but they really want to eat and drink. It is in your power to alleviate this problem for them. Offer them drinks and ready-made food right in traffic!
Selling food in traffic jams
Put yourself in the driver's seat of a car for a moment: tired after working day, he dreams of getting home as quickly as possible. And he gets stuck in a long traffic jam. He wants to eat, drink, and rest. But he will get home only in a few hours
And then you appear - so fresh, friendly, and offer him a delicious, appetizing sandwich and a bottle of cool water. It is very likely that he will be very happy with you and will certainly buy the set of products you offer! Now look carefully: how many of these passengers and drivers are stuck in traffic jams every day?! This is a dimensionless audience of your future customers!
Business planning in traffic jams
You decide to do business in traffic jams. There are several options for making this money. You can start selling groceries in traffic jams yourself. If you prefer to manage while covering a larger number of clients, choose a reliable team. It is rational to invite pleasant, sociable young guys and pretty girls from whom drivers and passengers will be happy to buy food and drinks.
You should also consider the optimal package of products suitable for successful implementation in traffic jams. Products need to be packaged beautifully: sandwiches, chocolate bars, chips. Healthy food is also selling well - bananas, apples, yoghurts, various juices, iced tea, mineral water.
You can earn quite a lot of money by trading in traffic jams. After all, prices for drinks and food will be much higher than in stores. Much like in inexpensive roadside cafes. So, if the cost of a ruddy, juicy apple is 15 rubles, it can be successfully sold for 50 or 60 rubles.
Of course, a certain part of the funds will go to pay your sellers. But the volume of products sold will increase, thanks to the fact that sellers will make you hundreds of successful sales per day. The profit received at the end of the month will pleasantly surprise you. A smart entrepreneur will certainly plan which products will be most requested by customers depending on the season.
In winter, hot coffee and tea are in demand. And in the summer, cold drinks and fresh fruit will be sold much faster. If you don’t know how to change the situation, try to make money from it! Good luck with your traffic jam business!
As soon as autumn comes to Moscow, motorists have to spend most of their time in traffic jams. Everyone spends this time differently: some listen to music, some read books, and others want to treat themselves to a cup of aromatic coffee. Thanks to the idea of proactive young people, today car owners can buy coffee in Moscow without leaving their cars.
How it all began?
Artem, the administrator of a coffee shop on wheels, which operates on Andropov Avenue, moved to Moscow from Donetsk 2 years ago. In order to somehow survive, he and his friends decided to open a mobile station for preparing and selling coffee. On this moment the guys work only in one point in the capital. Entrepreneurs say that the money they earn is enough to rent an apartment in Moscow and for some of the “joys” of life.
The roadside coffee shop now employs three girls who serve drinks in traffic, as well as a barista. Waitresses receive 25 rubles for their work. from every cup of coffee sold. As a result of their wage depends on sales volume. The guys note that during the day they manage to sell 40–50 cups. At the same time, the shift takes part-time, but only 2 - 3 hours in the morning and evening, when a traffic jam forms on the avenue.
Business for profit or for pleasure?
Not far from the coffee shop (100 m) there is another coffee shop on wheels. However, here the price of coffee is 2 times higher, the sales volume is several times less. The administrator of the point is Eduard, who says that his coffee shop manages to sell no more than 30–40 cups a day. Unlike Donetsk entrepreneurs, his drink is bought by true connoisseurs of high-quality natural coffee.
The difference between the two locations lies in the attitude of their owners to their business. In the first case, the guys are trying to make money and perceive their brainchild as a business - a source of life. In the second case, the attitude towards his occupation is somewhat different - Edward perceives work as a hobby that additionally brings profit.
Letter of the law
Since the law considers such trade to be unauthorized, sellers are frequent “guests” of the local government and police. Such activities fall under Art. Code of Administrative Violations, regulating the conduct of unauthorized trade. The first fine is 2,500 rubles, repeated violation is 5,000 rubles.
Entrepreneurs believe that too strict control of their activities is due to the desire of the police to protect their business. According to representatives of the legal authorities, this activity is very profitable, but this is not so. Taking into account the constant fines, the guys barely manage to balance their debit and credit.
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