How to Run a Concession Stand

With how popular snacks and treats are for people on the go, running a concession stand is no easy task. If you’re wondering how to run a concession stand, then follow along below to get all the help you need with your stand. From staffing to finance, there’s a few essential things you should do so you can run a successful concession stand that generates revenue and doesn’t waste money. 

Staffing

• Leadership: Having supervisors and managers for your concession stands is very important. It’s also important to have good shift leaders who can oversee day-to-day operations, motivate your staff and take care of your customers.


• Training: Making sure your staff is properly trained will ensure your concession stand runs smoothly and that staff does not make unnecessary errors. From certification to operating different equipment, each staff member should be aware and prepared for handling the stand. 


• Delegation: Making sure duties are properly delegated so your team can get their tasks done in a timely manner is important to keep customers satisfied. Having clear tasks and designated cleaning steps for different staff based on schedule will help things move efficiently.

Preventative Maintenance

• Cleaning the space: It’s important to keep a clean concession stand so the space you cook in is sanitary and presentable to customers. Ensure you clean areas that are customer-facing as well as in the kitchen. Also, if your concession stand offers some seating like picnic tables, be sure to get those cleaned regularly as well. 

• Cleaning equipment: Whether your concession stand has hot dog grills or popcorn machines, it’s vital to keep those clean and properly maintained. It’s important to keep the equipment clean due to health codes, but also because it will help ensure your equipment lasts longer so you don’t waste money buying new equipment frequently. So, be sure to clean all your commercial kitchen equipment regularly. 

• Other equipment maintenance: Some commercial kitchen equipment needs regular preventative maintenance done to it. This is important so your equipment runs correctly and lasts longer. If you’re not sure how to perform these tasks on your equipment, there are plenty of concession stand equipment preventative maintenance videos out there to learn how.  

Organizing and Planning

• Event planning: Concession stands serve different types of crowds depending on the events happening at the space you occupy. It’s important to take note of what events you’ll be serving for and plan accordingly. So take note as to whether you need football food ideas or carnival food ideas. Also, plan for how large the events will be so you can ensure you have enough food to satisfy the entire crowd. 

• Planning and organizing space:  Concession stands usually have limited space. Thus, it’s important to plan out your space layout accordingly to ensure you can fit all the equipment and supplies you need. You’ll then want to be sure your space remains organized to continue to maintain the space you need. 

• Seasonal planning: Whether it’s sports seasons, standard or national food holidays or seasonal events, you will want to plan ahead for them. Planning for seasons ensures you can offer exclusive foods like seasonal ice cream flavors to increase your revenue with limited time foods. Seasonal foods with limited availability are sure to be popular thanks to the FOMO it will build.  

• Trend planning: Keeping up with food trends can maximize revenue. If you want to stay on top of trends to run a successful concession stand, make sure to keep up with foodservice and restaurant trends and plan out unique strategies to take part in the trend. That way you won’t have to worry about missing out.  

Finances 

• Maintain your budget: Finances are a crucial part of keeping any business running successfully. One aspect of finances is maintaining your budget. You probably created a budget for your concession stand when you started it. It’s important to make sure you follow that budget to keep your business profitable.