Anyone having any luck selling through Food Panda?

[Kenny202]

Wife has a small mobile food business she has been plugging away at for nearly a year. Selling fast food (burgers, hot dogs etc) off a mobile cart. Food is great, right price point....everything sussed now like a well oiled machine but so far she has done no better than pocket money. Well many Thais would probably be happy with the results and she's paid for all of her start up costs but just seems to be so many hurdles, one of them the many holidays and interruptions. Seems like every other week there is some sort of holiday or event. We're in a major Isaan city and now the 40 deg + heat seems to be keeping the customers away. We tried a shop for a while but that was a dead loss. Same result just paying rent and it appears for our style of business people like to be able to pull up order and go without parking or walking too far. One of our disadvantages is we have kids and it is unsuitable for her to sell at night so she misses out on an important part of the day there.

 

I have been seeing a heap of Food Panda delivery bikes around. At first I wasn't keen on the 30% commission they charge but our prices are low enough to simply add this on to the price. Has anyone had any success with them?

[Liverpudlian]

Good topic ! i personaly would run it on a tad longer and this heat will soon cool down  .. i would avoid being somewhat owned by this chain once folks have forked out the costs of kids getting back to school i think things will settle, also you must be slowly gaining regulars ??  hang on in there.

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

One of our disadvantages is we have kids and it is unsuitable for her to sell at night so she misses out on an important part of the day there.

Burgers and hot dogs are evening food, if you can't sell in the evening, you can't make a profit.

[Kenny202]

We're in Khon Kaen, pretty big city. Dunno about business here though only people I imagine make money are landlords renting to shop owners who seem to regularly open and then close after around 3 months. Plenty of money here for sure but don't see too many spending it.

 

As for evening food I couldn't agree. Maybe in a foreign country yes but none of those rules apply here. Most of our customers are Thai and our pricing reflects this. Having said that we do miss out on a good potential market not working evenings...enter Food Panda.

 

I initially thought that, don't want to become a slave to a company like that but seeing so many of their delivery bikes around it seems like it will be a way of life here. My friend in Bangkok says it's huge there now. Whether it's the heat or Thais inherent idleness I don't know but it's a must for us. My son in Oz says its huge there now also....grab, uuber all doing the same thing.

 

She just seems to be inches away from real success. I know she has return customers as when she has a day off people are messaging asking where she is. She has a FB and LINE site and encourage people to follow her and keep it she keeps it updated when open and closed etc. In a normal world, providing the product is good, hours are reliable etc you would normally have return customers and in turn new customers and your business would slowly build as new customers also become return customers. Not here unfortunately. Nothing is what you would think or appears to follow logic. Your best day this week could be your worst next. And as stated holidays, festivals, interruptions. I'll give the missus her due. Most Thai women I have known that had fantasy ideas of having a business would have stuck at it half heartedly for a few months at best. She's been plugging away for nearly a year with very little return for herself. Hoping so much the delivery service is the key for us

Edited April 21, 2019 by Kenny202

[South]

Hire your own delivery man, advertise more and keep the 30% to yourself. ????

[NiwPix]

9 hours ago, South said:

Hire your own delivery man, advertise more and keep the 30% to yourself. ????

Oh I could think of maaaany things why this is not good advice. But do agree that 30% is a bit much.

[Suphtcha]

I dont know about where you live but food panda in Pattaya is stupid. So many people complaining about them letting their business down with late deliveries and cancelations etc.

[Kenny202]

21 hours ago, Suphtcha said:

I dont know about where you live but food panda in Pattaya is stupid. So many people complaining about them letting their business down with late deliveries and cancelations etc.

I am up country Khon Kaen mate. If their delivery service is as bad as trying to get set up with them as a vendor I would not be surprised. Hard to get away from them though. Hot up here now and soon rainy season. People just wont go out and Thais are inherently lazy. Every time I go out now can see up to 15 Food panda bikes on the road. Matter of can't beat em join em.

Mate said they are huge in Bangkok as are Uber and grab. I have learnt to steer clear of them on the road now. Phone in one hand sending and reading messages while swerving all over the road. Dunno how they do it

[Guest]

On 5/7/2019 at 10:46 AM, Suphtcha said:

I dont know about where you live but food panda in Pattaya is stupid. So many people complaining about them letting their business down with late deliveries and cancelations etc.

I would love to get more details if any at first hand.

We are based in Pattaya and wife was enclined to start cooking at home and delivering through Food Panda.

What gives?

[samsensam]

On 4/21/2019 at 2:22 AM, BritManToo said:

Burgers and hot dogs are evening food, if you can't sell in the evening, you can't make a profit.

 

yea, an obvious flaw in the business model

[bigginhill]

Maybe I don't know the FoodPanda regulations, but I can see no reasons why not to try it. You say that you could add the 30% on, as your prices consent it. Are you committing only to sell to them or can you carry on selling just the same just adding this additional service?

Speaking as someone who didn't move with the times and when I wanted to found myself way behind who had already started, I would try it if you don't commit yourself to selling exclusively to them.  Good luck 

[Bkkjimbo]

If you want to make a success of a mobile biz.

 

The night markets between 4.30pm and 9.30 pm 3 evenings a week for a month will provide a strong indicator as to how the biz can stand on it's own 2 feet.

 

Saturday walking street in the centre. 

 

1 evening at tonn tann market maybe Wednesday.

 

1 at the street market say Sunday the one in centre.

 

Or maybe a spot in the chill market at central outside

 

Or perhaps the market near the university on a Saturday.

 

The figures.

 

Based on 15 minutes of regular weekly purchases of pork on skewers I'd provide a strong analysis that the pork skewer seller who we know does 2 sessions at 2 markets a week. Easily does 15k. 

 

There is always a 15 minute wait and in that period I see a minimum of 60 sticks leave. That's 60 x 5 baht every 15 minutes for 4 hours in the shabbyy sat night market.  Same lass does the chill matket which is a longer duration and very popular with central customers and workers. Gotta be double the sat night. 1200 baht an hour in sat night gotta be double at central. 4 x 1200 - 4800 + 9600 = 15k.

 

Burger joint on walking street sat night in market is raking it. 69baht and upto 99 baht and they are killing it. I know because they are there every week. The wait is 15 minutes they always have 6 burgers cooking.

 

You cannot operate a mobile food business and ignore the 5pm to 8pm trade. It is built for that model. 

 

The delivery trade has peak times too so if you not working those hours you gotta be realistic and sacrifice something to give this venture a chance. Be top that to know your Mrs was able to earn dough come rain or shine using the markets etc. 

 

 

 

 

[Kenny202]

1 hour ago, Bkkjimbo said:

If you want to make a success of a mobile biz.

 

The night markets between 4.30pm and 9.30 pm 3 evenings a week for a month will provide a strong indicator as to how the biz can stand on it's own 2 feet.

 

Saturday walking street in the centre. 

 

1 evening at tonn tann market maybe Wednesday.

 

1 at the street market say Sunday the one in centre.

 

Or maybe a spot in the chill market at central outside

 

Or perhaps the market near the university on a Saturday.

 

The figures.

 

Based on 15 minutes of regular weekly purchases of pork on skewers I'd provide a strong analysis that the pork skewer seller who we know does 2 sessions at 2 markets a week. Easily does 15k. 

 

There is always a 15 minute wait and in that period I see a minimum of 60 sticks leave. That's 60 x 5 baht every 15 minutes for 4 hours in the shabbyy sat night market.  Same lass does the chill matket which is a longer duration and very popular with central customers and workers. Gotta be double the sat night. 1200 baht an hour in sat night gotta be double at central. 4 x 1200 - 4800 + 9600 = 15k.

 

Burger joint on walking street sat night in market is raking it. 69baht and upto 99 baht and they are killing it. I know because they are there every week. The wait is 15 minutes they always have 6 burgers cooking.

 

You cannot operate a mobile food business and ignore the 5pm to 8pm trade. It is built for that model. 

 

The delivery trade has peak times too so if you not working those hours you gotta be realistic and sacrifice something to give this venture a chance. Be top that to know your Mrs was able to earn dough come rain or shine using the markets etc. 

 

 

 

 

I agree with everything you are saying. All of those markets are great but not so easy to get into. Tried once before with Ton Tann. You need to submit business plan etc, photos of set up, menus. Then you need to wait (forever seemingly) for the boss to check and approve. We followed up about 4 times but they just said boss been away. Never got a call back. Like you said Walking street already has a burger guy and he's busy for sure. Other markets you can't just rock up and hang around the fringes. KKU market the one I am keen on. Rent is next to nothing and huge crowds. When a space does become available you have to front up and take part in a lottery. Was a month or more ago last time we went down there. What we didn't realise was that one person will bring ten family members down who all get a chance in the lottery for one space for one person. We didn't have a hope. I have asked her to try and bribe someone at the office 

[hereforgood]

30% looks like you would have a partner great deal.......................for them

[Bkkjimbo]

5 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

I agree with everything you are saying. All of those markets are great but not so easy to get into. Tried once before with Ton Tann. You need to submit business plan etc, photos of set up, menus. Then you need to wait (forever seemingly) for the boss to check and approve. We followed up about 4 times but they just said boss been away. Never got a call back. Like you said Walking street already has a burger guy and he's busy for sure. Other markets you can't just rock up and hang around the fringes. KKU market the one I am keen on. Rent is next to nothing and huge crowds. When a space does become available you have to front up and take part in a lottery. Was a month or more ago last time we went down there. What we didn't realise was that one person will bring ten family members down who all get a chance in the lottery for one space for one person. We didn't have a hope. I have asked her to try and bribe someone at the office 

Yh it's gotta be a bribe if that's the system. Also bueng Kaen nakhon on Sunday could be an easier option. 

 

Been looking at it for my Mrs too but I'd leave it to her to sort as that could be a problem with a farang face on the scene. 

 

Outside these big gaming shops or round by the university could be an option.

 

Best of luck with it.

 

 

[KMartinHandyman]

Food stall success equals Thai must have items in my opinion, som tam, noodle soup, meat on a stick, sesame dough balls etc. and yes there’s a lot of competition. Hot dogs and burgers as good as she serves them are a novelty here especially to the issan diet so I wouldn’t expect as many repeat customers per week as the above mentioned menu providers might get.
If you can justify the 30% Food Panda surcharge why not just raise the cart prices by some amount and increase her profit on her existing volume of sales. Old customers may complain but new ones won’t know the difference. It’s a mobile cart so move around
for new customers until the price increase isn’t an issue.