Many people go to the same shop everyday because they like the people who run the shop, not necessarily because they have the best food.
Your customers are everything. They act as ambassadors,selling you as much as you sell yourself; they also give vital feedback about your food, and could be the source of extra business.
You never know when a person who has the power to make a big order could turn up at your counter.
Getting across to your customers initially can be one of the hardest things. A big promotion might the best way to attract attention initially. Look out for a deal you can offer which adds value to the customer while remaining cost-effective to you.
Offering free drinks and crisps with select sandwiches is the type of offer many outlets make, but don’t be content to follow the crowd – be creative!
Rules and Regulations
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the body invested with government responsibility for all food safety standards.
They can provide you with advice on all food hygiene matters and offers tailored information packs under the ‘Safer Food, Better Business’ banner. The catering pack wwill help you comply with the law and make your premises safe for the public; the information it contains covers all key areas on serving food, including contamination, cleaning, chilling, cooking, management and keeping a food diary.
To order this book contact the FSA on 0845 606 0667 or email foodstandards@ecgroup.co.uk.
Currently, there is no law that states you must undertake formal training to open a sandwich shop.
However, you must ensure that you and anyone else working with food at your business has the appropriate level of training and/or supervision to do their job properly. The legal responsibility lies with the business owner, so make sure you have all the information you need.
Your business must also be registered with the local authorities, and you can – in all probability, you will - face inspections in the future.
A failed inspection is bad for your sandwich shop for a number of reasons. Legally, you could be closed down; commercially, you’ll receive bad publicity and referrals; and morally, people could be taken ill or even die from contaminated food.
In order to avoid such pitfalls you should learn the HACCP, which stands for ‘Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points’.
This is an internationally recognised and recommended system of food safety management that focuses on identifying the ‘critical points’ in a process which could compromise food safety hazards, and putting steps in place to prevent things going wrong.
For more information on HACCP, and other food hygiene legislation, click on the following link.
You might want to take a look at the rules and regulations section of our catering guide too, as the same restrictions on food preparation will apply. Click here to see our catering guide.