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Mobile coffee van
A mobile coffee van serves drinks and snacks from a vehicle, at events or from suitable trading locations. The work combines serving customers with planning menus, finding places to trade and checking which local permissions apply.
Open the interactive guide (checklist, video, read-aloud) →In plain words
- Choose drinks and snacks to sell from a van.
- Find places and events where you may trade.
- Check local rules before buying a van.
- Plan your menu, equipment, costs and safe food handling.
- Keep sales and cost records, and check tax rules.
Who it suits
Suits someone who enjoys customer service, can organise stock and travel, and is prepared to research local rules before trading. It may suit someone who wants to serve events as well as regular locations.
People buy coffee, drinks and snacks when they are at work, events or other places where a convenient stop is useful. Organisers may also book a van to serve guests at events.
Step by step
- Choose your menu and the customers you want to serve. Decide which drinks and snacks you can prepare and serve safely from your setup. Think about whether you want regular locations, private bookings, or both; event examples include weddings, film shoots and sports matches. The Bumble Bean About 1-2 hours.
- List possible trading places and events. Write down venues, events and regular locations that fit your offer. Find out who controls each place, then ask what permission you need before spending money or agreeing to trade there. About 1-2 hours.
- Check local street-trading rules. Contact the council for every place you plan to trade and ask which permissions apply. Rules differ by place: Buckinghamshire says consent is usually needed for selling food or drink on a council-maintained street, while Belfast requires a licence in specified areas. Buckinghamshire Council Belfast City Council About 1-3 days.
- Plan safe storage, preparation and serving. Make a list of how each menu item will be stored, prepared and served, including where any food will be prepared or kept. Ask the local food-safety team what applies to your vehicle and any other premises. About 1-2 days.
- Choose a suitable van and equipment. List the equipment, stock and facilities you need for the menu and the places you hope to serve. Get quotes for buying or renting before you decide, and check the layout is practical for you to use. About 2-5 days.
- Make a simple start-up budget. List likely costs such as the vehicle, equipment, ingredients, fuel, insurance and location or event charges. Record each quote and keep receipts so you can compare costs with actual spending. About 2-3 hours.
- Ask about food-business registration. Contact the food-safety team for the area where the van is kept or operated and ask what registration applies. Falkirk, for example, says registration is required if a mobile unit regularly trades there or is garaged there overnight; this is local guidance, not a rule for every area. Falkirk Council About 1-2 days.
- Apply for the permissions that apply to your locations. Apply before trading and allow time for the council process. Buckinghamshire lists a £393 application fee and a £1,275 maintenance fee for mobile trader consent; fees and processes elsewhere may differ, so check the relevant council. Buckinghamshire Council About Several days or longer.
- Contact event organisers and potential customers. Send a short description of your menu, service and availability to organisers or customers. Set up a simple way to receive enquiries and share location updates; The Bumble Bean uses Instagram for updates. The Bumble Bean About 1-2 hours to prepare; ongoing.
- Track sales and expenses and check tax rules. Record sales and costs from the start, and keep receipts and booking records together. Check the tax rules for where you live and trade; HMRC explains the UK trading allowance and when to tell them about trading income. GOV.UK About 10-15 minutes after each trading day.
Your first 15 minutes
Choose one area and one type of event you might serve, then contact the relevant council and food-safety team to ask what permissions and registration apply.
The money
Add the cost of ingredients and packaging to a fair share of fuel, pitch or event charges, equipment, insurance and other running costs. Then include the time needed for preparation, travel, serving and cleaning, and compare your price with similar local offers. There is no reliable earnings figure for this business, so test your budget before committing to major costs.
Example only: for one week, £600 sales minus £350 costs = £250 before tax. In a separate euro example, €600 sales minus €350 costs = €250 before tax. These are made-up figures to show the maths, not typical results.
The rules
You can run a mobile coffee van in the UK or Ireland if you follow the food-safety, location, tax and other rules for your business. The rules depend on the council and where you trade. Check what you need before you buy a vehicle or accept bookings.
UK and Northern Ireland
- Street-trading permission. Ask each council what permission you need. In Northern Ireland, you need a licence from the local district council to trade in the street. Mid Ulster lists a £215 mobile trader licence. Applicants must have reached school-leaver age. Your application must include details such as trading areas, days and times, and descriptions of the items and equipment you will use. You may also need to provide relevant electrical and gas safety certificates. Mid Ulster District Council Buckinghamshire lists a £393 application fee and a £1,275 maintenance fee. Buckinghamshire Council Belfast requires mobile traders to give their proposed route and trading days and times. These requirements apply in Belfast. Belfast City Council
- Food registration. Ask your local food-safety team how to register your vehicle and any other premises. In Northern Ireland, you must register your food business with the relevant local authority at least 28 days before trading. Registration is free. If your business operates from more than one location, register each premises with the local authority where it is located. Food Standards Agency Falkirk gives local guidance for mobile units. This is not a rule for every UK area. Falkirk Council
- Tax. In the UK, the trading allowance is £1,000 a year in gross trading income before expenses. If your trading income is above the allowance, tell HMRC. If you need to register for Self Assessment, register by 5 October after the tax year ends. GOV.UK Tax Help for Hustles GOV.UK
- Age and work eligibility. Age rules differ across the UK. Buckinghamshire says mobile trader consent applicants must be at least 17 and have the right to work in the UK. Mid Ulster says applicants must have reached school-leaver age. Check your council's rules before you apply. Buckinghamshire Council Mid Ulster District Council
- Insurance and information. Consider suitable insurance. Check what event organisers or venues require. Make your menu and prices clear. Ask your local food-safety team what information and food-handling requirements apply.
- Advertising and data. Label commercial social-media posts, for example with “Ad”. Advertising Standards Authority If you keep customer details, use the ICO self-assessment tool to check whether you need to pay a data-protection fee. The ICO says records used only for your own accounts and transactions are likely to be exempt, with stated exceptions. Information Commissioner's Office
Ireland
- Casual-trading licence. Ask the local authority where you want to trade whether you need a casual-trading licence. Check which sites or event rules apply. Dublin City Council requires a licence to sell goods on the public road. Event trading needs a licence for the event days. Requirements differ by local authority. Dublin City Council Meath also requires a licence for casual trading in its administrative area. Meath County Council
- Food-business registration. Register your mobile food business with the relevant authority before you start operating. The authority depends on the food and activities, so check which one applies to you. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland lists authorities that can include the HSE, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, local authorities and the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority. Food Safety Authority of Ireland
- Income tax. If you are a PAYE worker, you must register for self-assessment using Form 11 if your taxable non-PAYE income is over €5,000 or your gross non-PAYE income is over €30,000. Below these thresholds, declare the income on Form 12 through myAccount. Revenue
- Tax and business name. If you are self-employed, you pay income tax, PRSI (Class S) and USC under self-assessment. Preliminary tax is due by 31 October. Citizens Information If you trade under a name other than your own, register the business name with the CRO. Online registration costs €20. Companies Registration Office
- Insurance and information. Consider suitable insurance. Check what event organisers or venues require. Make your menu and prices clear. Check with the competent food-safety authority about food-handling and customer-information requirements.
- Advertising and data. Label commercial influencer or promotional content with “Ad”. The CCPC advises labelling commercial content. Competition and Consumer Protection Commission If you collect customer details, check your data-protection obligations.
Checked against official sources: 22 October 2026. Not yet reviewed by a qualified tax or legal adviser. General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official link beside each point before you start.
Common mistakes
- Buying a van or equipment before checking whether your chosen locations allow trading.
- Assuming one council's street-trading or food-registration rules apply everywhere.
- Underestimating fuel, equipment, stock, insurance and permission costs.
- Offering too many menu items before testing preparation and storage.
- Failing to keep sales, expense and booking records from the start.
AI-made demonstration: this module has a 20-second street-chat video in the interactive guide. The presenter and the people in it are computer-generated, not real people.