Do you dream of turning your passion for cooking into a business? Whether you want to sell meals or pastries, it’s easier than you might think. You can offer your creations online for collection or delivery, via social media or your own website. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started.
Define your concept
Decide on your speciality: regional dishes, international cuisine, vegetarian meals, or fish dishes. Let your skills and what’s already on the market guide your choice.
Setting up your business
Getting started
You will find a lot of useful information on starting your business in the "Start a Business" guide:
Professional access requirements
- Pastry: you need proof of professional competence as a baker-pastry chef.
- Prepared meals: you do not need access to the restaurateur or caterer profession, provided your activity is limited to takeaway sales. This implies that there is neither the possibility of consuming on the premises, nor the possibility of being served outside the establishment.
FASFC
Chefs are considered to be operators working in the food chain, so you must register with the FASFC as a "caterer" to comply with the food regulations.
Grants and financial support
Brussels Economy and Employment offers a variety of grants for both new and existing businesses. For aspiring self-employed entrepreneurs, examples include:
- Actiris grant for self-employed individuals (more info)
- RVA ‘springboard to self-employment’ scheme (more info)
Support
General support structures can help with your business plan, marketing study, or pricing strategy. Attending info sessions helps you choose the structure that best suits your needs.
Other structures offer specialised support (for a fee):
- BRUCEFO - The Brussels Centre for Food Expertise for product development and food testing
- BRUFOTEC - Brussels Food Technology for food safety and hygiene compliance
- Specialised agencies: assistance with marketing, logistics, communications, and HR
Where to set up your business?
At home
You can carry out initial tests at home before selling. Once you start selling, your kitchen must meet FAVV standards, and your location must be zoned for this type of activity. Take one of the FAVV's training courses to make sure that you comply with the rules.
In a shared kitchen
Rent a compliant shared kitchen. Rentals are usually charged by the hour.
One alternative is to rent out a restaurant's kitchen during its closing hours. hub.brussels tells you more in its article "Joint tenancy: a solution to the crisis?
In your own professional kitchen
Would you prefer to have your own premises with a professional kitchen (purchase or lease)? Platforms like Inventimmo and Régie Foncière list professional kitchens. You can contact real estate agencies as immoweb, immovlan, logic immo, etc or check social media groups, such as the hub.brussels Retail Facebook group.
Of course, the location used must comply with FASFC standards and have a planning designation that permits this type of activity. Also, read our advice on leasing a commercial property.
Next steps...
Digital presence
Having your own website is crucial for takeaway and delivery.
- Invest time in creating a professional platform using Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress.
- infoshopping.be (created by the FPS Economy) is dedicated to best practices in e-commerce. Have a look at the FAQs.
- Communications and culinary styling agencies can help strengthen your brand identity and create visual content. Examples include Agence Miam, Innovative Cuisine, Agence Digitale Solidaire, Agrument, Louchebem, Arthurs-h.
- If you want to hire a consultant to digitalise your food business, you can apply for the ‘Business Start-up’ grant to receive financial support.
Delivery/Collection
You have two options:
- Customer collection via click & collect. This allows you to avoid the extra cost of delivery
- Home delivery through a third-party provider (Takeaway.com, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Shippr, Proxideal). Include delivery costs in your pricing to cover expenses!
Sustainable food & Ecology
If you want to work with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, you can find local producers and growers through portals such as :
- Good Food portal
- Bio Guide (Brussels)
- Bio Wallonie (Walloon Region)
- Bio Forum (Flemish Region)
Labels and good practices
Information on labels and best practices is available at Labelinfo.be. For eco-friendly packaging, suppliers include Tiffin, Billie Cup, and the supplier lists on leefmilieu.brussels.
Develop your network