Can meal assembly be profitable?

February 19th, 2008 |

The answer of course is yes, but IF and only IF a slew of very specific conditions are met – the right location, the right population density, an absence of other stores, huge marketing budget, and so many other factors. The truth is, meal assembly can make money, but there are so many conditions that it has to be approached with a great deal of research and care. Of course the same can be said of almost any food business, or any business for that matter.

But if you ask:

Can hamburgers be profitable?

The question seems almost silly.

Is there money in selling pizzas?

Again, the question seems laughable.

To put it another way, let’s look at it from this angle. If you were to invest 500k in a pizza venture or other business deal when would you expect to make that money back to cover all debt? Next, when do you expect to recoup that as actual personal profit? Would you make it back in 2 years, 5, 10? There is no point in going into business if there is no reasonable expectation to recoup your investment.

Taking that into account when do you expect meal assembly to double in its value? You obviously have to pay off the debt then you need to make a living so there is the expectation that meal assembly will create a million dollars in sales during the course of its life. Is it reasonable to expect this from the meal assembly industry? Is it reasonable to expect that after two years in business you would have at least paid off the debt or at minimum made a substantial impact to it?

Would it also be reasonable to assume that after your first or second year in business there would be expansion plans in the works? Also by the end of the first year it seems that you would have a regular staff of employees with enough income to hire additional managerial staff to help run your store so you could concentrate on other aspects of the business or perhaps even take personal time.

So, can meal assembly be profitable? Sure, under the right conditions and with luck, just like any other business out there, but if you take the above ideas and examples, how does meal assembly compare to other businesses? Is there a reasonable expectation that you will recoup your investment within 3 years and that after the first year you will earn an income from your efforts? Is there a reasonable expectation that your debt will be paid off?

With that 250-500k investment are you confident meal assembly will return that money and more in a short and predictable amount of time?