Streetfire Kitchens Business Plan — Risk Analysis

Trading rights, weather and event dependence, crew retention and the cash absorbed through three loss years, with trigger points.

Risk Analysis

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  • 11.1 The risks that matter
  • 11.2 Risk register
  • 11.3 Trigger points

11.1 The risks that matter

Covers per service below plan is the dominant risk in this business. Break-even at the three-truck launch configuration is 100 covers against a plan of 107, which is headroom of 6.2 per cent, and covers is simultaneously the largest driver in the sensitivity analysis. It is mitigated by trading one truck for a full quarter before expanding, by short menus and pre-ordering, and by the gate that makes the second and third trucks conditional on demonstrated throughput. Residual risk stays high until it is proven with real trading data.

Loss of a key weekday pitch is medium in likelihood and severe in impact. Weekday trade is 43.1 per cent of revenue and pitches are held at the discretion of landlords and municipalities, with no security of tenure. It is mitigated by holding more pitch agreements than trucks in service and by rotating sites so that no single landlord controls a disproportionate share of the diary.

A Certificate of Acceptability refused or withdrawn is low in likelihood and severe in impact, because trading without one is unlawful and an Environmental Health Practitioner may order immediate closure. It is mitigated by certifying the commissary before any truck is built and by building a bench of at least three trained Persons in Charge, since the certificate attaches to an individual rather than the company.

The event pipeline failing to develop is medium in likelihood and high in impact. Events are 30.1 per cent of gross profit and they do not arrive unattended: they require a dedicated sales role, a photography portfolio and references a corporate buyer can check. It is mitigated by funding that role from launch rather than treating sales as something the owner does between services.

11.2 Risk register

Risk

Likely

Impact

Mitigation and residual position

Covers per service below plan

High

Severe

The dominant risk. Break-even is 100 covers against a plan of 106.6. Mitigated by trading one truck for a quarter before expanding, short menus and pre-ordering; residual risk stays high until proven

Loss of a key weekday pitch

Medium

Severe

Weekday trade is 43.1% of revenue and pitches are held at the discretion of landlords and municipalities. Mitigated by holding more pitch agreements than trucks and by rotating sites

Certificate of Acceptability refused or withdrawn

Low

Severe

Trading without one is unlawful and an Environmental Health Practitioner may order immediate closure. Mitigated by certifying the commissary first and building a bench of trained Persons in Charge

Event pipeline does not develop

Medium

High

Events are 30.1% of gross profit. Mitigated by funding a dedicated sales role from launch and by investing in portfolio photography

Weather and cancellations above plan

High

Medium

The plan assumes 5.5% of days lost. A wet summer or a run of cancellations removes trading days that cannot be recovered later

Food cost inflation

High

Medium

Food is 30.8% of revenue. Mitigated by central purchasing through the commissary, menu engineering and quarterly price reviews

Crew availability and turnover

High

Medium

Service quality depends on trained crew. Mitigated by paying R58 an hour against a minimum of R30.23, per-service scheduling and a training pipeline

Truck breakdown

Medium

Medium

A truck off the road earns nothing. Mitigated by a maintenance budget of R74 000 per truck a year and by fleet redundancy once above three trucks

Competition for pitches and market slots

High

Medium

Popular markets are oversubscribed. Mitigated by reliability, early payment of stand fees and a differentiated offer

Fuel and gas cost increases

High

Low

Running costs are R583 per truck-day. Material but small relative to food and crew

Food safety incident

Low

Severe

Reputational and regulatory consequences are severe. Mitigated by commissary control, cold chain discipline, training and public liability cover

Fleet expansion ahead of demand

Medium

High

Adding trucks without pitches multiplies losses. Mitigated by the gate requiring confirmed pitch capacity before each addition

11.3 Trigger points

Point

Trigger

Committed response

End of first quarter

Average covers below 100 per service

Do not commission trucks two and three. Fix the offer, the pitch or the menu first

Month 9

Event days below 8% of the calendar

Review the sales role and the portfolio. Events carry the margin and cannot be left to chance

Month 12

Food cost above 36% of revenue

Menu engineering and supplier review before any price increase is considered

End of Year 2

EBITDA still below break-even

Engage the financier before the fourth truck is ordered, not after

Before each truck addition

Confirmed pitch capacity not in place

Defer the truck. A truck without a pitch is a depreciating vehicle

Any month

Cash below R250 000

Draw against a written plan, not to fund ordinary losses