Pop-Up tea room and high tea

Groups of friends, families, people marking birthdays or baby showers, and community groups looking for an afternoon outing.

Ticketed or per-person high tea bookings and individual tea and cake sales, minus venue hire and ingredients. Keeping to bookings helps limit waste.

• Baking and food preparation
• Event organising
• Social media promotion
• Customer service

• Food business registration and food safety rules, which differ by council and state, check where food can be prepared
• Home kitchens may not be approved for selling food, check with your council before preparing at home
• Public liability insurance, and venues often ask to see it
• Venue hire terms, cancellation and low-attendance risk
• Allergen labelling and handling, including clear information for guests
• Serving alcohol such as sparkling wine needs a licence or permit, check your state's liquor licensing body

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on your equipment, crockery, ingredients, venue hire and promotion. Hiring venues instead of leasing premises avoids a long lease commitment.

Monthly revenue is estimated at typically around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on how often you run events, how many guests book and your menu prices. Venue hire terms and low attendance are risks to plan for.

Check food business registration and food safety rules, which differ by council and state, including where food can be prepared. Home kitchens may not be approved for selling food. Also check public liability insurance, allergen handling, and licences or permits for serving alcohol.