Start a remote menu and costing consultancy
Review menus, recipe costs and pricing for food and drink businesses over video call and email.
- £100-800
- Side hustle
- Online
Estimates for a small start in the UK, not guarantees.
What it is
A desk-based service reviewing menus, recipe costings, pricing and supplier spend for food and drink businesses, delivered through shared documents and video calls. Suits someone who wants to avoid travelling.
Your first three steps
- Build a costing spreadsheet template and a sample report using a made-up menu
- Set up a simple website or LinkedIn profile explaining your package and fixed price
- Share useful tips in local hospitality groups online and offer a few discounted reviews for testimonials
Who pays
Small cafes, restaurants, bars, food trucks and start-ups across the UK that cannot afford a full-time operations manager.
How it makes money
Fixed-price packages such as a menu profit review, plus optional monthly check-ins.
Skills that help
- Recipe and menu costing in spreadsheets
- Knowledge of kitchen operations and wastage
- Writing clear, practical reports
Watch out for
- Professional indemnity insurance, as your advice affects clients' profits
- Protect client sales and supplier data, and check your data protection duties, including whether you need to register with the ICO
- Do not give legal, tax or allergen compliance advice unless you are qualified
- Remote work can make it harder to win trust, so keep clear scopes and examples of results
Deep research report · UK
Everything you need to start: remote menu and costing consultant
Researched with live web search for United Kingdom: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a menu costing consultancy?
Startup costs are typically around £100 to £800, depending on software, a laptop upgrade, insurance and a simple website. These are estimates, so check what professional indemnity cover would cost you.
How much can a remote menu consultant earn?
Monthly revenue is typically around £300 to £2,500, depending on how many clients you take on and what you charge. These are estimates, and remote work can make winning trust harder, so keep clear scopes.
What rules should I check before consulting remotely?
Check that you have professional indemnity insurance, and your data protection duties, including whether you need to register with the ICO, as you will handle client sales and supplier data. Avoid legal, tax or allergen compliance advice unless qualified.
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