Karahi and grill street food stall
Serve charcoal tikka, seekh kebabs and karahi wraps from a stall or gazebo at markets, events and festivals.
- £4k-15k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in the UK, not guarantees.
Official data
115 active UK companies have “karahi” in their name, 66% registered since 2024
Name search “company names containing “karahi””. Source: Companies House, November 2026.
What it is
A mobile street food setup serving a short menu such as chicken tikka, seekh kebab wraps, karahi with naan and chaat, cooked fresh at markets, community events and festivals.
Your first three steps
- Test a menu of three to five dishes with friends and neighbours and work out cost and price per portion
- Register as a food business with your local council and complete a Level 2 food hygiene course
- Apply for a few local markets or events and start with weekend pitches to build reviews and a following
Who pays
Market and festival visitors, office workers at lunch markets, and organisers of community events or private parties.
How it makes money
Per-portion sales on trading days, with extra from private catering bookings and events, minus pitch fees.
Skills that help
- Cooking quickly on a grill in front of customers
- Food safety and prep planning
- Friendly selling
- Basic logistics for loading and setting up
Watch out for
- Register your food business with the council where you store and prepare food, and check what is needed for each trading location
- Check street trading consent or market organiser requirements for each pitch
- Charcoal grills and gas need safe set-up, fire safety equipment and a gas safety check, organisers often ask for certificates
- Public liability insurance, which most markets and events require
- Keeping meat at safe temperatures, plan cold storage and transport
- Trade depends on weather and event dates
Deep research report · UK
Everything you need to start: karahi and grill street food stall
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
Other ways to run this business
Karahi and grill restaurant
Open a small sit-down restaurant serving karahi, charcoal tikka and fresh naan to families and groups.
- £40k-150k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Karahi and grill takeaway
Run a compact takeaway unit selling karahi, tikka and naan for collection and delivery, with little or no seating.
- £15k-60k
- Full-time
- Own premises
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