Neighborhood tortilleria shop

Local households, restaurants, food trucks, caterers and small grocers.

Retail sales by the dozen or pound, plus wholesale orders and add-on products such as masa, chips and salsa.

• Production cooking at volume
• Running a shop and managing stock
• Customer service
• Basic bookkeeping

• A retail food or food manufacturer permit and health inspections; check with your county health department
• Zoning, build-out and ventilation requirements for the premises
• General liability and property insurance, plus workers' compensation once you hire
• Ingredient prices for corn masa and flour can move, which squeezes margins
• Early morning production hours and equipment maintenance costs

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $20,000 to $90,000, depending on your premises, build-out, tortilla machine and griddle, permits, insurance and initial stock. Location and ventilation needs can move the total considerably.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $6,000 to $30,000, depending on walk-in traffic, restaurant supply accounts, your prices and extras like salsa or tamales. Ingredient prices for masa and flour can move, which can squeeze margins.

Check with your county health department about a retail food or food manufacturer permit and health inspections. Also check zoning, build-out and ventilation requirements for the premises, plus general liability and property insurance, and workers' compensation once you hire.