High School Concession Stand Pricing Guide: Expert Tips to Boost Sales

Photo of a high school concession stand, including menu prices

High school concession stands are an excellent way to raise money. Set them up during sporting events, plays, and music and dance recitals to bring in extra income. Attendees want refreshments and schools and affiliated organizations need to make money. It’s a win-win.  

Your high school concession stand will do even better with strategic pricing. Affordable yet profitable price points and upselling strategies will maximize profits. This article will provide tips on ensuring your high school concession stand prices support your fundraising efforts.  

 

Table of Contents  

 

 

Understanding Your Audience 

School event coordinators talking about high school concession menu ideas and prices

Every marketing effort requires a clear understanding of your target audience. You must be familiar with their favorite food items and what they are willing to pay for those items. The event type will also play a role.  

Here are some tips that ensure you use a pricing and selection strategy that caters to audience needs.  

Demographics and Preferences 

The demographics of your target audience will indicate their dietary preferences and spending habits. Common demographics include: 

  • Age 
  • Race and ethnicity 
  • Sex and gender identity 
  • Occupation 
  • Location 
  • Income 
  • Marital status 
  • Education 
  • Religion 
  • Family size 
  • Homeownership  
  • Health status 

Once you have identified your target demographics, you can determine what type of concessions to carry. Will they prefer healthy choices, or is it a soda and chips type of crowd?  

You can also set pricing accordingly. If you are catering to a lot of young kids, they probably won’t have much disposable income. Price your items accordingly.  

If your attendees consist of higher-income parents, they will likely realize that you are pricing up to support a cause. They may be willing to spend a few extra dollars on a soda.  

 

Event Types 

Your event type will also indicate your attendee demographics helping you determine high school concession stand prices. For example, if you set up a concession stand for a play or recital, parents will attend to support their children. You can price items a bit higher.  

A football game or school carnival may have a wider mix of students and parents. The prom will be for students only but consider that many parents may have given their children a little extra to spend on this special night.  

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Cost Analysis 

Your demographics and event type will guide how to price items based on profitability, but you must also conduct a cost analysis to ensure your expenses are covered. Here are some things to consider.  

 

How to Set Concession Stand Prices 

There are various factors to consider when setting concession stand prices. They include: 

  • The Cost of the Menu Items: You must consider the cost of each menu item. The process is simple for products like a bottle of water. For example, if you buy a 24-pack of water for $6, each bottle costs 25 cents. The math is easy. However, if you make a baked good, you must consider the total cost of your ingredients.  
  • Equipment Expenses: If you run concessions often, you may have to invest in a table, a refrigerator, serving equipment, tablecloths, and maybe even kitchen equipment. The money you pay food equipment suppliers will increase expenses.  
  • Labor: If you are lucky, you may have volunteers who are willing to help with your concessions. However, it’s easier to find helpers if you offer a monetary incentive. Consider this expense when calculating your high school concession stand prices.  
  • Training: Volunteers may also require volunteer training. You may need to hire food safety training providers to ensure they are prepared. This type of training can increase costs.  
  • Maintenance: Over time, your concession stand equipment may break down. Factor in the cost of equipment maintenance in your pricing structure.  
  • Gas: You must compensate yourself and helpers that go out and pick up concessions and run other errands for gas expenses.  
  • Licensing Costs: Your seasonal food stand will spend money covering its business license, food service permit, zoning permit, and sales tax permit. Ensure these overhead expenses are factored into your high school concession stand price structure.  

This video explains more about the licenses and permits you will need to start a food concession stand.  

 

Ingredients Cost 

It can be difficult for food vendors to calculate the cost of an item with several ingredients. Touch Bistro offers this handy equation.  

  1. List all the ingredients in the dish.  
  2. Determine the cost of ingredients in a single serving.  
  3. Add all the costs together.  
  4. The resulting figure is your portion cost.  

 

Operational Expenses 

The same Touch Bistro article also offers an equation for calculating labor costs and other operational expenses as follows: 

Food cost= sales – (labor costs + overhead + profit goal). The resulting number should indicate a fair price structure.  

Ultimate-K12-Fundraising-Kit_LP-1Competitive Pricing 

It’s important to price competitively. If people think you are charging too much, they won’t want to buy. Moreover, you may incur reputational damage.  

Here are some tips that ensure competitive pricing. 

 

Local Benchmarking 

You don’t need to compare your concession prices to supermarket prices. People understand they are paying more for convenience and to support a cause. However, you should avoid overcharging.   

Base your pricing on other school and local events. Go to nearby fairs and school happenings to find out what their concession stands are charging. Charge similar rates, or maybe even go a bit lower to undercut the competition- while still maintaining a profit, of course.  

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What is a Good Profit Margin for a Concession Stand? 

According to Gold Medal, high school concession stands can bring in a profit margin of up to 70% to 80%. However, you must consider the item to charge a reasonable amount.  

For example, water purchased at the store can be as cheap as 25 cents a bottle. However, it’s not unreasonable to charge $1 a bottle at a concession stand bringing in a 75% profit.  

Other items may be too expensive if you charge a 75% profit. Profits for these items may be closer to 50%.  

 

Market Standards  

Here are some other market standards to consider: 

  • Hamburgers: $3, $3.50 with cheese 
  • Hot Dogs: $2, $2.50 with chili and cheese 
  • Candy: $1-$2 
  • Nachos: $2, $2,50 with cheese, $3 with chili and cheese 
  • Drinks: Bottles $2, Cans $3 

 

 

Menu Selection 

It’s essential to choose items you know will sell. Here are some ideal options.  

 

What is Good Concession Stand Food? 

Concession stand food should be easy to prepare and eat. Serve a mix of freshly made and pre-packaged foods including snacky and healthy items to ensure everyone has options. Popular choices include: 

  • Popcorn 
  • Nachos  
  • Hot dogs 
  • Chicken Sandwiches 
  • Candy 
  • Fries 
  • Drinks: soda and water 
  • Peanuts 
  • Fruit cups 
  • Granola bars 

 

High Profit Items 

When menu planning, include items people will enjoy, but it’s also important to focus on profitability. Items with low ingredient costs and high demand are ideal. For example, water is perfect because it is inexpensive to buy, popular, and guaranteed to turn a profit.  

Other high-profit items are: 

  • Pizza: Buy an entire pie and charge $2 to $3 a slice 
  • Grilled cheese: Purchase bread and cheese and make sandwiches on-site with a panini press for optimal profitability 
  • Hot Dogs: Hot dogs can be purchased in bulk and sold at a relatively high-profit margin 
  • Hot Chocolate: Buy packets, add water, and serve. Add a dollop of whipped cream to make your hot chocolate even more desirable.   
  • Cotton Candy: A cotton candy machine is a great investment with a big payoff 

Watch this video to learn more about high-profit concession stand items: 

 

Healthy Options 

Today, many people have dietary restrictions. Some want healthy options. Others may require items that are non-dairy, gluten-free, vegan, soy-free and the list goes on.  

Regardless, it’s important to understand which healthy options are in demand. These items can comprise 9.2% of total revenue when offered. And with 52% of people saying they have dietary restrictions, you can’t miss out on this opportunity.  

Get familiar with various dietary restrictions and learn what ingredients to avoid. Here are some helpful guidelines: 

  • Paleo: High in saturated fats, and animal protein. Avoid grains, legumes, dairy, vegetable oils, and added sugars. Ideal snacks include beef jerky, nuts, and kombucha.   
  • Vegan: Plant-based foods only, avoid any meat products and by-products. Vegan snacks include fresh fruit, nuts, and mushroom jerky.  
  • Gluten-Free: Avoid all gluten. Serve grain-free foods like legumes, vegetable dips, nuts, and cheese.  
  • Dairy-Free: Dairy-free foods are labeled lactose-free or nondairy. Ideal snacks include fruit bars, soy products, and yogurt.  
  • Nut-Free: Avoid nuts at all costs. Preferred snacks include fresh or dried fruit, nut-free muffins and bread, and cream cheese.  

Get familiar with your selection so you can provide options when someone asks, “Do you have anything vegan/nut-free/paleo, etc.?” You may even offer a menu specifying which foods are suited for various dietary restrictions.  

 

 

Portion Control  

Portion control is related to profitability. If you serve overly large portions, you will lose money. If your portions are too small, you will disappoint customers. Here are some tips that ensure you strike the right balance.  

 

Standardized Serving 

To ensure portion control, you must implement standardized servings. Be consistent to ensure you aren’t giving away food unnecessarily. Create exact measurements for each of your menu options and train your staff to ensure they adhere to them.  

 

How Much Food to Buy for a Concession Stand 

You must also be careful about how much food to buy for your concession stand. Buy too much food and some of your food may go to waste. Buy too little food and you may run out and miss out on sales.  

Base your special event food stand purchases on the following metrics.  

  • Expected Attendance: How many people can you expect at the event? How many people do you think will purchase food? Consider these numbers and ensure you have enough to serve your purchasing audience.  
  • Historical Sales Data: Once you have a few events under your belt, you can base your food purchases on record keeping and historical data. For example, if you sold $500 worth of food at the last football game, expect to do the same at the next football game. Various tools will help you keep track of food sales including inventory management software, barcode scanners and labels, food waste trackers, recipe management software, and inventory apps. Store this information so you can refer to it when you prepare for your next event.  
  • Event Type: Your event type will also provide some insight into how much food to purchase. For example, if you are hosting a sporting event, you may be able to sell concessions to hungry athletes. The event type will also indicate whether your attendees are big spenders. Stock up for long events to ensure hungry attendees are well-fed.   

This video provides food inventory management tips that will guide your stocking decisions.  

 

Upselling Opportunities 

Don’t miss out on upselling opportunities. According to SalesGenie; businesses that upsell see a 10% - 30% revenue increase on average and a 20% increase in customer lifetime value.  

You can upsell by charging more for extras like cheese and chili. You may also charge a reduced rate when people buy in bulk. For example, offer a deal so customers can purchase one water for $1 or two water for $1.50.  

 

 

Pricing Strategy 

Your pricing strategy should go beyond ensuring you make a profit and not overspending. You must also cater to buyer psychology in your pricing methods. Here are some things to consider.  

 

Psychological Pricing 

Psychological pricing makes the customer think they are getting a value. Not every psychological pricing tactic will work at a concession stand, but here are a few effective strategies.  

  • Easy Pricing: Psychological pricing involves marking items down by pennies. For example, instead of charging $20 for an item, you might charge $19.99 to make the item seem cheaper. However, at a concession stand, it’s best to round items to the nearest zero to make payments easy.  
  • Bundle Pricing: Similar to upselling, bundle pricing means customers pay less when they buy more than one item. For example, you may offer hot dogs for $3 and water for $1, but you can offer these items as a combo meal for $3.50.  
  • Pay What You Want: Pay what you want is risky because people could rip you off, but it often pays off. It gives people a feeling of control, and it inspires generosity, especially when they know they are giving to a worthy cause like a school or nonprofit. You are likely to get more people paying $20 for a hot dog than 50 cents.  
  • Decoy Pricing: Decoy pricing involves adding another product priced slightly higher or lower to make it seem more attractive in comparison. For example, say you offer small sodas for $2 and large sodas for $5. People may think the small won’t be enough but the large will be too much. You can increase sales by offering a $4 medium which may seem like the best option, even if it isn’t offering the best value.  

 

Value Perception 

Value perception means people will value your product differently based on how it fulfills their needs. For example, a person may think a branded painkiller is more effective in relieving pain than a generic painkiller simply because of the brand name. Or they may buy a luxury item because it’s advertised as luxury.  

So how can concession stand sellers work value perception in their favor? Well, people at an event often don’t have many food options. It may not be easy for them to go out and grab something.  

A concession stand is there and it’s convenient making it more valuable to attendees. Therefore, you can charge a bit more.  

 

 

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