Why only two options?

Paella is a slow dish that wants attention. Two pans a day is the limit of what one chef can do well. More options would mean worse paella.

What about vegetarians?

One of the two daily pans is always plant based. Often it is a Valencian style with artichoke, green beans, and butter beans.

Not at the start. The format works only if the chef is on the floor. Maybe a small group of locations if the operating model is solid.

Why Munich and not Madrid?

Madrid does not need this. Northern Europe does. Munich is the test city because the lunch market is large and underserved.

If the idea moves to active build, yes. Sign up to be told first.

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On HoldStarted 2019Gastronomy | Casual Fast FoodFor sale from €39

PaellaPan

A grab and go paella spot, the way Sevilla does it.

Most paella outside Spain is bad. It is either a frozen tray reheated in a hotel or a tourist trap. PaellaPan is the opposite: two fresh pans cooked every day, sold by the portion, eaten with a fork standing up or taken home in minutes.

Think pokebowl format, but the menu is paella. Two options daily, one meat or seafood, one vegetable. When the pan is empty, it is sold out.

The summary I wrote when I first noted this idea down:

I came up with the idea of starting a small paella take-away whilst studying abroad in Sevilla. There was a small garage where a man sold 2 types of fresh paellas every day, just to take away. It was quick, yummy & relatively cheap. Think of it like a pokebowl store, just with paella and better.

How it would work

Tiny footprint: ten square meters is enough. Two pans, one cooktop, a counter, a few stools. The bet is on speed and quality, not seating.

Lunch and early dinner only. Pans go on the heat at fixed times so customers can plan around freshness.

Prices sit between street food and a restaurant lunch. Everything is gone by close, which keeps food waste near zero.

Who it is for

Office lunches that are tired of salad bars and sushi. Families picking up dinner on the way home. Anyone homesick for the way Spaniards actually eat paella, not the tourist version.

Why now

European cities have wide selections of fast casual Asian food and almost no good Mediterranean fast casual. The category is wide open.

Operationally, two daily pans is the simplest kitchen possible. The constraint is finding a chef who treats the dish with respect.

FAQ

Questions people usually ask.

Why only two options?: Paella is a slow dish that wants attention. Two pans a day is the limit of what one chef can do well. More options would mean worse paella.
What about vegetarians?: One of the two daily pans is always plant based. Often it is a Valencian style with artichoke, green beans, and butter beans.
Is this a chain?: Not at the start. The format works only if the chef is on the floor. Maybe a small group of locations if the operating model is solid.
Why Munich and not Madrid?: Madrid does not need this. Northern Europe does. Munich is the test city because the lunch market is large and underserved.
Could I invest?: If the idea moves to active build, yes. Sign up to be told first.

This idea is for sale

I am not going to build this one.

I have more ideas than years. Leaving this one on a shelf helps nobody, so you can have the whole working file, or you can have the idea itself. Both routes are below, and both are priced so that somebody who is actually going to do the work can afford to start.

Shared licence

The dossier

€39

Everything I worked out about PaellaPan, as a printable PDF you own for life. Written for somebody who wants to start on Monday, not for somebody who wants to be entertained.

·A real food cost model per portion, built up from ingredients rather than guessed from a margin target
·The kitchen and licences a ten square meter food business needs in Germany, and what each one takes
·The staffing trap: why this format lives or dies on one chef, and the two ways around it
·Site selection criteria, with the footfall numbers a lunch driven format actually needs
·The one week pop up plan I would run first, and exactly what it would prove for under five thousand euro
·The full operating rhythm of a two pan day, from prep time to sold out

A shared licence means you may use and build on everything in the file. It is not exclusivity, other people can buy the same dossier, and it transfers no name, domain or code. Immediate download, so your right of withdrawal lapses on delivery. See the withdrawal terms.

If you would rather have this idea to yourself than share the dossier, say so and we can talk. Be aware that for this one there is no domain, no prototype and no code waiting for you. There is the thinking, and an agreement that I take the idea off this page. Write to me.