Most street food vendors see no viable future, new study reveals

Ahead of the Autumn Budget, new data suggests that grassroots vendors are rapidly losing faith in their future.

In a recent hospitality survey, only one per cent of respondents viewed the UK street food sector as having a robust, viable future, according to independent hospitality group Kerb.

"There's a clear message here for the government," said Simon Mitchell, the group's chief executive, as reported by City AM .

"Street food has long been where the next generation of hospitality businesses start out – but the system is stacked against them right now.

He noted that businesses are "having to massively reduce labour costs, meaning owners are stuck on the frontline of day-to-day operations instead of investing in growth".

Historically, street food has been a crucial development stag