Starting a Street Food Business - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 21 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 2 · Questions 11–20
Audio
Questions
Questions 11–12 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Questions 13–14 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Questions 15–16 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 17–20 Matching
What problem did the owners of each of the following street food businesses experience?
Choose FOUR answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F.
A. Some ingredients were too expensive.
B. The meals took a long time to prepare.
C. They had no money for marketing.
D. It was difficult to get a permit to sell food.
E. A competitor was selling similar food in their area.
F. They worked very long hours.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | — | — | |
| Q12 | C / E | People like the idea of trying something they can't get anywhere else. They also like seeing food prepared in front of them and which hasn't come straight out of a freezer | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that people enjoy street food because it is special and they cannot find it in other places. It also says that customers like watching their meals being made fresh instead of eating food that was frozen. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies two reasons why many people like street food: it is cooked right when you order it (freshly made) and it is unique or hard to find elsewhere (unusual food). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on Jon's speech about why street food is doing well. He mentions that customers like to try food that is different from what is normally available. He also notes that people enjoy watching their food being cooked instead of getting food that was kept in a freezer. These points match 'unusual food' and 'freshly made'. |
| Q13 | — | — | |
| Q14 | B / E | Food markets, on the other hand, are great because customers are always really interested in food and give great feedback. And if you can get a spot in your local park – fantastic. Usually very relaxed but with lots of customers passing by | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that food markets are a good choice because the people there care about food and will tell you what they think. It also says that a park is a great place because it is calm and many potential customers walk through it. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies food markets and parks as the two best locations for someone starting a new street food business. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B and E because the speaker specifically calls food markets "great" and describes getting a spot in a local park as "fantastic." He notes that food markets provide helpful feedback from customers, and parks offer a relaxed environment with many people walking by. In contrast, he says music festivals are expensive and weddings require a lot of experience. |
| Q15 | B | I'd try to get things like hobs and fridges second hand if you can | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that new business owners should try to find used kitchen tools, such as stoves and refrigerators, to help save money. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the speaker thinks it is a good idea to buy used items (like stoves or fridges) instead of brand-new ones when you are starting your business. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker specifically suggests buying things like hobs and fridges 'second hand' if possible. He explains that this is a way to manage costs when starting out. He also mentions that while you can get better quality items later, and renting is an option, renting actually costs more money in the end, making buying used equipment the preferred choice. |
| Q16 | C | But there's one thing people don't always think about and that's how you're going to serve it. On a plate? In a bag? Will you provide a fork? Will it all be easily recyclable or reusable? It's got to be easy to eat and look attractive or customers won't come back | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that business owners must plan how to serve their food and ensure it looks good to the customer so that they will want to buy from the business again. Answer Explanation: The answer means how the food looks and how it is given to the customer is very important. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speaker focuses on the details of how the food is served to the customer. He mentions that business owners need to decide if they will use a plate or a bag and whether they will provide a fork. He specifically states that the food must "look attractive," which is another way of saying the presentation must be good. If it does not look good, people will not come back. Keywords to notice here are "how you're going to serve it" and "look attractive." |
| Q17 | F | My friends who run Thai Basil started by juggling their street food business with their day jobs in a restaurant. Their work-life balance was non-existent as they were working til midnight in the restaurant all week and then took their food truck to markets on their days off | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the owners were working at a restaurant until very late at night every weekday and then spent their weekends or days off working at food markets. Because of this, they were working constantly and had no balance between work and life. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the owners of Thai Basil spent a very large amount of time working and did not have much free time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because the speaker mentions that the owners of Thai Basil struggled with their "work-life balance." They were doing two things at the same time: working at a restaurant until midnight during the week and running their food truck on their days off. This meant they were working almost all the time with no rest. The term "juggling" shows they were trying to do two difficult tasks at once, and having a "non-existent" work-life balance means they had no time for a personal life because they were busy working. |
| Q18 | A | The owners of Basque found it was hard to make a profit because the price of fish – essential for some of their dishes – was so high | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the people who own Basque had a hard time making money because the fish they needed for their food was very expensive. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the items needed to make the food cost too much money. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that the owners of the business called 'Basque' struggled to make a profit. This was specifically because the price of fish, which they needed for their meals, was very high. In this context, 'high price' is a synonym for 'expensive' and 'fish' is a type of 'ingredient'. |
| Q19 | B | The owners of Lou's kitchen were making salads to order from their van and some of their dishes were quite complicated. At one of their first events they ended up with people standing in a long queue for more than 15 minutes – and many of them lost patience. So make sure whatever you offer can be served quickly and efficiently | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that because the salads were hard to make, people had to wait in a long line for 15 minutes, which made them frustrated. This shows the meals took a long time to get ready. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that the food at Lou's kitchen took too much time to make and serve to the people waiting. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the transcript describes Lou's kitchen making dishes that were "complicated," which resulted in people waiting in a "long queue" for over 15 minutes. This prolonged wait time is the "long time to prepare" mentioned in choice B. To avoid this, the speaker suggests that street food should be able to be "served quickly." |
| Q20 | D | The owners of Chip Chop had found a perfect venue near a beach where there weren't any other street food trucks. But what they hadn't realised was that they'd need a special licence – which individual businesses don't need at markets or festivals. It was a complicated process and in the end they gave up | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Chip Chop found a good place by the beach, but they were surprised to find out they needed a special license to work there. Getting the license was very difficult, so they quit. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the owners of Chip Chop had a hard time getting the official document (permit or license) that would allow them to sell their food. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the speaker explains that Chip Chop found a great location but did not realize it required a 'special licence.' In this context, a 'licence' and a 'permit' are the same thing. Because the process to get this license was 'complicated,' they chose to stop trying. |
Transcript
Good evening everyone. My name's Jon and I run Veg Out, a street food business selling vegan food. Since 2012 I've been travelling all around the country cooking vegan food in my converted van and selling it at all kinds of outdoor events. I'm here to give you some advice based on my experience.
The good news is that there's never been a better time to start your own street food business. Street food continues to grow in popularity. I think there are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that street food is a reaction against fast food. Street food ranges from high quality burgers to vegan curries and everything in between. But while fast food is cheap and easy to find, it's not particularly good for you. It's also the same everywhere. What you get with street food on the other hand is something different. People like the idea of trying something they can't get anywhere else. They also like seeing food prepared in front of them and which hasn't come straight out of a freezer.
You need to think about the best place to sell your street food. People always think music festivals are an obvious place to start but the cost of renting a space can be huge. And there's always a lot of competition. Food markets, on the other hand, are great because customers are always really interested in food and give great feedback. And if you can get a spot in your local park – fantastic. Usually very relaxed but with lots of customers passing by. Once you get established you'll start getting asked to do parties – which can be really challenging but lots of fun. Having street food at weddings has become quite fashionable too – but you need to really know what you're doing as everything needs to be perfect.
Setting up a street food business costs a lot less than opening a restaurant or café but you'll have to buy some basic equipment. I'd try to get things like hobs and fridges second hand if you can. You can replace them with better quality stuff if your business takes off. Renting is another option but you'll end up spending more money rather than saving it.
You've probably got a good idea about the food you're planning to sell. I expect you've done some research to find out if anyone else is selling a similar product. And you'll have thought about any possible allergies to nuts or eggs etc. But there's one thing people don't always think about and that's how you're going to serve it. On a plate? In a bag? Will you provide a fork? Will it all be easily recyclable or reusable? It's got to be easy to eat and look attractive or customers won't come back.
Once you get started, you should be prepared for things to go wrong. Every business faces problems and here are a few examples from street food businesses that I know.
My friends who run Thai Basil started by juggling their street food business with their day jobs in a restaurant. Their work-life balance was non-existent as they were working til midnight in the restaurant all week and then took their food truck to markets on their days off.
The owners of Basque found it was hard to make a profit because the price of fish – essential for some of their dishes – was so high. And it was hard to charge customers a lot more for those dishes. So they had to stop focussing on fish dishes and include more vegetarian food.
The owners of Lou's kitchen were making salads to order from their van and some of their dishes were quite complicated. At one of their first events they ended up with people standing in a long queue for more than 15 minutes – and many of them lost patience. So make sure whatever you offer can be served quickly and efficiently.
The owners of Chip Chop had found a perfect venue near a beach where there weren't any other street food trucks. But what they hadn't realised was that they'd need a special licence – which individual businesses don't need at markets or festivals. It was a complicated process and in the end they gave up.
So I hope that's given you a flavour of ....