Reminder: Any business selling products requires a business license, and any business selling food requires a health department permit. If you sell food at an event, you may need additional permits as well. It is likely that you’ll have to produce food in a commissary or commercial kitchen. Check your local requirements, as they vary between states and counties.
Also- If you are self-employed (as you might be with some of these side hustles) remember that you will need to set aside money for taxes. W2 jobs usually withhold part of your paycheck to cover your federal taxes, and your employer pays for half for you. When you are self-employed nothing is withheld and you must pay the full amount yourself, and depending on where you live you may need to pay state income tax. A good rule of thumb is to set aside 15-20% of earnings.
1. Sell at a Holiday Market or Bazaar
During the holiday season, different markets and holiday bazaars will start popping up. In my area, the Saturday market goes year-round, but vendors may shift as the seasons do, making openings for new stalls. Here are some top ideas for food-related things to sell:
- Baked Goods
Baked goods are always a hit during the holiday season. As the cold weather kicks in there is nothing better than a fresh-made treat. You could sell baked goods for people to enjoy as they shop, or pre-packaged goods for them to take home and enjoy later. Cookie stands are becoming increasingly popular, but cupcakes, pies, and everything in between can be a hit as well.
- Food or Drink Mixes as Gifts
The end of the year is when many people start looking for holiday gifts for friends and family. Food or drink mixes make great gifts or stocking stuffers (especially for people you may not know that well, like teachers or co-workers). Just combine ingredients into festive bags or containers, and add a label with instructions (and the ingredients so people can check for allergens). Here are some top ideas for mixes:
- Hot Cocoa Mix (sugar, milk powder, cocoa, candy canes)
- Coffee Mix (take the hot cocoa a step further and add instant coffee)
- Baking Mixes (all the dry ingredients for sugar cookies, plus a few holiday themed cookie cutters and sprinkles)
- Soup Mixes (dried beans, pasta, spices)
- Spice Blends (bbq rubs, curry mix, cinnamon and sugar)
- Almond Roca, Fudge and Seasonal Candy
Another popular idea for holiday markets is to sell nostalgic treats like almond roca, fudge, or seasonal candy. Set out samples for customers to try while they shop, and have pre-made bags for them to buy and take home.
- Roasted Nuts and Flavored Popcorn
Along the lines of seasonal candy and treats, roasted nuts are a hallmark of the holiday season. You don’t just have to follow tradition and have honey-roasted either, spice things up with savory flavors too. Along those lines, you can sell kettle corn and flavored popcorn as a snack or gift, or sell popcorn seasoning on its own.
- Hot sauce
If you’re a fan of making (or eating) hot sauces, then consider making hot sauces around the holidays. Hot sauce is a great gift or stocking stuffer, and sample packs are perfect for family taste tests.
- Cookie decorating kits
Cookie decorating kits offer a fun activity for the buyer. First, make sugar (or gingerbread) cookies that are cut into festive shapes. Then, make up a few colors of shelf-stable icing or frosting and put them into piping bags (don’t cut the tips, let the customer do that). Place these in cute packages with candy sprinkles that can be used to decorate the cookies. Be sure to include a “use by” date to make sure your customers enjoy them while they are still fresh and food safe.
- Crochet kitchen items like pie holders, heat things, coasters
Although these aren’t technically food products, crochet or sewed things like hot pads, aprons, pie holders, or drink coasters are food-related. If you have sewing, knitting, or crocheting skills then you could make kitchen goods to sell at a market (and this wouldn’t require a food permit!). Bonus, you can sell these on Etsy too!
Difficulty rating: 4/5
Why: Depending on the scope and scale of what you choose to sell, the hardest part may be acquiring the required permits and finding a production facility. Be sure to check local requirements for the state and city before applying to be a market or bazaar vendor, like a sales tax permit and approval from the local health department. You’ll also need to practice making what you are trying to sell.
Earning potential: 4/5
Why: Selling holiday-themed food items or gifts at a market or bazaar can totally pay off financially if you do it right. Say your initial investment to start the business was $1000 and you could attend 5 events throughout the season. If you are selling bags of spiced nuts, and make a $4 profit per bag, then you’ll only need to sell around 50 bags per event to break even.
2. Drink or Snack Stand
During the last few months of the year, there are multiple opportunities to set up a drink or snack stand at family events—for example, partner with a local pumpkin patch or Christmas tree farm on the weekends and evenings and sell seasonal snacks or drinks. A drink or snack stand is a great way to dip your toes into local food selling, without having to create a whole menu or worry about finding customers. The little coffee cart set up at my local pumpkin patch had a line the whole time.
- At a drink stand, you can sell hot cocoa, apple cider, coffee, energy drinks, or soda. Don’t forget to offer drinks that appeal to adults AND children.
- A festive snack cart could sell apple cider donuts, popcorn, elephant ears, or fudge. You could even sell pre-packaged items like chips or candy and take the prep work out of it entirely.
Difficulty rating: 3.8/5
Why: Starting a drink or snack stand will still require permits, but it may require less skill than something like baking, although it may be more difficult to get approval from the health department depending on your setup and if you need access to potable water or whether you need to deal with proper disposal or holding of the gray water used to prep items or clean dishes.
Earning potential: 3.75/5
Why: You can make a nice profit from selling drinks or pre-made snacks, and these events can be packed during weekends and evenings. Set up your cart stand at a Christmas tree farm and work for three or four weekends before the holiday and you can make hundreds or thousands in profit, plus tips!
3. Drive for Delivery Services
Every list of side hustles wouldn’t be complete without including a delivery driver service. In the cold, rainy, or snowy months, people will be less likely to want to go grocery shopping or go out to dinner, so sites like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Caviar, Postmates, and Instacart will need more drivers and shoppers on hand.
People may be quick to dismiss DoorDash as a profitable side hustle, but as someone who has driven for the site since college, I can vouch for its profitability. I have completed over 2,400 deliveries on DoorDash, I promise it can be worthwhile.
For my top tips on how to make over $20 an hour driving with DoorDash check out this blog.
Difficulty rating: 1/5
Why: Really all you need to become a delivery driver is to be over 18, have a car, and *hopefully* have insurance. It usually only takes a day or two to sign up, and once you’re approved you can start delivering orders. There will be slow times when you aren’t able to start a driving session, or times when it takes a while to get an order (or a worthwhile order), but once you sign up you’re good to go.
Earning potential: 3.5/5 Why: Depending on your area, you’ll likely earn anywhere from $15-$25 per hour on DoorDash. Unlike other side hustles listed here where you could make a few hundred dollars in an afternoon, you’re likely going to need to work a whole evening to reach $100 and you’ll have to subtract the cost of gas. That being said, for having a relatively low barrier to entry, I think it can be worthwhile to sign up.
4. Restaurant Decoration/ Window Writing
If you are artistic or enjoy design, you could help out busy local restaurants by helping them decorate for the holiday season. Make a quick portfolio of previous holiday displays or ideas to show to restaurant owners. Present them with a few design options and pricing estimates (in your estimate, be sure to include decoration pricing along with how much you would want to be paid for your time and effort). (This isn’t just for restaurants!!!)
For someone with calligraphy or drawing skills, you could make extra cash by window writing and drawing. From holiday hours or specials to snowy scenes, your talents can help restaurants or coffee shops promote their seasonal menu offerings.
Alternatively, if you have graphic design skills, you could work with local restaurants to create their seasonal menu designs. Think of how restaurants often display seasonal cocktails on tri-fold table displays. You can design, print (and laminate if necessary), and deliver seasonal menus to earn some cash. Alternatively, you could offer to design a set number of social media posts for them for the holiday season.
You can find potential customers for these by handing out business cards or flyers, or by posting on sites like UpWork or looking through listings.
Difficulty rating: 2/5
Why: The initial investment for these options is low, or possibly even free, but you will need some skills and have to be able to market yourself in order to get businesses to take you up on what you are offering.
Earning potential: 3/5 Why: You could realistically earn $25 or more an hour doing these types of jobs, and you could also set your own schedule. The earning potential depends on your skill level, and how many businesses are willing to take you up on it.
5. Food Photography
If you have a knack for photography and photo editing (and camera equipment lying around) you can take your business card or portfolio around to local restaurants or food trucks and offer a photography session for a set price. I have seen edited photos of 15 items for $100. Make sure that you have necessary photography equipment and a good lighting setup, as taking an iPhone picture and calling it good may not seem worthwhile for the restaurant.
Difficulty rating: 2.5/5
Why: You’ll need some skills and equipment to start, but otherwise you don’t need to obtain permits or anything to offer photography skills (just a business license) so it won’t cost much to get started.
Earning potential: 4/5
Why: Professional photographers can earn a decent amount for just a few hours of work (of course it does take skill and practice), and photo editing software makes the process even more efficient. If you can find a few restaurants in one area, you could make hundreds in just one day of work.
6. Catering for holiday parties
During the holiday season there may be an increased demand for catering, both for work holiday parties or family gatherings. Catering can be a great way to dip your toes into owning a food business without having it getting in the way of a normal day job too much, as many catering events are for evenings and weekends. Plus, the catering industry is quickly growing.
Plus, not all catering requires extensive cooking knowledge- for example, making charcuterie boards leans more towards assembly than cooking. Cut up fruit, veggies, cheeses, and meats, and assemble them in an aesthetically pleasing way. There are multiple people that run charcuterie board businesses out of the commissary kitchen I use to prep food for my food truck, and it always seems that business is booming.
If you aren’t comfortable starting your own catering business as a side hustle, look into local catering companies and see if they could use an extra hand during the holiday season.
Difficulty rating: 3/5
Why: Again, you’ll need food permits and likely access to a commissary kitchen to cook and prep food, but catering is a great way to lean into what your skills are when it comes to cooking, and if you aren’t comfortable cooking, then you can make charcuterie boards which is a huge trend right now.
Earning potential: 4.5/5 Why: People are willing to spend a lot on catering because it takes the stress out of their hands. I have catered multiple events with my food truck business, and all I have had to do is deliver the food and do minimal setup and I have made hundreds of dollars in profit (and almost that much in tips) each time. I will say though, that catering events where you and staff must stay and work the whole thing may be less profitable, mainly because labor costs add up quickly.
7. Food Blogging or Social Media
Although this option may make more time to pay off, it may be right for you. If you enjoy recipe or food testing and writing then you can start a food blog to share your opinions and experiences. Whether you post recipes, review kitchen gadgets, try out foods from local restaurants or stores (Trader Joe’s and Costco always seem to generate excitement) you can find ways to monetize your blog either through ad revenue or affiliate links. For example, if you test kitchen gadgets you can add your Amazon link to earn a small portion of profit from each item that is sold. You can promote your blog through social media like Instagram or Tiktok.
Difficulty rating: 4/5
Why: Starting a blog or online food business can be difficult because you have to spend a lot of time creating content, setting up a website, and trying to reach a potential audience. On one hand, it is a business that you can work on in your free time and from anywhere as long as you have a laptop, but on the other hand it requires a lot of patience and a huge time commitment before you could potentially see results.
Earning potential: 1.5/5
Why: Many people are earning a decent amount from online blogging or social media sites, but it is very competitive and in order to gain traction you’ll have to invest a lot of time. That being said, the short-term earning potential is low. In contrast, the long-term earning potential could be higher if you can get ad revenue through Google Adsense or a site like Mediavine, or if you can capitalize on affiliate marketing.
The Bottom Line
With so much going on in the holiday season, it can be a great time to earn some extra cash. With more people out holiday shopping, eating, and spending, take advantage of one of these holiday season side hustles to help give yourself more peace of mind this fall and winter.
