New operator
have two seasonal locations locked in for this summer in Ontario, June–October. Both are in a high tourist volume area on the Bruce Peninsula — hundreds of thousands of visitors per season.
Location 1 — Hotel
• Indoor, limited restock access (Mon–Fri + Saturday mornings)
• $150/month rent + ~$70/month insurance
• 5 month season = ~$1,100 all-in fixed costs before product
Location 2 — Marina harbour building
• Indoor, free space from the municipality
• Zero fixed costs
Both are test locations — I have no data yet on actual sales volume.
My question is:
Is it worth dropping $6,000 + per machine on a new machine for each location when I have zero sales history, or should I find a cheap used machine to test first and upgrade if the locations perform?
The marina is $150 a month. The hotel costs me $220/month regardless of sales so I need it to perform.
Experienced operators — would you go new or test cheap first for seasonal tourist locations with no sales history?