Contract catering
Contract catering software: the cost per meal, to the cent
When you serve thousands of meals at prices fixed by contract, the margin is won and lost in cents per portion. SKANDA gives you the real cost per meal served, with yield loss, allergens, HACCP and recurring invoicing in one place.
No card · running in under an hour · from €99/month + VAT
01 — The problem
The real challenges of institutional catering
Margins decided in cents
In contract catering there are no €60 menus: there are thousands of portions where four cents either way per meal decide whether the contract is profitable or ruinous. Without a real cost per portion, you're flying blind.
Costings out of date
Oil, chicken and vegetables change price every week, but the costing in the spreadsheet is six months old. The price agreed with the client hasn't moved. You're the one absorbing the increase.
Allergens and diets with no room for error
Coeliacs, egg allergies, soft diets, pork-free menus… In a school canteen or a care home, an allergen mistake isn't a complaint: it's a serious incident. Managing it on paper is a gamble.
HACCP and hygiene requirements
Temperature logs, cleaning records and hygiene checks that have to be filled in daily and be ready for inspection. On loose sheets they get lost, forgotten and filled in at the last minute.
02 — The tool
Kitchen management for contract catering, from purchase to invoice
Recipe costing with yield loss, to the cent per portion
Each menu breaks down into its ingredients with trim and cooking loss, giving the real cost per portion served rather than the theoretical purchase price. When you work with thousands of meals, those cents are your margin.
Allergens and special diets per recipe
Every recipe carries its sheet with the 14 allergens requiring mandatory declaration, and every diner can have their diet or dietary restriction on record. The information sits where it's needed: in the kitchen and at service.
Digital HACCP module
Hygiene records and temperature checks in digital form, ready to show at an inspection. It's an optional module: switch it on if you need it and it disappears from the menu if you don't.
Multi-location inventory with batches and expiry dates
Track stock across dry stores, chillers and vehicles, with batches that carry supplier, lot number and expiry date. Full traceability and low-stock alerts so production never stops.
Supplier invoice scanning with AI
Upload the invoice and AI extracts products, quantities and prices: your ingredients update themselves and every costing recalculates immediately. Costs always reflect the last price paid, with no data entry.
Recurring invoicing and accounting export
Invoice your recurring clients monthly with per-line tax, and export the accounts in Sage and Contasol formats for your accountant. With cost and margin reports so you know which contracts really pay.
03 — How it works
Software for institutional catering, in three steps
Load ingredients, recipes and menus
Set up your ingredients with prices (or scan supplier invoices with AI) and build your recipes with allergens and technical sheets. Recurring menus get reused from templates.
Get the cost per meal served
SKANDA applies yield loss to each ingredient and calculates the real cost per portion to the cent. When a supplier raises prices, every costing recalculates and you see instantly which contracts are losing margin.
Operate, log HACCP and invoice
Control stock, batches and expiry dates, keep hygiene and temperature records digitally, and issue monthly invoicing with accounting export for your accountant. All from one dashboard, with cost and margin reports.
04 — Dudas
Frequently asked questions about contract catering
How is SKANDA different from a generic ERP?
A generic ERP manages invoices and warehousing, but it doesn't understand kitchens: it has no concept of yield loss, allergens or cost per portion. SKANDA is built around recipe costing with yield loss, connects recipes to the meals served and adds what a contract catering kitchen actually needs: allergens, HACCP, batches with expiry dates and recurring invoicing with accounting export. No empty modules you'll never use.
How does SKANDA handle allergens and special diets?
Every recipe includes its allergen sheet covering the 14 requiring mandatory declaration in the EU (gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, dairy, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin and molluscs). You can also record each diner's diet or restriction, so kitchen and service know exactly what each person can eat.
Does it help with HACCP compliance?
Yes. SKANDA includes an optional HACCP module with digital hygiene records and temperature checks that you can switch on when you need it. Records are saved with date and responsible person, ready to present at a food safety inspection without digging through paper folders.
Is it suitable for companies serving schools, care homes or workplaces?
Yes, that's exactly the profile this part of SKANDA is built for: contract catering companies serving daily meals to schools, care homes, hospitals or workplace canteens. They work with prices fixed by contract and very tight margins, so they need cost per meal to the cent, allergen and diet control, HACCP and recurring monthly invoicing, all in the same tool.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. You get a 14-day free trial with every feature: build the costings for your standard menu, scan a few supplier invoices and check what each meal served really costs you. No card, and the system running in under an hour.
Recover the cents slipping away on every meal
Build the costing for your standard menu today and find out what margin each contract really leaves you.