Recipe costing for catering
Recipe costing software for catering
Work out the cost of every dish with trim and cooking loss, keep prices always current and discover your real margin per event. Not the estimate: the actual one.
No card · running in under an hour · from €99/month + VAT
01 — The concept
What is recipe costing and why does it decide your margin?
A costing is the breakdown of what a dish really costs: ingredients, quantities and prices. In catering you work with hundreds of covers, so an error of a few cents per portion multiplies and turns into thousands of euros lost on a single event.
The problem with doing it in a spreadsheet is that it ignores yield loss: what you buy is not what you use. SKANDA applies the yield factor to each ingredient so the cost per portion is the real one.
02 — The tool
Everything catering recipe costing needs
Yield factor with real losses
The only recipe costing software built for catering: it applies trim loss and cooking loss to every ingredient. The real cost isn't what you paid, it's the cost of the usable product once skin, bone and evaporation are gone.
Automatic cost per portion
Register ingredients with their price, build the recipe with exact quantities and the cost per portion calculates itself. No spreadsheet formulas to break and no duplicate versions.
Prices always current
When an ingredient price changes, it propagates to every costing and event that uses it. Scan the supplier invoice with AI and the prices update themselves.
From costing to margin per event
A costing on its own doesn't tell you whether you're making money. SKANDA connects each recipe to the event menu and the guest count to show you the real margin, before and after.
03 — The difference
Generic costing software doesn't understand events
Most recipe costing tools are built for a restaurant's à la carte menu. Catering is a different business.
- Applies trim and cooking loss to every ingredient
- Connects the costing to the event's menu and guest count
- Works out cost per guest and the margin on the whole event
- Updates prices straight from the supplier invoice with AI
- Built for large volumes and menus that change with every event
- See the full comparison: SKANDA vs spreadsheets →
04 — Dudas
Frequently asked questions
What is recipe costing and what is it for?
A costing is the detailed breakdown of what a dish costs: which ingredients it contains, in what quantity and at what price. It tells you what a portion really costs to make and, from there, lets you set a selling price that protects your margin. In catering it's essential because you work with large volumes and an error of a few cents per portion multiplies across hundreds of covers.
Why recipe costing software for catering rather than a generic kitchen tool?
Generic costing tools are designed for a restaurant menu. SKANDA is built for catering and events: it applies trim and cooking loss (the yield factor), connects each costing to a specific event's menu, works out the cost per guest and shows you the real margin on the whole event, not just the cost of a single dish.
What is the yield factor and why does it matter?
The yield factor reflects the difference between the gross weight you buy and the net weight you actually use. A fish loses weight when it's filleted (trim loss) and when it's cooked (cooking loss). If you cost from the purchase price you ignore those losses and underestimate the real cost. SKANDA applies both to every ingredient to give you the true figure.
Do I have to update prices by hand when they rise?
No. You update an ingredient's price once and every costing and event using it recalculates automatically. On top of that, you can scan the supplier invoice with AI and the prices update themselves, with no data entry.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. You get a 14-day free trial with every feature so you can build your first costings and check your real margin. SKANDA is designed to be up and running in under an hour.
Stop guessing what your dishes cost
Build your first costing with yield loss today and find out what you really earn on every event.