Alamat
Malaysia
Priya and Kumar run a small catering business in Penang. One Saturday, they prepared a banana-leaf lunch for 120 guests at a community hall. The customer agreed to pay RM3,200, and the couple expected the job to deliver a healthy profit.
The event went well. Guests asked for second helpings, the organiser praised the food, and every tray returned almost empty. On the drive home, Kumar said it had been one of their best jobs that month.
Two days later, Priya gathered the receipts. The numbers told a different story. They had recorded the original ingredients, but several last-minute purchases and extra hours were scattered across messages, cash payments and small receipts.
A busy event can hide expensive extras
Priya rebuilt the full cost of the job:
- Rice, vegetables, meat and spices: RM1,420
- Wages for four helpers: RM720
- Van rental, fuel and parking: RM180
- Cooking gas, ice and disposable items: RM210
- Extra trays requested on the event morning: RM260
- Two additional hours of work: RM230
The total cost was RM3,020. From RM3,200 in sales, only RM180 remained. That amount did not yet include Priya and Kumar’s own preparation time or equipment maintenance.
The problem was not the event itself. Their original quotation covered 120 meals and six hours of service. The thin margin came from additions that were never priced or recorded as changes.
Record every change while the job is happening
Priya created a simple record for each catering order. It includes the confirmed guest count, menu, planned staff hours, transport, equipment and expected ingredient cost.
If a customer requests extra food, longer service or another delivery, the change is written down immediately with its cost. The organiser then sees the revised amount before the team continues.
After several events, their records showed which menus used more labour, which portions created waste and which venues increased transport time. Their quotations became clearer because they were based on completed jobs rather than memory.
Try this for seven days
For every order or service job this week:
- Write down the original quantity, price and expected hours.
- Record every extra request when it happens.
- Keep cash receipts together with digital payments.
- Count overtime, transport and disposable supplies.
- Compare the final cost with the amount charged.
A full order book can feel like success. A complete job record shows whether each order is actually paying for the work behind it.
Turn every completed job into a better quotation
Track quantities, extra requests and working hours so your next price protects your profit.
