Sample Event Expense Total (100 guests)
| Ingredient | Qty / portion | Unit | Price / unit (€) | Cost (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Cost | pcs | — | ||
| Staff Cost | pcs | — | ||
| Equipment + Transport | pcs | — | ||
| Unexpected / Contingency | pcs | — |
Cost per Portion
€0.00
Total Batch Cost
€0.00
Professional Tips for Accurate Costing
- Log every receipt on event day — not 3 weeks later.
- Categorise costs: food, staff, equipment, transport, unexpected. Each tracked separately.
- Compare actual to quoted — drift over 8% needs investigation.
- Build a per-event P&L immediately after the event — fresh memory is most accurate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Without it, you can't know what each event actually earned. Aggregate monthly numbers hide loss-making events behind profitable ones.
Food, casual staff, equipment hire, transport, breakage, contingency. Allocate a share of fixed overhead too for true profitability.
Track per-event P&L for 90 days. Find your top and bottom 20% performers by net margin. Lean into the patterns of your top events; decline replicas of your worst.