Catering app for Philippine caterers: from package quote to final payment

Package per head, and the extras that change the total

Most Filipino caterers sell packages. A wedding or debut package lists the number of viands, rice, dessert, drinks, the buffet setup, uniformed waiters and often the styling, at a price per head with a minimum number of guests. Then the extras arrive: a lechon, a carving station, a dessert or coffee bar, an additional hour, an upgraded backdrop.

The total moves every time the client adds something or the head count changes. A catering app should hold the package and each add-on as separate lines on one order, recalculate the total, the VAT and the balance when anything changes, and keep a history so nobody argues later about what was included.

Suppliers, kitchen sheets and who sees what

Many caterers in the Philippines sell more than food. An all-in package might bundle the backdrop, the centrepieces, the host, lights and sounds and even the cake, using partner suppliers. That is good business, but it multiplies the number of people who must show up at the right time.

Keep every supplier on the order with their call time and contact. On the day, the event sheet should tell your team leader when the stylist sets up, when the host arrives and when the lechon is carved, without anyone phoning the office.

The kitchen does not need the price. It needs the head count, the viands, the quantities and the time the food must leave. When the client moves from 150 to 180 guests on Wednesday, the quantities on the kitchen sheet should change from that one edit.

Give the head cook a role that shows the kitchen sheet and timings but not the margins. Give the team leader the event sheet with addresses and supplier call times. Keep prices and payments for the owner and the office.

The same split works for your partner suppliers: they need the address, the call time and the layout, never the price you charged the client for their part of the package.

Sample catering quote: debut for 150 guests in Quezon City

Saturday evening debut for 150 guests at a function room in Quezon City. The caterer is VAT-registered and supplies food, buffet setup, styling for the 18 roses and 18 candles, and waiters. Prices are illustrative.

• Illustrative prices in pesos.
• VAT at 12% applies only if the caterer is VAT-registered.
• This is a quotation. The official invoice comes from your BIR-authorised booklet or registered system.
• If you charge a service charge, show it as its own line: under RA 11360 it goes to covered staff.

What to test in a demo before choosing catering software in the Philippines

A December weekend with four orders and one van

December shows whether a catering business has a system or a memory. On a single Saturday a caterer might run a corporate Christmas party for 300 in Makati at noon, a christening for 80 in Marikina in the afternoon and a debut for 150 in Quezon City at night, with a party tray delivery squeezed in between. Each order has its own head count, menu, address and call time, and the same van, chafing dishes and waiters move between them.

Plan the weekend from the orders, not from a group chat. Print the event sheets in time order, check that the equipment returning from the noon event can reach the evening one, and confirm each client's final head count by Thursday. When the head count changes, change it on the order so the kitchen sheet follows. On Monday, the same orders tell you which balances are still open and which corporate invoices still need the client's TIN.

Food tasting, the contract and the head count deadline

Many couples and debutantes book after a food tasting, and the tasting is where the menu, the package inclusions and the minimum head count get settled. Record those decisions on the order the same day, together with the date by which the client must give a final head count. A clear deadline protects you from buying for 200 and serving 150.

Put the cancellation and rebooking terms in the contract and keep a copy with the order. When a client asks to move the date, the order shows what was paid, what is refundable under your terms and which supplier deposits are already spent.

Downpayments and balances by GCash, bank and cash

Clients usually pay a downpayment to confirm, sometimes in two tranches, and settle the balance before or on the day. Money arrives by GCash, bank transfer and cash, and it is easy for a payment to sit in a phone screenshot instead of the books.

Record each payment against the order on the day you receive it, with the amount and the date, and check the list against your e-wallet and bank statements every week in peak season. Venura records payments you enter. It does not take payments or connect to GCash or bank accounts.

VAT, invoices and service charge for caterers

VAT-registered caterers charge 12% VAT, and registration is compulsory once gross sales pass ₱3 million in 12 months. Since RR 7-2024 under the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, the invoice is the primary document for catering services, issued from a BIR-authorised booklet or a registered system. Covered taxpayers must issue electronic invoices by 31 December 2026, and the BIR has said invoices typed in Word or Excel do not count. Micro taxpayers are outside that mandate.

If you collect a service charge, Republic Act 11360 requires it to go to your covered non-managerial staff, so keep it as its own line. Corporate clients will also ask for their registered name and TIN on the invoice for larger sales, so capture those details on the order from the start.

Where Venura's catering app fits

Venura's catering app keeps each order as one record from inquiry to final payment. It builds quotations in pesos with 12% VAT per line or none if you are non-VAT, tracks downpayments and balances, prints kitchen and event sheets from the order, gives each staff member a role, and shares documents by WhatsApp or email. It runs on the web and in native Android and iOS apps, with a free 30-day trial and plans for the Philippines priced on request.

It is not a BIR-registered invoicing system and does not connect to the BIR, GCash or banks. Your official invoice still comes from your authorised booklet or registered system; Venura makes sure the numbers on it match the order.

Catering software questions from the Philippines