Catering & events

From quote to last tray, nothing slips

Quote the client, lock the date, take the deposit, cook from a prep list built from your recipes and send the van on time. DineBills runs your catering and events business on the same menu, stock and customers as your restaurant.

Quotes & proposals
Event calendar
Deposits & balances
Prep lists from recipes

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app.dinebills.com/catering

DineBills catering and events board with a week calendar of events, a confirmed corporate lunch with a per-head package, deposit paid and balance due, and a kitchen prep timeline by station

Corporate lunch · 120 pax

Thursday 13:00 · deposit 50% paid

Prep sheet printed

Grill starts 9:00 · van leaves 12:15

Balance due on 15 Oct

Catering

A booking taken in March for 300 guests in June. DineBills holds the quote, the date, the deposit, the per-head menu and the kilos of rice, so the event day is just cooking.

The challenge

Catering runs on spreadsheets and memory

Enquiries come by phone, quotes live in email, the deposit is in a notebook and the kitchen finds out the quantities the day before.

Quotes that go cold

Every proposal is retyped in a document, prices drift from the real menu, and nobody follows up before the client books elsewhere.

Events lost in the diary

A wedding taken in March for June sits in a chat. Two events clash on the same van, or the kitchen hears about it too late.

Deposits and balances

Who paid an advance, how much is left and when it is due becomes a separate job, and money slips through.

Quantities by guesswork

Turning "biryani for 300" into kilos of rice, meat and spices is done by hand, with waste on one side and shortages on the other.

How DineBills helps

Every event, from the first call to the final invoice

One booking carries the menu, guest count, timings, payments and the kitchen plan, so sales, kitchen and drivers all work from the same sheet.

app.dinebills.com/catering/new

Order entry screen used to build an advance catering order with customer, menu items and charges

01 · Quotes & bookings

Quote in minutes, confirm in one click

Build a quote from your real menu and per-head packages, add setup, staff and delivery charges, and send it. When the client says yes, the quote becomes a dated event on the calendar with the same lines and prices.

Quotes and proposals with menu, guest count and extras
Event calendar by week, month or list
Advance orders for any future date and time
Client history, contacts and saved venues

app.dinebills.com/menu/modifiers

Back office choice groups used to build a per-head catering package

02 · Packages & event sheets

Per-head packages and a sheet everyone can read

Price packages per guest, such as "two mains, one dessert, one drink", with choice groups built like any deal. Each event prints an event sheet (BEO) with the menu, timings, venue, setup and dietary notes for the kitchen and the floor team.

Per-head packages with choice groups and minimum guests
Separate catering prices from dine-in
Event sheet with timeline, setup, staffing and allergies
Open-price lines for one-off requests

Menu, deals and packages

app.dinebills.com/recipes

Recipe list with cost, price and food cost percentage used to plan catering production

03 · Production

Prep lists straight from your recipes

Every dish already has a recipe with yields and wastage. DineBills multiplies it by the guest count, so purchasing gets an ingredient list and each station gets a prep list with start times, tied to the dispatch time.

Ingredient totals across all upcoming events
Prep lists per station with start times
Stock deducted when the event is fulfilled
Food cost and margin for every event

Inventory & recipes

app.dinebills.com/orders

Order list with upcoming catering events, totals and payment status

04 · Payments & invoices

Deposits, balances and invoices on the same booking

Take a deposit when the event is confirmed, record part payments, and send the final invoice with taxes calculated correctly. Corporate clients can order through the month and settle on account.

Deposit, part payments and balance due date
Invoices with your logo and tax breakdown
On-account billing for corporate clients
Reminders for balances due this week

How an order flows

An event, from enquiry to invoice

How a catering booking moves through DineBills.

1

Quote

Menu, per-head price, extras and charges.
2

Confirm

The quote becomes an event and a deposit is recorded.
3

Plan

Ingredient totals, prep lists and the event sheet.
4

Assign

Chefs, servers, drivers and the van for the day.
5

Deliver & set up

Dispatch time, venue, setup notes and contact.
6

Invoice

Collect the balance or bill the account.

Made for your menu

Per-head menus, trays and platters, all costed from recipes.

Built in

Tools for a catering and events team

Everything ties back to the same menu, recipes, customers and reports as your restaurant.

Quotes and proposals

Built from the real menu, converted to an event in one click.

Event calendar

Week, month and list views with status colours and labels.

Per-head packages

Choice-based menus priced per guest.

Learn more

Event sheet (BEO)

Menu, timeline, venue, setup and dietary notes on one page.

Deposits and balances

Advance, part payments and due dates per event.

Advance orders

Any future date and time; tickets fire on schedule.

Production and prep lists

Quantities from recipes, prep timed to dispatch.

Learn more

Delivery and setup scheduling

Dispatch slots, vans, venues and setup times.

Staff assignment

Chefs, servers and drivers per event.

Invoices

Tax-correct invoices and on-account statements.

Event margin

Revenue, food cost and margin per event.

Learn more

Phone enquiries

Caller lookup and client history for bookings.

Learn more

Event day

On the day, everyone works from the same plan

The kitchen, the dispatch desk and the event manager see the same booking, so the 12:15 van leaves with the right trays and the right people.

Station prep timeline

Marinate, cook, pack and dispatch, each with an owner and a start time.

Printed prep sheet

One click prints the prep sheet and the event sheet for the pass.

Dispatch board

Which van, which venue and when it has to leave.

Status at a glance

Confirmed, deposit pending, corporate account or wedding, shown with colour and a label.

Frequently asked questions

Still curious? Talk to our team.

Can I send a quote before the client confirms?

Yes. Build a quote from your menu and packages, add charges for setup, staff and delivery, and send it. When the client accepts, it becomes a confirmed event with the same lines, ready for a deposit.

How are deposits and balances handled?

Record a deposit or any number of part payments against the event. The remaining balance and its due date show on the event and in the calendar, and the balance can be collected on delivery, at the counter or billed to the client’s account.

Can I price menus per head?

Yes. Create per-head packages with choice groups, for example two mains, one dessert and one drink per guest, and set the quantity to the guest count. Catering prices can differ from your dine-in prices.

Will it tell me how much to prepare?

If your dishes have recipes, DineBills totals the ingredients needed for upcoming events, including sub-recipes, yields and wastage, and splits the work into prep lists per station.

What is an event sheet?

An event sheet (often called a BEO, banquet event order) is the one-page brief for an event: menu, guest count, timings, venue, setup, staffing and dietary notes. DineBills prints it from the booking so nobody works from an old version.