Custom software for settlement models in contract catering
Appfront builds software for contract caterers who have their own settlement model for each client: a fixed fee, open book with costs plus a management fee, a contribution per meal, a guaranteed result, or a combination. Revenue from the tills, purchasing, staff hours and other costs are brought together per location, the contract's settlement model is applied, and the client receives a settlement with supporting detail. So the monthly settlement is no longer a spreadsheet per location, and a client can see where the money went.
What is software for settlement models in contract catering?
A contract caterer runs a client's staff restaurant. How costs and revenue are divided is set out in the contract, and that differs from client to client. With one, the client pays all costs plus a fee; with another, the caterer carries the risk for a fixed contribution, or the client subsidises each meal. Settlement software applies the right model for each contract to the location's actual figures.
At many caterers, the settlement is still produced each period from a spreadsheet per location. Till revenue, purchase invoices, hours from the rotas and other costs are gathered by hand. A mistake in a formula leads to a dispute with the client. A client with open book wants to see the supporting detail, and that has to be compiled again every time.
We build custom because the settlement has to fit your contracts and systems: which settlement models you use, which costs count and how they are allocated, which tills, purchasing and rostering systems you use, and what reporting your clients want. An accounting package knows costs per cost centre, but it doesn't know the settlement model per contract.
Model per contract
For each client, the settlement model with fee, budget, contributions and agreements, applied to the location's actual figures.
Figures from the source
Revenue from the tills, purchasing from the purchasing system and hours from the rota, brought together per location.
Settlement with supporting detail
A settlement per period that the client can check, with the supporting detail for each cost type.
How we build your software for settlement models in contract catering
We start with your contracts: how many locations, which settlement models, where the figures come from, and which disputes arose at the last settlement.
Your settlement models, contracts per location, tills, purchasing, rotas and accounting.
For each client, the settlement model, the fee, the budget and the agreements on costs.
Revenue, purchasing, hours and other costs per location, and the settlement per period.
The settlement with supporting detail, comparison against budget, a portal for clients, and ongoing maintenance afterwards.
What software for settlement models in contract catering actually does
The components below come up with almost every contract caterer. Which ones you need depends on your contracts.
Contracts
Settlement model, fee, budget and agreements per client and location.
Revenue
Revenue per location from the point-of-sale systems, per day and product group.
Cost
Purchasing, staff costs, materials and other costs per location, allocated according to the contract.
Settlement
The settlement model applied to the figures for the period, with the outcome per party.
Settlement
A settlement with justification per cost type, ready for the client.
Budget
Actual figures alongside the budget per location, with variances visible.
Who we build settlement model software for in contract catering
The software is intended for caterers with multiple clients and settlement models.
Caterers for businesses
Many clients with their own agreements. The model per contract is the core.
Caterers in healthcare and education
Locations with subsidies per meal. The contributions per user matter most.
Caterers with open-book accounting
Clients who want to see all costs. The justification is what is needed.
Caterers with many locations
Dozens of locations per period. Consolidating the source data is the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about settlement models in contract catering. For cost prices of dishes, see our page on food costing software, for equipment at events see our page on equipment issue in event catering, and for hospitality in general see our page on hospitality apps. You can read about our approach under custom software development.
Why choose Appfront for your settlement model software in contract catering?
A settlement that the client cannot follow costs trust and time. That is what we build on: the right model per contract, figures from the source, and a justification that holds up.
No spreadsheet per location
Figures come from point-of-sale, purchasing and rostering. The settlement follows from the contract.
Less debate
The client sees, per cost type, where each amount comes from.
Budget in view
A location that deviates from the budget stands out during the period.
Security and privacy in settlement model software for contract catering
The software holds revenue, costs, staff costs and contract terms, which is commercially sensitive data. Access is set by role: the location manager sees their own location, the controller sees all contracts, and a client sees only their own settlement.
The software runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily back-ups.
Frequently asked questions about settlement model software in contract catering
Questions contract caterers ask before getting started.
It records the settlement model per client, brings together revenue, purchasing, hours and other costs per location, applies the model per period, and produces a settlement with justification for the client.
The models you use, such as open book with a fee, a fixed payment, a contribution per meal or a guaranteed result, and combinations of these.
Revenue from the point-of-sale systems, purchasing from your purchasing system, hours from the roster and staff costs from payroll. We look at which systems you use in the first step.
Yes, in a portal with the settlement and the justification per cost type, or as a report per period.
According to the terms in the contract, for example by revenue or hours. The allocation is visible in the justification.
Yes. Actual figures sit alongside the budget per location, so any variance during the period stands out.
Ask that first. An accounting package tracks costs per cost centre, which is enough for a single settlement model. Custom development makes sense when clients have different models, when figures come from several systems, or when clients want to see the justification.
A contract-based settlement that the client can follow?
Tell us how many locations and clients you have, which settlement models you use and how you currently settle. We'll show you what the contracts, the settlement and the statement look like.