To compare a caterer’s per-plate rate with last year, record the food deal day by day instead of as one amount: the dish, the rate per plate and the number of plates for each day. When you plan the next festival, every dish can then be set against the rate you paid the last time you bought it. In Om Kosh you choose “Per plate, day by day” when you engage a food vendor, and each dish shows last time’s rate, which festival and vendor it came from, and the change in percent.
Why one deal amount hides the rise
Most committees note the caterer as one line: “Annapurna Catering, ₹13,950”. Next year the quote is ₹16,000 and nobody can say whether that is fair. Were there more days, more plates, a costlier dish, or simply a higher rate? A single total cannot answer any of it.
The rate per plate can. If puri bhaji was ₹50 a plate last year and is ₹55 now, that is a 10% rise, and the committee can decide on facts whether to accept it, bargain, or ask another caterer.
How it works in Om Kosh
When you engage the vendor for the festival, pick “Per plate, day by day (food)” and add one row per day.
- Choose the date, type the dish (dishes you served before are suggested), the rate per plate and the number of plates
- The amount for the day is worked out as rate × plates, and the deal total is the sum of the days
- Beside each dish: ▲ in red when it costs more than last time, ▼ in green when less, = when the same, or “New dish” the first time
- Under the plan: the days, the plates, the average rate per plate, and what the same dishes and plates would have cost at last time’s rates
What “last time” means
Last time is the most recent earlier festival at which your committee bought the same dish, from any caterer. The question is what the dish cost you, not what one vendor charged, so a change of caterer does not wipe out the history. Only festivals dated before the one you are planning are used, so a plan is never compared with itself, and looking back at last year’s plan compares it with the year before.
Dishes are matched by name, ignoring capitals and punctuation, so “Puri Bhaji” and “puri bhaji” are the same dish. Hover over the change to see the exact rate, the festival and the vendor it came from.
Next year’s plan in one click
If the same caterer fed you before, Om Kosh offers “Start from last time’s menu”. It fills in last year’s dishes and plates on this festival’s days, so you only type the new rates from this year’s quote, and every rise shows up as you type.
Once saved, a per-plate deal behaves like any other vendor deal: record payments against it, see the balance due, and it counts in the festival’s spend and the year-end reports. The vendor’s card shows the plan in one line, for example “Per plate · 5 days · 240 plates · avg ₹58 · ▲ 8.2% vs last time”.
For working out the quantities and plates themselves, see our guide “Planning mahaprasad: quantities, cost per plate and waste”.
Frequently asked questions
Does the comparison only use the same caterer?
No. It uses the last time you bought the same dish at an earlier festival, from any vendor, and names that vendor. So you can still compare when you change caterers.
What if a dish is new this year?
It shows “New dish”. It is counted in the deal total but left out of the comparison with last time, so a new dish neither hides nor inflates the rise.
Can different days have different dishes and plates?
Yes. Each day is its own row with its own dish, rate and plate count, which is how festival catering usually works.
Can we still pay the caterer in parts?
Yes. The deal total comes from the plan, and you record payments against it as with any vendor. The plan cannot be reduced below what you have already paid.
Does it work for vendors that are not food?
Use “One fixed amount” for vendors paid a lump sum, such as decoration or sound. The per-plate plan is meant for caterers paid by the plate.