BBQ-Review.com

[Admin]

Here is an easy to use catering planner!

It is available either as an Excel file (catering306.xls) or as a Zip file (catering306.zip) you can download either, (by clicking the links in blue), and use them on your own computer for free!

It is now available for Canada with GST and PST instead of Local Sales Tax, (catering306CA.xls), or as a Zip file (catering306CA.zip) you can download either, (by clicking the links in blue), and use them on your own computer for free!

You can change anything in the cells with the green backgrounds: -

The number of guests.
The number of meats.
The number of servings per lb.
The number of sides.
The servings of sides per lb.
The local sales tax %.

You can then input: -

The real costs / lb to buy the meat, etc.
The cost you want to charge your clients / lb of meat.

You can also input: -

The number of ribs / portion.
The weight of steaks / portion.

All the green background cells are available for your customization.

The Yields, in the cells with gray backgrounds can also be adjusted *, but the figures that are in these cells have been carefully considered, and work well as an average yield for each item covered. * If you adjust them please make sure that the figure is expressed as a "%", and make sure that there is a "%" in the cell or the calculations will not work out as they are designed to!

If you have details you would like added, (or questions you need answering), you can email me directly from the .xls, just click the link that says Email Me.

[grill master d]

I cannot get this silly file [either] to open i dont hav excel..but hav most other ms programs...help!!

[Admin]

Hi grill master d

Open office is a downloadable office suite, if you don't have Excel you can download openoffice for free, and then use OpenOffice.org Calc to open the .xls spreadsheet.

This is a work a round for anyone who doesn't have Excel, and doesn't want to buy more software.

I hope that helps you out!

[Admin]

Up dated version with better explanations and comments on the important boxes, greater detail to help understand what is going on all round. For those who are interested, go download the new and improved version.

[fataboy]

Great Job... This will come in handy at church..

[Admin]

Thanks to Steve Baum for pointing out an error on line 16, tax was not being added, now it is calculating correctly.

For any who want to go back and get the next version, they were updated again today, 03/05/07.

[Admin]

Please help us out, if you see an error, let us know.

If you like it, let us know.

If you don't like it, let us know.

Just let us know!

[SoEzzy]

There is a newer version with a minor changes to the chicken area, for those that would like the new version, please download it and overwrite your existing versions.

[DJ]

Xcellent Tool,
Much Appreciated.
dj

[SoEzzy]

http://www.bbq-review.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10 The latest version of my catering planner is up and about, a couple of corrections and I have made it even more customizable on some of the sections.

This is version 3.01 issued 09/11/07.

There is going to be an additional version with an executable file that will allow you to pick selections and print a page with those selections on it, in the not too distant future.

Still free to download and free to use. Enjoy!

[SoEzzy]

The way to use the planner is to download it and open it with MS Excel if you have microsoft office, if you don't have microsoft office then download the office suite on the thread, from www.openoffice.org and open the .xls file with openoffice Calc.

Once you have opened the catering planner: -

You may change all the cells with green backgrounds, to reflect the number of guests, meats, serving size, sides, and tax, if you don't want to include tax for some reason, please insert a 0 (zero) into the Local Tax (cell B11).
You may change all the cells with a gray background, except the title of the page. These cells represent the yield of any item expressed as a percentage, with a 50% yield 10 lbs uncooked meat will yield 5 lbs cooked meat, with a 65% yield that same 10 lbs of uncooked meat will yield 6.5lbs cooked meat

Input the number of guests (cell B6)
Input the number of meats (cell B7)
Input servings / lb of meats (cell B
Input the number of sides (cell B9)
Input servings / lb of sides (cell B10)
Input the sales tax for your state (cell B11)

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Input the yields in the rest of column B (the figures that are in B as the defaults are pretty accurate, some people get a little higher on some items, some get a little lower, the defaults are the averages from several experienced bbq caterers).
Input the costs you pay for the meats and sides in column D.
Input the cost to the client in column H, to get a fair price look at column K and try for between 300 & 350% profit, (this is about the national standard for average catering charges).

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The amount of uncooked meat (by weight) is displayed in column E.
The const to buy that amount of meat is displayed in column F.
The estimated cooked weight of meat is displayed in column G.
The total cost of that meat to the client is displayed in column I.
The gross profit of that meat is displayed in column J.
The profit margin is displayed in column K.
The cost per portion / plate is displayed in column L.
The weight per portion of that serving is displayed in column N.

Spare ribs 3 portioned / serving (cell B22) as there are normally 12 ribs on a rack of spare ribs, you can feed 12 people 1 rib each, up through 6 people having 2 ribs each, to one person having 12 ribs, by changing cell (B22) to reflect the number of ribs you wish to serve per portion, the calculator will work out how many racks of ribs you will need for the stated number of guests.

Steaks by the Oz (cell B33), by changing the number of Oz the calculator works out the amounts of steak you will need to buy to serve X Oz per portion to the stated number of guests.

When looking at Chicken portions and Sausages/Burgers the portion control numbers are in column M, change the figure in column M then effects the calculations on the number of each item you wish to serve the guests.

If you need to be able to change a figure, you are able to in this planner.

[Steve Abrams]

Thanks for the hard work in putting this together. I'll get it figured out one of these days. It just looks so confusing to my feeble brain.

[SoEzzy]

When you come up with a question feel free to ask it here or in an email, I am still stunned it all works as well as it does!

I have had several caterers say the figures are very accurate, and they wished they'd had it, (or something like it), when they were starting out, it would have saved them a number of headaches.