Why does a small home kitchen need a plan?
Many home cooks start a tiffin service because friends love their food. That is a good start, but love does not pay for gas, vegetables and containers. A plan tells you, before you begin, whether the money will work.
You do not need a long document. You need one page that answers four questions: what does one box cost me, what do I spend every month anyway, what will I charge, and how many customers do I need. Keep the page on your fridge or in your phone, and look at it once a month.
What goes on the one page?
Copy this template into a notebook or a spreadsheet. Fill in your own numbers. The amounts below are example numbers only, to show how the sums work.
| Line | What to write | Example numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Food cost per box | Rice, flour, dal, vegetables, oil, spices for one box | ₹45 |
| Packing per box | Container wear, foil, bag, napkin | ₹5 |
| Gas and power per box | Your monthly bill increase divided by boxes | ₹6 |
| Delivery per box | Fuel or driver pay divided by boxes | ₹8 |
| Total cost per box | Add the four lines above | ₹64 |
| Fixed costs per month | Extra containers, insulated bags, phone data, small repairs | ₹1,500 |
| Your price | Per box, or per month | ₹100 per box |
| Boxes per month | Customers × days × meals | 10 × 26 × 1 = 260 |
How do you work out profit from the plan?
Profit is simple: money in minus money out. Using the example numbers above:
- Money in: 260 boxes × ₹100 = ₹26,000.
- Box costs: 260 boxes × ₹64 = ₹16,640.
- Fixed costs: ₹1,500.
- Profit before your own pay: ₹26,000 − ₹16,640 − ₹1,500 = ₹7,860.
Now ask the honest question: is that enough for the hours you work? If you cook for three hours and deliver for one hour every day, that profit has to pay for all those hours. If it does not, the plan needs a change before you start, not after.
How many customers do you need to break even?
Break even means you cover every cost, but you have not earned anything yet. Each box earns you the price minus the cost of that box. In the example, that is ₹100 − ₹64 = ₹36 per box.
Divide your fixed costs by that number: ₹1,500 ÷ ₹36 ≈ 42 boxes a month. That is less than two customers for one meal on most working days. Everything above that is your pay and your profit.
This number is useful when you are nervous at the start. It tells you how few customers you need before you stop losing money. Most of the work is then about steady customers, not about many customers.
What should you change if the numbers don't work?
There are only a few levers. Try them in this order:
- Fix the portion. Weigh one box. Same portion every day means the same cost every day.
- Buy smarter. Buy rice, flour and oil in larger packs once you have steady customers.
- Group deliveries. One round in one area costs less than many trips.
- Raise the price a little. Give customers notice, and explain what stays the same.
- Add customers in the same area. Ten customers on one street cost less to serve than ten across town.
Write every change on your page with the date. After a month you will see which lever helped. For a full pricing method, read how much should a home tiffin cost.
How do you keep the plan true every month?
A plan is only useful if it matches real life. At the end of each month, write three real numbers next to the planned ones: boxes you actually delivered, money you actually received, and what you actually spent.
If a customer still owes money, that money is not profit yet. Keep it on a separate line until it arrives. Before you start, check the current rules for your area about selling food from home, and keep any papers safe.
HomeTiffin can keep these numbers for you as you go: who paid, who owes, what you spent and what is left. See payments and dues, or read the guide how to start a home tiffin business.