Steps at a glance
- Choose one place for your recordsOne notebook, one spreadsheet or one app. Records split across places get lost.
- Note the daily count and deliveriesWrite who got a box each day, including single orders and who was on leave.
- Record payments the day they arriveName, amount, date, how they paid and the month it is for.
- Write down every expenseGroceries, gas, packing, delivery and helper pay, with the date and amount.
- Check who owes every weekCompare what each customer owes with what they paid, including earlier months.
- Close the month with a summaryMoney in, money out, profit, and what is still owed to you.
- Keep a backup copySave a copy every month somewhere other than your phone.
What records does a tiffin business need?
You do not need an accountant's books to run a tiffin service. You need four simple lists that answer four questions.
| List | Answers the question |
|---|---|
| Daily count | How many boxes did I make and deliver, and for whom? |
| Payments | Who paid me, how much, and when? |
| Expenses | What did I spend to run the kitchen? |
| Dues | Who still owes me, and since when? |
Keep one more list: your customers. It is the list you check before every delivery and every bill.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Name and phone | Leo, 98765 00000 |
| Address or pickup | Flat 4B, Green Park Road |
| Plan and price | Lunch, Monday to Saturday, ₹2,600 |
| Start date | 20th of last month |
| Diet notes | Less spicy, no egg |
| Status | Active, on leave until Friday, or stopped |
When a customer stops, do not delete them. Mark them as stopped. They may come back, and their old payments still belong in your records.
Update the list the same day something changes: a new address, a price change, a new diet note. A delivery to an old address or a box with egg for someone who asked for none is the kind of mistake that loses a customer.
What should you write down every day, week and month?
| When | What to note | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Every day | The count, who was on leave, single orders, deliveries done. | So the month's bill matches what was eaten. |
| Every day | Payments received and money spent. | Memory fails by the end of the month. |
| Every week | Who owes, and anything owed from earlier months. | Small dues are easier to collect than big ones. |
| Every week | Food wasted or boxes returned. | So you can change portions or dishes. |
| Every month | Money in, money out, profit, still owed. | So you know if the business is working. |
A daily line can be as short as this: "Tue 14: 21 boxes, Leo and Mia on leave, 2 single orders. Received ₹2,600 from Sam (UPI). Spent ₹850 on vegetables." One line a day is enough to rebuild any month later.
How do you track expenses without a headache?
Keep every bill. Put paper bills in one envelope per month, or take a photo the same day. Then note each expense in a few simple groups.
- Groceries and vegetables
- Gas and electricity
- Packing: containers, bags, foil, labels
- Delivery: fuel or delivery pay
- Helper pay
- Other: repairs, new pots, phone data
Keep business money and home money apart. If you buy groceries for both at once, write down only the share used for the tiffins. Mixed money is the main reason cooks cannot tell if they made a profit.
Once a week, add up the expenses in each group. If one group suddenly jumps, such as packing or fuel, you see it early and can do something about it, like asking customers to return containers or changing the delivery order.
How do you know if you made a profit?
At the end of each month, take the money you actually received and subtract what you spent. That is your profit for the month. Money still owed is not profit yet: note it separately and collect it.
| Month summary | Amount |
|---|---|
| Money received | ₹52,000 |
| Money spent | ₹36,000 |
| Profit | ₹16,000 |
| Still owed by customers | ₹5,200 |
If the profit is too small for the hours you work, look at your costs and your price. See how to price your tiffin.
Compare each month with the one before. More customers but the same profit usually means costs have risen or too much is owed. Fewer customers but more profit can mean your new price is working. The numbers tell you where to look; you decide what to change.
Should you use a notebook, a spreadsheet or an app?
Any of them works if you use it every day. Choose by how many customers you have and how comfortable you are with your phone.
| Way | Good at | Hard at |
|---|---|---|
| Notebook | Quick to start, no phone needed. | Totals, dues across months, backups. |
| Spreadsheet | Totals and monthly summaries. | Typing on a phone while you cook. |
| App made for tiffins | Daily count, dues and reminders in one place. | Learning it in the first week. |
Whatever you choose, do not keep half the records in a notebook and half in chats. The day you need to find one payment, you will search both and still not be sure.
Do you need records for tax or a licence?
Rules about food businesses, income and tax differ from place to place and change over time. Check the current rules for your area, and ask a local accountant if you are not sure what applies to you.
Whatever the rules say, clean monthly records make every form and every conversation easier. Keep your bills and monthly summaries for as long as your local rules ask, and longer if you are unsure.
Good records also help when you want a loan, rent a bigger kitchen or simply plan the next year. They show what the business really earns, month after month, in your own handwriting or files.
How do you keep your records safe?
- Save a copy every month: a photo of the notebook pages, or a spreadsheet file kept somewhere other than your phone.
- Your customer list has phone numbers and addresses. Do not share it, and do not post it in groups.
- If you use an app, check that you can download your records whenever you want them.
- Write the month and year on every page or file, so you can find it later.
If your phone is lost or broken, a backup is the difference between a bad day and a lost business. Make it a habit: on the first day of every month, after you close the month, save the copy.