[ Industry advisory · Hospitality ]

Strategic advisory for catering operators running real events at real scale.

Catering and events businesses live and die on the gap between cash and profit. Deposits arrive months early, costs land in the week of the event, and the P&L only tells the truth event by event. We help catering operators see what each booking actually earns — and what the year ahead really looks like on the cash side.

[ What we hear, again and again ]

The pressures inside catering & events companies.

None of these are signs of a poorly-run business. They're signs that the financial relationship around the business hasn't kept up.

  • 01Cashflow lumpy and seasonal — flush in spring, empty in winter
  • 02Deposits banked months before the event is delivered, masking real position
  • 03WIP and prepaid costs on booked events rarely tracked properly
  • 04Casual and agency staffing scaling unpredictably with event volume
  • 05Margin per event invisible — only the blended monthly number is seen

[ How we work ]

What strategic support actually looks like.

  1. 01

    Event-level P&L with deposits, deferred revenue and WIP properly recognised

  2. 02

    Forward booking pipeline modelled into cash, not just revenue

  3. 03

    Casual wage cost tied to event volume and hours, not a flat ratio

  4. 04

    Cash and tax provisioning planned across the seasonal curve

  5. 05

    Structure designed for vehicles, equipment and brand vs operating risk

[ The numbers that matter ]

What good operators in this industry actually watch.

Not a long list — the handful of numbers that, watched consistently, change how the business is run.

  • 01

    Gross margin per event

    By event type, size and channel — not blended

  • 02

    Deposit cash on hand

    Cash held against work not yet delivered

  • 03

    Forward booking value

    Confirmed revenue in the pipeline by month

  • 04

    Wages as % of event revenue

    Casual and core, tracked event by event

  • 05

    Cash cover for off-season

    Months of fixed cost held against the quiet window

[ Across the year ]

A real cadence — not a tax-time call.

See the full 12-month cadence →

[ The honest line ]

Catering operators who understand the gap between deposits, delivery and real profit make calmer decisions — and survive the quiet months other operators don't see coming.

[ The next conversation ]

Run the season — event by event.

Bring the messy stuff. The numbers, the pressures, the decisions you've been putting off. The first conversation is structured, candid and obligation-free.

Book an introductory call →See the Command Centre

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