Restaurants & cafes · GST-correct billing

Billing software for restaurants that gets GST, cost and reconciliation right.

Quick menu billing, the correct 5% no-ITC GST treatment (or composition), raw-material inventory with recipe costing, and Swiggy/Zomato settlements reconciled against sales. Unlimited GST invoices are free on the Solo plan.

Reviewed July 2026
5 min read
CA Anil Agarwal & the TatvaBooks team

What a restaurant or cafe actually needs from billing software

Restaurant GST is genuinely different from retail — 5% with no ITC by default, or composition for smaller places — and the accounting has to track raw materials and aggregator payouts, not just finished-item sales. Here's the checklist, and how TatvaBooks meets it.

What restaurant billing needs	How TatvaBooks does it
Quick item/menu billing	A fast billing screen built around your menu — pick items, adjust quantity, and the bill is ready to print or send, without navigating a general-purpose invoice form.
5% GST (no-ITC) for restaurants, or the composition option	Restaurant supply is set up correctly at 5% with no input tax credit by default, and if you're under composition, that's reflected too — so you're not accidentally claiming ITC you're not entitled to.
Raw-material inventory & recipe costing	Track raw materials as stock and cost a dish against the ingredients it uses, so your food cost percentage is a number you calculate, not a guess.
Reconciling aggregator settlements	Record Swiggy/Zomato settlement receipts against the sales they relate to, so commission, discounts and payout timing don't quietly eat into margin unnoticed.

Honest caveat: TatvaBooks is cloud accounting and GST billing software — it is not a full KOT/POS terminal for the kitchen or the floor. If you run table service with kitchen order tickets, keep your POS for that and use TatvaBooks for GST, inventory and accounting behind it.

For a small cafe or single-outlet restaurant

A small cafe just starting out can bill on TatvaBooks Solo at ₹0 (free), with unlimited GST-correct invoices at the right restaurant rate. As you add raw-material inventory, recipe costing or a second outlet, the Growth plan at ₹1,099/month is built for a multi-location food business with inventory and more people on the books.

From the kitchen to the P&L

Because raw materials, recipes and aggregator payouts are tracked alongside billing, your margin isn't a month-end estimate:

Dishes cost against raw-material consumption, so food cost % comes from real numbers.
Aggregator settlements reconcile against the sales they cover, so commission and discounts are visible, not buried.
GST posts at the correct 5% no-ITC rate (or composition, if that's your registration) — not a generic retail rate.

Frequently asked questions

Does TatvaBooks handle the 5% GST rate for restaurants, with no input tax credit?

Yes. Restaurant supply is set up at 5% GST with no ITC by default, matching how most standalone restaurants are taxed. If you're registered under composition instead, that's reflected in your billing too — the point is the GST treatment matches your actual registration, not a generic retail rate. Restaurant GST rates and composition thresholds have changed before, so confirm the current rate for your category on the GST portal or with your CA.

Can I track raw-material inventory and cost my menu?

Yes. Raw materials — vegetables, grains, packaging — are tracked as inventory, and you can cost a dish against the ingredients it consumes, so food cost percentage is calculated from real purchase data rather than estimated at month-end.

Can I reconcile Swiggy or Zomato payouts against my sales?

Yes — record aggregator settlement receipts against the orders they cover, so commission and discount deductions are visible against gross sales, and a payout that's short doesn't go unnoticed.

Is this a full restaurant POS with KOT and table management?

No — and we'd rather say that upfront. TatvaBooks is cloud accounting and GST billing software: it handles menu billing, GST, inventory and reconciliation well, but it does not run kitchen order tickets (KOT), table/floor management or a dedicated POS terminal workflow. If KOT and table management are core to how you run service, pair TatvaBooks with your existing POS and use it for the accounting and GST side.

What does restaurant billing and accounting software cost?

TatvaBooks Solo is ₹0 (free) with unlimited GST invoices, workable for a small single-outlet cafe starting out. Raw-material inventory, recipe costing and multi-outlet support are on higher plans — Growth, at ₹1,099/month, is built for a restaurant business managing inventory and multiple people across locations.

Keep going.

Billing

By business type

Unlimited GST invoices · free on Solo

Bill your first table or order today.

Sign up with email or Google and start billing in minutes — GST, raw-material costing and aggregator reconciliation handled for you. No card, no per-invoice fee.

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