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Restaurant bookkeeping services

For restaurants, cafes, bakeries and food trucks: daily sales reconciled to deposits, tips and payroll recorded correctly, vendor bills under control and food cost you can act on.

Full-service restaurants · Quick-service and fast casual · Cafes and bakeries · Bars

Sample monthly reportIllustrative figures
Revenue$84,200+6.4%
Expenses$61,950+2.1%
Net profit$22,250+19%
  • Operating checking Reconciled
  • Business credit card Reconciled
  • 412 transactions categorized June
  • 3 open questions For you

What makes restaurants books different

POS sales vs. bank deposits

Card batches settle a day or two later, net of fees; cash is deposited separately; delivery apps pay weekly. Each must tie back to the POS sales report.

Merchant and delivery fees

Processing fees and delivery-app commissions are large expenses that disappear if deposits are recorded net.

Tips

Credit card tips collected for staff are a liability until paid out through payroll, not restaurant income.

Sales tax

Sales tax collected through the POS belongs to the state. The books must separate it from sales and match the returns.

Vendor bills

Food, beverage and supply vendors deliver several times a week, often with credits and price changes.

Food and labor cost

Margins are thin; owners need food cost and labor percentages monthly, not at year-end.

What we do

  • Daily POS sales recorded by category
  • Card batches, cash and delivery payouts reconciled
  • Merchant and delivery-app fees recorded
  • Sales tax collected held as a liability
  • Tips recorded and cleared through payroll
  • Payroll entries from your payroll provider
  • Vendor bills and credits recorded
  • Food, beverage and supply costs separated
  • Monthly P&L with food and labor cost percentages
  • Loan, lease and equipment accounts
  • Inventory counts recorded when you take them
  • Year-end package for your return

Example: a cafe with three revenue streams

A cafe took cards, cash and two delivery apps. Deposits were booked as sales, so fees and tips were invisible. We recorded daily sales from the POS, ran card batches and app payouts through clearing accounts, and moved tips to a liability cleared by payroll. The owner now sees food cost and delivery-app cost every month.

Single locations usually fit Growth; multiple locations fit Advanced. See pricing or estimate your cost.

Running payroll, tip reporting and filing sales tax returns are separate services. Detailed recipe costing and inventory management stay in your POS or inventory system.

Who we work with

  • Full-service restaurants
  • Quick-service and fast casual
  • Cafes and bakeries
  • Bars
  • Food trucks
  • Catering businesses

How monthly bookkeeping works

Monthly reports by the 15th of the following month, once statements and answers to open questions are in.
  1. 1

    Onboarding

    We learn the business and set up secure, read-only access where possible.

  2. 2

    Transaction review

    Income and expense activity is reviewed every month.

  3. 3

    Categorization

    Each transaction goes to the right account, with rules for repeat items.

  4. 4

    Reconciliation

    Every bank and card account is matched to its statement.

  5. 5

    Reporting

    P&L, Balance Sheet and agreed reports, plus a short summary.

  6. 6

    Monthly review

    Open questions answered and anything unusual flagged for you.

Books built for restaurants businesses

Tell us about your business. We'll recommend a package or send a written quote, free.

Get restaurants bookkeeping support

A few details help us come back with the right package or a written cleanup quote. There is no cost and no obligation.

  • Reply within one business day
  • Fee confirmed in writing before any work
  • CPA-led, QuickBooks ProAdvisor certified team

Please don’t send bank passwords, SSNs or statements through this form. Once you’re a client, documents go through our secure client portal.

What do you need? *
Preferred contact

Bookkeeping questions

Bookkeeping reports are management reports for running the business and preparing tax returns. They are not audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements; those are separate engagements.

Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed and most others. We use the POS's daily sales and settlement reports.