Restaurants live and die by prime cost (food + labor) and cash flow. Accurate, restaurant-specific bookkeeping turns POS data, inventory, and payroll into the numbers owners need to price menus, schedule labor, and stay compliant. At Henriquez Accounting & Tax Services, we build a monthly close for full-service, fast-casual, bars, and cafés—integrated with your POS, payroll, and delivery platforms—so financials are tax-ready and decision-ready. Explore our Bookkeeping, Outsourced Controller/CFO, and Tax Preparation.

POS Integration Tip Reporting Sales Tax Inventory & COGS Delivery Fees Menu Engineering Labor Scheduling

Top Restaurant Bookkeeping Challenges

POS → Accounting mapping: daily sales summaries, tenders, gift cards, tips, voids/discounts/ promos, and house accounts mapped to the GL correctly.
Tips, service charges, & payroll: pooled/declared tips, service-charge treatment, and payroll mapping for taxes and reporting.
3rd-party delivery reconciliation: DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub commissions, processing fees, chargebacks, and deposits netted correctly.
Inventory & COGS accuracy: weekly counts, theoretical vs. actual food cost, waste/spoilage tracking, and recipe yield assumptions.
Sales & alcohol tax filings: multiple rates and timing rules; separating taxable vs. non-taxable items and reporting discounts properly.
Labor control: scheduling vs. sales, overtime monitoring, breaks/meal-period policies, and accurate department/class tracking.
Cash handling & shrink: cash drawers, paid-outs, petty cash, and comps/voids oversight to reduce leakage.
Gift cards & deposits: deferred revenue liability, redemption, and breakage policies.
Multi-location consolidation: consistent COA, intercompany, and centralized purchasing allocations.

What a Restaurant-Ready Close Includes (Month–Quarter–Year)

Monthly

Import POS summaries daily; reconcile to bank deposits and merchant processors.
Reconcile delivery platform statements; post commissions/fees; match chargebacks.
Count inventory (weekly recommended) and post adjustments; update recipe costs.
Reconcile payroll; map tips/service charges; review departments (FOH/BOH/bar).
Publish P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow with prime-cost analysis and notes.

Quarterly

Food/labor benchmarking; menu engineering review; update pricing and portion standards.
Estimated tax projections; sales & alcohol tax review; update licenses/registrations as needed.
Vendor audit: rebates, order guides, and waste dashboards.

Annually

Inventory year-end counts and COGS true-up; fixed asset roll-forward and depreciation.
1099-NEC/1099-MISC for eligible vendors; W-2 reconciliation to payroll totals.
Return prep (entity + owner) and next-year budget with seasonality assumptions.

Owner’s Dashboard: Essential Restaurant KPIs

Prime cost (food + labor) trend and variance vs. plan.
Food cost % by category (meat/produce/dairy/bar) and by menu item.
Labor % by FOH/BOH/management; sales per labor hour.
Voids/Comps/Promos % and reasons; fraud indicators.
Delivery fee % and take-rate; contribution margin by channel.
Covers & RevPASH (revenue per available seat hour), table turns, and average check.
Inventory days on hand and waste/spoilage log.

Common (Costly) Mistakes We Fix

Posting net delivery deposits as revenue—hiding fees and distorting margins.
No weekly inventory counts; relying on invoices instead of actual usage.
Misclassifying tips vs. service charges; incorrect payroll/tax mapping.
No recipe costing or portion standards; menu pricing not tied to contribution margin.
Gift cards treated as income on sale (should be deferred until redemption).

How We Help Restaurants

POS integration and GL mapping for daily sales, tips, promos, and gift cards.
Weekly inventory workflow and food cost dashboard.
Delivery platform reconciliation and channel margin analysis.
Payroll review with tip mapping and department class tracking.
Sales/alcohol tax filings and notice handling.

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FAQs

How often should we count inventory?

Weekly counts drive accurate food cost and catch waste quickly. Month-end only is usually too slow for restaurant margins.

What’s the difference between tips and service charges?

Tips are customer-determined and usually treated differently from mandatory service charges. Correct setup affects payroll, taxes, and reporting—your POS and payroll must map them properly.

How do we account for delivery platforms?

Record gross sales, then fees/commissions and chargebacks separately so channel margins are visible. Don’t post net deposits as revenue.

How do gift cards impact the books?

Treat gift card sales as deferred revenue (liability) and recognize income when redeemed; track breakage based on your policy.

How often should we revisit menu pricing?

Review menu engineering at least quarterly or when ingredient costs shift meaningfully. Align recipes, yields, and portion standards before changing prices.

Ready to get a restaurant-ready monthly close?

We’ll integrate your POS, payroll, and delivery platforms; build inventory and prime-cost dashboards; and keep taxes and filings on track. Talk to an Enrolled Agent today. Schedule Consultation

What Are Common Challenges in Restaurant Bookkeeping?