Currently available for select engagements

Hire Bookkeeper for Cafes

The owner of a cafe did not start it to reconcile accounts.

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Cafes — Bookkeeper

A senior bookkeeper for cafes

The owner of a cafe did not start it to reconcile accounts. The books here cover coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales. That is the bookkeeper's job: a set of books that is current, categorised, and ready for review whenever it is needed.

The pain is specific: mornings are slammed, afternoons quiet, and supplier orders still get written on scraps. Books fall behind during busy periods, and catching up costs more than keeping up ever would.

A sensible first engagement is a books review and cleanup, followed by a monthly close routine: categorisation, reconciliation, and a short report the owner can read. If the first close lands cleanly, the rhythm continues.

Day to day, mornings are slammed, afternoons quiet, and supplier orders still get written on scraps. Payroll looks like baristas and kitchen staff on hourly rosters, with weekend loadings. The recurring problem is that mornings are slammed, afternoons quiet, and supplier orders still get written on scraps.

What you get

What this engagement covers for cafes

Chart of accounts and categorisation — Transactions are categorised against a chart built for this business: coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales. Categories match how the owner thinks about the business, not a generic template.
Invoicing and receivables — The invoicing routine matches how the business actually charges: supplier invoices matched to deliveries, with catering deposits invoiced in advance. Ageing reports show who owes what, and follow-ups are sent on a rhythm the owner approves.
Payables and expenses — Payables are tracked per supplier and per job, with due dates visible and payments approved by the owner. The books show what is owed, not just what was paid.
Payroll and contractor pay — Staff and contractor pay is handled as part of the monthly close: baristas and kitchen staff on hourly rosters, with weekend loadings. Payroll figures reconcile to bank payments, and contractor invoices are tracked per person.
Monthly close and reports — Month-end means reconciled accounts and a readable report: what came in, what went out, what is owed, and what stands out. The owner sees the business, not a ledger dump.
Tax-season preparation — Tax season is prepared for all year: weekly stock counts of beans and perishables drive the close, not month-end alone. Records are kept in a form an accountant can use directly, so year-end is a review, not a reconstruction.

The systems cafes businesses actually run

Built on your stack, not on top of it

The tools are the ones accountants expect: Xero and point-of-sale reports, with bank feeds connected and receipts captured digitally. The bookkeeper works in the business's own books, not in a separate spreadsheet that nobody reconciles.

There are limits to the role, and they protect the owner: bookkeeping is recording and reporting, not tax advice or audit. Returns and advice stay with a licensed professional, fed by books that are actually ready.

The first project should have a visible finish line: a month closed cleanly, with reconciliation done and a report the owner understands. That close is what turns a trial into a routine.

Categories must capture coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales. Categories must capture coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales. Bookkeeping runs on Xero and point-of-sale reports.

How it works

From kickoff to delivery for cafes

Books review and cleanup
Existing books are reviewed: what is categorised, what is reconciled, and what is missing. Cleanup comes before routine, so the monthly close starts from true balances. For cafes, that includes coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales.
Chart and routines set up
The chart of accounts and monthly routines are set up around the business's real activity, with categorisation rules and a receipt routine the owner can actually follow. For cafes, that includes supplier invoices matched to deliveries, with catering deposits invoiced in advance.
Monthly close
Each month closes on a rhythm: transactions categorised, accounts reconciled, invoices and payables reviewed, and a short report produced for the owner. For cafes, that includes baristas and kitchen staff on hourly rosters, with weekend loadings.
Tax-season readiness
Records are kept ready all year, so tax season is a handover of organised files to the accountant, not a frantic reconstruction of twelve months. For cafes, that includes weekly stock counts of beans and perishables drive the close, not month-end alone.

Why Omer

Why hire Omer

Books that are current, not reconstructed — monthly categorisation and reconciliation keep the record true all year For cafes, that means coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales.
Accountant-ready, not accountant-dependent — the books are organised for professional review without replacing it For cafes, that means supplier invoices matched to deliveries, with catering deposits invoiced in advance.
Tax-season readiness built in — records are kept in a form an accountant can use directly For cafes, that means baristas and kitchen staff on hourly rosters, with weekend loadings.
No invented figures, no estimates dressed as facts — reconciled numbers only, with unusual items flagged, not smoothed over For cafes, that means coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales.
Your books, your access — work happens in the owner's own accounting software, fully visible at any time For cafes, that means supplier invoices matched to deliveries, with catering deposits invoiced in advance.

Outcomes

What changes in practice

What changes in practice is visibility. Instead of guessing from a bank balance, the owner sees monthly income, spending, receivables, and payables, and can spot a late payer, a rising cost, or a profitable line of work before it becomes a surprise.

Bookkeeping runs on Xero and point-of-sale reports. The business sells coffee, pastries, and light meals. The business sells coffee, pastries, and light meals.

That is the standard this engagement is measured against: reconciled books and readable reports, not hours logged. <a href="/hire/">Browse all hire engagements</a> or <a href="/contact.html">discuss your books</a> directly.

FAQ

Questions, answered

What do you need to start?

Access to the existing books and bank feeds, plus a short conversation about how the business charges, pays staff, and handles receipts. Cleanup comes before routine.

What does the chart of accounts cover for cafes?

The books here cover coffee beans, milk, pastries, and packaging, tracked against daily sales. Categories follow how the business actually earns and spends, so monthly reports read as business sense rather than accounting jargon.

How does invoicing work for cafes?

Supplier invoices matched to deliveries, with catering deposits invoiced in advance. Outstanding invoices are reviewed monthly, so late payers surface while a follow-up can still recover them.

Can you fix a year of messy books?

Yes, starting with a review: opening balances checked, uncategorised transactions cleared, and duplicates removed, before any monthly routine begins.

What software do you work in?

The business's own accounting software, with bank feeds connected and receipts captured digitally, so the owner and the accountant can open the books at any time.

Currently available for select engagements