Currently available for select engagements

Hire Bookkeeper for Restaurants

Bookkeeping for a restaurant is mostly about rhythm: invoices out on time, receipts captured, accounts reconciled monthly, and reports the owner can read.

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Restaurants — Bookkeeper

A senior bookkeeper for restaurants

Bookkeeping for a restaurant is mostly about rhythm: invoices out on time, receipts captured, accounts reconciled monthly, and reports the owner can read. Without that rhythm, year-end becomes a reconstruction project.

The cost of late books is quiet but real: service is intense, suppliers deliver daily, and bookings still arrive by phone. Missed deductions, late-payment surprises, and decisions made on a bank balance instead of a profit figure.

The working relationship is built on one clean close, not a promise. One month's books, reconciled and reported, show the owner exactly what the ongoing routine delivers.

Invoicing runs as daily sales reconciled from the till, with supplier invoices matched to deliveries. The calendar is set by food-cost percentages and supplier invoices are reviewed weekly. The calendar is set by food-cost percentages and supplier invoices are reviewed weekly.

What you get

What this engagement covers for restaurants

Chart of accounts and categorisation — Categorisation follows a chart designed for the business: food sales, beverage sales, and private-dining income. New or unusual transactions are flagged rather than forced into the nearest category.
Invoicing and receivables — Receivables are managed actively: daily sales reconciled from the till, with supplier invoices matched to deliveries. Invoices go out on time, ageing is reviewed monthly, and follow-ups happen before a small delay becomes a bad debt.
Payables and expenses — Expenses are recorded when they happen, with receipts attached and categories applied, so supplier bills and card spending reconcile instead of surprising.
Payroll and contractor pay — Payroll follows the business's real staffing pattern: kitchen and floor staff on hourly rosters, with weekend peaks. Hours, overtime, and contractor payments are recorded in the same routine as the rest of the books.
Monthly close and reports — The monthly close is a real routine: accounts reconciled, reports produced, and unusual items flagged for the owner. No month is left open to drift.
Tax-season preparation — The books are kept tax-ready throughout the year: food-cost percentages and supplier invoices are reviewed weekly. When filing time comes, the accountant receives organised records, not a box of receipts.

The systems restaurants businesses actually run

Built on your stack, not on top of it

The stack is deliberately standard: Xero and point-of-sale reports, because an accountant, a lender, or a future bookkeeper should be able to open these books without translation.

Honest limits matter here. A bookkeeper records and reconciles; they do not give tax advice, sign returns, or replace a licensed accountant. Anything that needs professional judgment goes to the owner's accountant, with organised records attached.

A sensible first project is a books review and one clean monthly close. The measure is simple: reconciled accounts, a readable report, and a file the accountant would accept.

Day to day, service is intense, suppliers deliver daily, and bookings still arrive by phone. The books live in Xero and point-of-sale reports. The books live in Xero and point-of-sale reports.

How it works

From kickoff to delivery for restaurants

Books review and cleanup
The review establishes the starting point: opening balances checked, uncategorised transactions cleared, and duplicates removed. Nothing is assumed correct. For restaurants, that includes food sales, beverage sales, and private-dining income.
Chart and routines set up
Setup means a chart that matches the business, rules for recurring transactions, and a simple receipt habit. The owner is not asked to become an accountant. For restaurants, that includes daily sales reconciled from the till, with supplier invoices matched to deliveries.
Monthly close
The monthly close runs the same way every month: categorise, reconcile, review receivables and payables, and report. Consistency is the whole point. For restaurants, that includes kitchen and floor staff on hourly rosters, with weekend peaks.
Tax-season readiness
As the year progresses, the tax file builds itself: categorised deductions, reconciled accounts, and complete records, ready whenever the accountant asks. For restaurants, that includes food-cost percentages and supplier invoices are reviewed weekly.

Why Omer

Why hire Omer

Receivables watched, not discovered — ageing reviewed monthly, so late payers surface early For restaurants, that means food sales, beverage sales, and private-dining income.
Books that are current, not reconstructed — monthly categorisation and reconciliation keep the record true all year For restaurants, that means daily sales reconciled from the till, with supplier invoices matched to deliveries.
Accountant-ready, not accountant-dependent — the books are organised for professional review without replacing it For restaurants, that means kitchen and floor staff on hourly rosters, with weekend peaks.
Tax-season readiness built in — records are kept in a form an accountant can use directly For restaurants, that means food sales, beverage sales, and private-dining income.
No invented figures, no estimates dressed as facts — reconciled numbers only, with unusual items flagged, not smoothed over For restaurants, that means daily sales reconciled from the till, with supplier invoices matched to deliveries.

Outcomes

What changes in practice

The realistic outcome is calmer money management: invoices out on time, accounts reconciled monthly, and a clear picture of what the business earned and what it owes. Tax season stops being a reconstruction project, and pricing decisions start resting on real margins.

The chart has to cover food sales, beverage sales, and private-dining income. The business serves diners booking tables and ordering food. The recurring problem is that service is intense, suppliers deliver daily, and bookings still arrive by phone.

If the first clean close answers your real questions, the engagement has earned its monthly rhythm. <a href="/hire/">Browse all hire engagements</a> or <a href="/contact.html">discuss your books</a> directly.

FAQ

Questions, answered

How does invoicing work for restaurants?

Daily sales reconciled from the till, with supplier invoices matched to deliveries. Outstanding invoices are reviewed monthly, so late payers surface while a follow-up can still recover them.

Do you replace my accountant?

No. Bookkeeping is recording, categorisation, and reconciliation. Tax advice and returns stay with a licensed accountant, fed by books that are organised and current.

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.

What does the chart of accounts cover for restaurants?

The books here cover food sales, beverage sales, and private-dining income. Categories follow how the business actually earns and spends, so monthly reports read as business sense rather than accounting jargon.

Currently available for select engagements