Optimizing Food Cost and Labor

Strategic CPA Solutions for Restaurants and Hospitality

Expert financial advisory focused on controlling Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), managing tip reporting compliance, and improving profitability across single or multi-unit locations.

Counter at a restaurant or cafe with stacks of white plates, a white point-of-sale device, silverware in a decorative glass, and a mostly blurred background showing a staff member.

Controlling COGS, Labor Costs, and Margin Erosion

Inventory & COGS Optimization: Implementing accurate inventory valuation methods, calculating usage variance, and optimizing menu pricing for profit maximization.

Tip Reporting & Payroll Compliance: Guidance on tip allocation, FICA tip credit, and strict adherence to federal and state labor laws to minimize audit risk.

Fixed Asset & Leasehold Improvements: Strategic depreciation planning for large equipment, leasehold improvements, and maximizing deductions for kitchen and facility upgrades.

POS System Integration & Audits: Auditing the financial integrity of POS systems (e.g., Toast, Square, Aloha) and ensuring seamless, accurate data flow to accounting.

Our Value Proposition: We turn financial data into direct operational control. We implement systems that secure your cash flow, pinpoint the source of margin loss (whether food, beverage, or labor), and ensure airtight compliance, allowing you to focus on the customer experience.

FAQs

Q: We are planning to expand to a second location. What is the best legal structure for multi-unit expansion?

A: We typically advise on structuring the parent company as a holding entity with separate LLCs for each operational unit. This segregates risk and optimizes state and local tax filings while simplifying intercompany reporting.

Q: How do you help us integrate our daily POS sales data into our accounting system accurately?

A: We specialize in automating the POS to GL integration (via direct feeds or middleware), ensuring daily sales, tips, comps, and sales tax collected are recorded accurately without manual entry, leading to a faster and cleaner month-end close.

Q: Many third-party payroll providers are expensive and slow to handle complex manual needs (overtime, tips). How do you keep our payroll process efficient and cheap?

A: We eliminate the high costs and lack of responsiveness associated with large providers. Our service model uses efficient, streamlined processes for managing specialized needs like variable hourly rates, complex tip pooling, and overtime calculations. We provide accurate, compliant payroll processing faster and at a fraction of the cost of national third-party services.

Testimonial

"They took over our payroll and tip compliance and immediately fixed errors our previous provider missed for years. Their automated bookkeeping systems are incredibly efficient, ensuring our labor costs are categorized accurately and our cash reports are delivered on time, every time." — Rui He, Owner of Tyori and Ryori Lab, regional restaurants.