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Accountant for restaurants, cafés, takeaways and franchisees

Hospitality margins are made or lost on labour, food cost and VAT. I help owners of restaurants, cafés, takeaways, drive-throughs and franchised units get all three under control, site by site.

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Where hospitality profit goes missing

Busy tills don’t guarantee a healthy profit. These are the places I look first.

Labour cost
Labour is usually your biggest controllable cost. I compare wages with sales by site and trading period, so rotas follow your busy and quiet hours and the April wage rise is planned for, not just absorbed.
Food cost
Menu prices get set once and left while supplier prices move. I track food cost as a share of sales for each site and, where your system allows, each menu item.
VAT on food
Hot food, eating in and most drinks are standard-rated, but a lot of cold takeaway food is zero-rated. Get it wrong in either direction and it costs you: overpaid VAT, or a bill from HMRC later.
Tips and service charges
Paid through a properly run tronc scheme, tips and service charges can be shared without National Insurance for you or your team. I check yours is set up correctly.
Delivery platforms
Commission, promotions and refunds can quietly eat your margin. I show what each channel really makes after fees.
Card fees
Processing rates often stay on start-up terms long after a business has grown. I check yours against what your volumes should get you. How one café group saved £4,800 a year.
Franchise fees
Royalties and marketing levies are a fixed share of sales, so everything else has to work harder. I build them into every forecast.
The next site
Opening another unit is where good operators overstretch. I model the fit-out, ramp-up and cash needed before you commit.

How I help hospitality businesses

Compliance handled properly, plus numbers you can run your sites with.

  • Labour cost tracking and rota planning by site and trading period
  • Food cost tracking, by site
  • A VAT review of your menu and till set-up
  • Management accounts for each site
  • Profit by channel after delivery platform fees
  • Cashflow forecasts including VAT, rent and royalties
  • Franchise and lender application packs
  • Year-end accounts, tax returns, payroll and pensions

See plans and prices

Recent work in hospitality

Café

Hospitality, newly VAT registered

The problem. The previous accountant treated every sale as standard-rated for VAT.

What I did. I reviewed how orders are taken and served, the menu wording and signage, customer requests and the profit on each product, then set the correct VAT treatment product by product.

Correct VATon every product, with tills, menu and signage set up to match how food is sold

Café group

Hospitality, Manchester

The problem. Trading well, but losing money every month on an old card processing contract.

What I did. I reviewed the merchant statements and the contract, renegotiated with the provider and made a few practical changes.

£4,800a year saved on card processing, straight back into the business

Questions hospitality owners ask

Can you help us get wage costs under control?

Yes. I compare wage cost with sales by site, day and, where your rota and till data allow, by hour. That shows where hours can move to busier times without hurting service, and what the next wage rise will cost before it lands.

What VAT rate applies to takeaway food?

Hot takeaway food, food eaten on your premises, most drinks, confectionery and ice cream are standard-rated at 20%. Most cold takeaway food, such as sandwiches, cakes and many cold desserts, is zero-rated.

The detail matters: how an item is sold, described and served can change the rate. That’s why I review your menu and till set-up, not just the returns.

Do you work with franchisees?

Yes. I work with franchisees running one unit or several, and prepare the financial projections and reporting that franchisors and lenders ask for. Royalties, marketing levies and brand standards are built into every forecast.

Can you help me decide whether to open another site?

Yes. I model the fit-out, pre-opening costs, ramp-up period, sales, food and labour cost and the cash you’ll need, then show the payback period and what happens if sales come in lower than planned.

How do you handle delivery platform income?

Platforms pay you net of commission and fees, which can hide the true picture. I record the gross sales, fees and VAT correctly and show profit for each channel, so you can decide which promotions are worth running.

Where are you based?

Oldham, Greater Manchester. I visit sites across Greater Manchester and the North West, and work with hospitality businesses elsewhere in the UK remotely.

Let’s look at your labour, food and VAT numbers

Book a free 30-minute discovery call and we’ll look at how your sites are performing. If I can’t add more than I cost, I’ll tell you.

Book a free discovery callCall 07309 432856