Restaurant Accounting + Fractional CFO
Clean books closed by the 15th, prime cost tracked against real restaurant benchmarks, and cash flow you can plan on. Weekly flash reporting is rolling out with our multi-unit clients.
Free. 30 minutes. No obligation.
Multi-Unit CFO plan
The problem
Everything you needed those numbers for has already happened. You made the calls without them.
Two points of food cost slippage across four weeks is real money. We read every close through a prime cost lens, flag the slide, and put a number on it. Multi-unit clients see it weekly.
Tip credits, tip pools, and overtime rules are complicated, and mistakes show up as unhappy staff or an IRS notice.
You suspect one store is carrying the others, but the books can’t tell you which one or by how much.
Most accounting firms treat restaurants like any other client. The problems above are what that looks like in practice.
What you get
Accurate financials, reconciled and explained in plain English, by the 15th of the following month. Weekly flash reporting is rolling out for multi-unit clients, to manage labor and protect margin while the period is still open.
We break your numbers down by location so you can spot problems early, reward strong performers, and make better decisions across the operation.
We forecast payroll, vendor payments, and seasonal swings so you can plan your next move with real numbers instead of guesswork.
Packages
Accurate books, closed by the 15th, every month.
Monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations, financials by the 15th, sales and use tax filings, and a prime cost summary against restaurant benchmarks.
Best for single-location operators who want numbers they can trust.
Clean books plus the operating layer.
Everything in Clean Books, plus bills paid, tips and payroll booked, cash flow visibility, and a monthly call about what to fix.
Best for growth-minded operators with one to three locations.
Your finance department, by location.
Everything in Operator, for every location. Location-level P&Ls, budgets and forecasts, a monthly strategy meeting, and weekly flash reporting as it rolls out.
Best for groups with three or more locations or multiple entities.
Every engagement is scoped to your operation on a short call. Most clients invest between $1,000 and $3,000 per month. One flat monthly fee, no hourly billing, no annual increases. Multi-location groups are priced per location, and the per-location rate comes down as you add stores.
Why restaurants specifically
Food, beverage, and labor decide whether you make money. We track prime cost against restaurant benchmarks at every close, and weekly as flash reporting rolls out, so a bad month never becomes a bad quarter.
Tip credits, tip pools, overtime, and multi-location payroll all carry compliance risk. We build systems that keep wages accurate and IRS-compliant without your involvement.
We work natively in Restaurant365 and MarginEdge and pull clean sales and labor data from Toast. Custom dashboards break down profitability by location, so you know which stores perform and which ones need attention.
| Location | Sales | Prime % | Net % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown | $41,280 | 57.1% | 14.8% |
| Northside | $27,940 | 61.4% | 8.2% |
| Lakeview | $17,200 | 64.9% | 2.1% |
Lakeview’s labor ran 3.1 points over target. It was flagged Tuesday and corrected before the weekend.
Proof, not promises
“The key factors for me were Matt’s ability to communicate with people of varying degrees of financial literacy, and his focus on guidance and partnership. Beyond standard accounting, he provides thoughtful leadership in our organization and has helped us build and grow. 10/10!!!”
“Working with Matt and Accounting Forward has been a joy. We have been working together for 5 years and he has been the only accountant we’ve thought of using. Highly recommend him and his team.”
“Matt is a real straight shooter. He stepped in during a time of major transition and got up to speed incredibly quickly. He brought clarity, consistency, and experience when we needed it most.”
Meet the firm
Accounting Forward has worked exclusively with restaurants since 2018. The firm was built on a simple observation: most operators get compliance-level bookkeeping when what they need is a real financial partner.
Some owners are comfortable reading financial statements and some are not. Either way, you will get clear explanations of what your numbers mean and what to do about them.
The team operates fully virtually and serves restaurants nationwide with bookkeeping, on-time financials, custom dashboards, and CFO-level strategy.
How it works
You walk us through your operation, where the books stand, and what you want from your financials. We ask questions and tell you honestly whether we can help.
Most operators land in one of three packages: Clean Books, Operator, or Multi-Unit CFO. We scope it to your operation and the systems you already run, and you pay one flat monthly price.
On-time financials, regular strategy reviews, and a team that builds deep knowledge of your business over time. Our longest client relationships have lasted more than five years.
Book a free 30-minute consultation. We will ask about your operation, answer your questions, and tell you plainly whether we can help.
Book a Free 30-Minute ConsultationFree. 30 minutes. No obligation.