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A successful restaurant business needs up-to-date accounting records. These records can help you assess the state of your restaurant’s finances and ensure profitability for years to come. Tracking your finances can be challenging, especially if you are not diligent about keeping records. If you are a restaurant owner, here are 10 tips to be more efficient with your accounting.

 

Create an Effective Accounting Strategy

As you already know, accounting is complicated for many business owners. You have plenty of work on your plate. Adding in accounting responsibilities can be a hassle. You might want to consider hiring small business accounting services for your restaurant. However, you don’t need an accountant to implement these tips into your financial strategy.

 

10 – Make a List of Your Expenses

You will want to perform a general accounting analysis of your finances. Take an in-depth look at your business. Make sure to list all of your suppliers and any other expenses you may have for the month. You always want to examine your restaurant’s profits and losses. With those numbers, you can create an effective strategy for your accounting.

 

9 – Look at Daily Sales and Costs

Restaurants can lose money when they don’t track daily sales and expenses. You need to have control of everything that leaves and enters your business. It can be easy to skip a day and forget to enter something in the books, but that is a big mistake. You don’t want to have any big surprises at the end of the month. By working with a reliable point of sale (POS) system, you can access all of those variable and fixed expenses. Many of these systems filter the information by date, time, and items. Plus, you can often analyze that data from a mobile device or computer.

 

8 – Keep the Payroll Updated

Payroll is more than handing out checks at the end of the week. You will have to deal with all of the legal responsibilities of paying employees. Make sure to prepare your payroll before the pay period. Being organized can help prevent any issues. You want to ensure that deductions, hours, and payment dates are all correct in your system. While you could handle this task on your own, some programs will take those numbers and plug them into the right spots. With that, you can be sure that all of the information is correct for your restaurant.

 

7- Set a Schedule

It is essential to keep a schedule. You never want to wait until the end of the month to review your finances and run those reports. Every week, take some time to schedule payments, evaluate your restaurant’s performance, and review any accounting tasks. As a business owner, you always want to respect this schedule. Letting anything slip through the cracks can lead to a financial headache.

 

6 – Digitize Your Invoices

In a restaurant, you are working with fresh ingredients. Unfortunately, the costs of raw materials can change throughout the year. Keep in mind that there will constantly be fluctuating prices. Digitizing your invoices can help you track those costs, especially when you work with several suppliers. If you already have a POS, the process is as simple as taking a photo and uploading it to the system. With that, you will know whether your food costs are rising throughout the month.

 

5 – Choose the Best Accounting Program

All restaurants are not the same. For that reason, you want to choose an accounting system that works for your business. There are several accounting programs on the market. Find one that can adapt to the size and needs of your restaurant. At the minimum, choose one that can assist with invoicing and payroll. If you need help selecting the right system, reach out to your accountant for some suggestions.

 

4 – Outsource the Accounting

While accounting software and POS can help you, it might be time to outsource those responsibilities. An accounting expert will be able to analyze the restaurant’s financial health. With their assistance, payroll, taxes, and even financial management will be in the hands of a professional. When it comes time to choose someone, make sure that they have experience with businesses in your industry.

 

3 – Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute

As you already know, you need to have constant control over your restaurant’s finances. Constantly monitor your expenses and costs throughout the week. With that information, you can compare your sales against other periods in the month or year. Waiting at the last minute to analyze data can hurt your finances. You don’t want to discover a mistake that could cost hundreds of dollars to fix.

 

2 – Review Accounting on an Accrual Basis

You never want anything to get lost. For that reason, stick to accrual-based accounting. Evaluate the data when you receive or spend income. Accrual accounting gives you a more accurate picture of your actual expenses and income.

 

1 – Always Avoid Cash Accounting

While cash accounting is the simplest form of accounting, it is not an accurate method to keep track of your financial activities. Cash accounting does not cover any of those delays involving payment plans or credit accounts. With that, you never have a complete picture of your expenses and income. Cash accounting is easier to manage, but you should avoid it at all costs.

 

 

The Bottom Line

If you want to grow your restaurant, you need to create the right accounting strategy for your business. By understanding your financial picture, you can make decisions for your business. The proper accounting methods allow you to analyze your current sales trends and track all of that valuable data for your restaurant. With these tips, you can efficiently manage all aspects of your restaurant’s accounting.

 

 

Need an Accountant for My Small Business?

If you are ready to take control of your restaurant’s finances, reach out to an experienced accountant. At TMD Accounting, our team has over 40 years of experience helping small businesses in the Gloucester County area. We can assist with taxes, payroll, and other financial management matters. Schedule an appointment by calling 1-856-228-2205.