Restaurant Accounting Services for Multi-Location Restaurant Groups

A complete financial partner for growing restaurant brands, from bookkeeping to controllership and CPA support.

We help restaurant groups gain financial clarity, improve profitability, and scale with confidence.

Speak to a Restaurant Accounting Specialist

Our back-office support is designed for
independently owned restaurant groups who:

Operate at least 3 restaurants,
bars, or nightclubs.
Collectively generate between
$5-50 million in revenue
Need accurate, consistent, and
timely accounting, bookkeeping,
and financial reporting
Want to spend time scaling and
growing, not building a back-
office team

Scaling a Restaurant Group Comes with Financial Complexity

As the restaurant group grows, managing the finances becomes significantly more complex. Multiple locations, rising labor costs, inventory challenges, and investor expectations all put pressure on the numbers.

Without accurate restaurant bookkeeping and structured accounting systems in place, it becomes difficult to understand performance across locations or make confident decisions.

You didn’t build the business to spend hours buried in spreadsheets, but without the right financial partner that’s exactly where many operators end up. That’s the problem we built The Fork CPAs to solve.

More Than Just Restaurant Bookkeeping

Most firms stop at basic bookkeeping. Others focus only on tax. We take a different approach, combining restaurant bookkeeping, accounting and CPA services into one integrated financial system designed specifically for hospitality businesses. That means you’re getting clarity, insight and a partner who understands how restaurant groups actually operate.

Learn more about us – who we are and how we work.

Built for the Realities of Restaurant Operations

Flying blind will only get you so far. To grow a restaurant group that’s scalable, sellable and delivering the financial return you’d hoped for, you need trustworthy numbers, not just at year end but every week.

Weekly Snapshot

A weekly summary of your cash flow, working capital, vendor payables/purchases, and liquidity.

Spot cash shortages or surpluses early.
Identify top costs for better spend negotiations.
Categorize debts to prioritize immediate payments.

Period End Report

A detailed summary of your performance for the last 13 periods or last 12 months.

Identify seasonal patterns and trends in sales, expenses, and profits.
Benchmark current performance against past periods.
Uncover operational efficiencies and inefficiencies.
See restaurant and bar KPIs directly on your P&L.
Compare your performance with the industry.
Collaborate directly with your advisor.

Prime Cost Analysis

A report focusing on two major expense categories: your cost of goods sold (COGS) and labor costs. These costs are combined to form the ‘prime cost’ – a critical metric for understanding your operational efficiency and profitability.

Compare weekly and bi-weekly data to get a clearer picture of cost trends and take corrective action more promptly.
Optimize staff schedules to better match demand and reduce overtime costs.
Reveal patterns in inventory usage, helping to minimize waste and ensure efficient stock levels.

Restaurant Accounting, Bookkeeping & CPA Services

We don’t offer a generic accounting service. Everything we do is built around the specific financial realities of running a multi-location restaurant group. From how we structure your chart of accounts to how we report prime cost across locations.

Restaurant Bookkeeping for Multi-Location Groups

Accurate, consistent financial data across every location.

Weekly financial updates
POS and bank reconciliation
Standardised chart of accounts
Clean, reliable books you can trust

Restaurant Accounting

Financial insight to help you scale profitably.

Consolidated reporting across locations
Prime cost and labour analysis
KPI tracking and benchmarking
Forecasting and planning

Restaurant CPA Services

Strategic tax and compliance support built for restaurant groups.

Tax planning and optimisation
Multi-entity structuring
Ongoing compliance
Access to a dedicated restaurant CPA

See how we’ve helped other restaurant groups in our success guide.

What You Get (What’s Included in Every Engagement)

Services

Bookkeeping & Accounting (weekly)
Monthly or 4-week Financial Statements,
KPI Analysis, and Controller Review
Sales Tax Reconciliation, Preparation, & Filing
Biweekly/Weekly Food and Labor Cost Analysis
Bill Pay and Vendor Reconciliation Management

Support

Unlimited Access to a Dedicated Controller
Monthly Health Check-up Call

Technology

Add-Ons

Historical Accounting
Records Clean-up
1099 Preparation & Filing

Business Tax
Preparation & Filing

Restaurant Accounting Costs: In-House vs Outsourced

Get industry gold standard reporting at a fraction of the cost of hiring an in house team.

We’ll guide you on exactly what you need from our list of services and provide you with a price unique to your requirements. It means you’ll get all the benefits of an in-house team without unnecessary add-ons or costly disadvantages. Even better, our prices adjust as you grow, so you benefit from economies of scale.

IN-HOUSE VS OUTSOURCED ACCOUNTING TEAM

Revenue	$70M	$50M	$30M	$10M

Internal Staff	1 controller 7 accountants	1 controller 5 accountants	1 controller 3 accountants	1 controller 1 accountant
Annual Salaries	$615K	$465K	$315K	$165K
Payroll Taxes (7.65% + 3% Fringe)	$65K	$49K	$33K	$17K
Total Cost In House*	$680K	$514K	$348K	$182K
OUTSOURCE COST** WITH THE FORK CPAs	$470K	$384K	$259K	$96K
Cost Savings	$210K	$130K	$89K	$86K

*The cost estimate provided is based on average industry pricing.

**The cost estimate provided is based on average amounts paid by The Fork CPAs’ clients in the corresponding revenue ranges. The actual prices will vary based on a variety of factors that are determined via a discovery call.

Every engagement is scoped on a discovery call based on your number of locations, revenue, and specific requirements

TESTIMONIALS

JOHN MURRAY

Chief Operating Officer, Call Your Mother

“Call Your Mother has grown from five to 13 locations in the last two years, and the team at Fork has been an integral part of our growth. Fork constantly invests the time and energy needed to understand our business and proactively identify issues and solutions in real time. If you are a growing business looking to solidify and upgrade your finance and accounting department as you grow, with the confidence needed to know your business is on a solid financial footing, I couldn’t offer a more enthusiastic recommendation than partnering with Fork.”

AU DANG

Chief Financial Officer, Happy Ending Hospitality Group

“Partnering with The Fork has transformed our operations and exceeded all our expectations. The Fork brings a wealth of expertise, particularly in the restaurant industry, which has been instrumental in streamlining our financial processes across all our different concepts. Their punctuality and reliability ensure that our financial matters are always handled with precision and timeliness. Greta is incredibly easy to work with, always available to answer questions and provide valuable guidance. To anyone considering working with The Fork, I would say don’t hesitate.”

KIRK SPARE

Director of Operations, Taco Bamba

“Raffi and his team were quite responsive and their restaurant operations knowledge were crucial to helping us manage our business.”

Why Restaurant Groups Choose Outsourced Accounting & Controllership

As the business grows, the financial needs go beyond basic bookkeeping. Our outsourced model combines restaurant bookkeeping, accounting, and CPA expertise into a single scalable solution, giving you the insight and structure of an in-house finance team without the overhead.

• Consistent financial processes across locations
• Clear visibility into performance and profitability
• Strategic support for growth and expansion
• Systems that scale with the business

The answer isn’t another bookkeeper on the payroll. It’s a financial partner who grows with you.

Ask a CPA

The most common questions we get asked by restaurant group leadership teams and CFOs:

How do I determine my restaurant's cash reserves and working capital requirements?

How do I raise and distribute capital for my restaurant startup?

How do I capture prime costs in a commissary model?

How should I structure a restaurant management company and fee?

How do you account for gift cards in a restaurant group?

Restaurant Accounting FAQs

What does a restaurant accountant do?

A restaurant accountant manages your bookkeeping, financial reporting, and accounting processes, giving you accurate numbers and the insight to make better decisions. At The Fork CPAs, that includes weekly reporting, prime cost analysis, and CPA review.

How is restaurant accounting different from general accounting?

Restaurant accounting requires an understanding of hospitality-specific metrics like prime cost, food cost percentage, labor as a percentage of sales, and 4-week period reporting. General accountants typically don’t have this depth.

Do I need a restaurant CPA?

Most growing restaurant groups benefit from both a bookkeeper and a CPA. Bookkeeping keeps your financials accurate day to day, while CPA support handles tax strategy, entity structuring and compliance areas that become increasingly important as you scale.

How much does restaurant bookkeeping cost?

Costs vary based on number of locations and revenue. Our pricing starts at a fraction of what an in-house team would cost as shown in the comparison table above. Most clients save between $86K-$210K annually compared to hiring internally. You can also view our full pricing plans for a detailed breakdown

What is prime cost and why does it matter for restaurant groups?

Prime cost is the combination of your cost of goods sold and labor costs, typically the two largest expenses in any restaurant. For multi-location groups, tracking prime cost weekly across every site is one of the clearest indicators of operational efficiency and profitability. We include prime cost analysis in all our engagements.

Get more tips, info, and resources to help
move your restaurant forward in our blog.

Focus on Growth. We’ll Handle the Numbers.

Our team manages the restaurant bookkeeping and accounting so you can focus on running the operations, leading the team, and growing the business. You’ll always know where you stand financially and what to do next. That’s what a real financial partner looks like.