Hospitality & Restaurant Accountants
Daily takings reconciled, VAT handled properly, weekly payroll on time, and a clear monthly read on margin — so you can spend less time on the laptop and more time on the floor.
Speak to a real accountant who understands hospitality margins, VAT and payroll.
Who this is for
Built for owner-operators with a physical site.
If your business runs out of a shop, café, restaurant, salon or studio — and you've got a till, staff and a lease — this page is for you.
Sound familiar?
The problems we solve every week.
Hospitality and retail don't fit a generic accountant's template. Different sales channels, different VAT, different cash rhythm.
Till takings vs bank deposits don't match
Card fees, refunds, tronc and tips make daily reconciliation a nightmare.
Card machine, cash & delivery apps everywhere
Square, Dojo, Deliveroo, Uber Eats — money landing from five places at five different speeds.
VAT on food, drink and mixed sales
Standard, zero and reduced rates across the same basket. Easy to under or over pay.
Margins squeezed by rent, wages and stock
Turnover is up, profit isn't. No one can tell you exactly why.
No time to look at numbers
Open early, close late, then admin at midnight. The books slip and HMRC notices first.
Weekly payroll for shop & kitchen staff
Rotas change, hours change, starters and leavers every month. Payroll has to be right and on time.
What we do
A finance function built around a physical site.
Daily takings reconciliation
Till, card, cash and delivery platforms matched to the bank — fees stripped, VAT split correctly.
VAT for food, drink & retail
Standard, zero and reduced rates handled properly. Quarterly returns filed, no quarter-end panic.
Weekly payroll & tronc
Shop floor, baristas, chefs, front of house. Pensions, holiday pay and tronc distributions sorted.
Stock & COGS reporting
Gross margin by category — coffee, food, retail lines — so you know where the profit really sits.
Year-end accounts & corporation tax
Prepared, reviewed and filed ahead of the deadline — with reminders well before anything is due.
Multi-site management accounts
P&L per shop, wage-to-sales %, rent-to-sales %, sent monthly with a plain-English summary.
13-week rolling cash flow
See quiet weeks, VAT bills and rent days coming before they bite.
Virtual FD & growth planning
Quarterly reviews on pricing, openings, refits and funding — so the next move is a decision, not a guess.
Why clients choose us
Specialist advice, not a quarterly tax return and silence.
Most of our growth comes from existing clients referring others. That only happens when the work behind it is right.
ACCA-qualified
ACCA-qualified accountants — not an unqualified bookkeeping shop.
Fixed monthly fees
One agreed monthly fee. No hourly billing and no surprise invoices.
Xero & FreeAgent
Xero Silver Partner and FreeAgent partner — your books stay current.
How we work
Easy to onboard. Proactive once you're in.
Discovery call
20 minutes. We learn how the site runs, where the money leaks, and what you actually want to know each month.
Fixed monthly fee
Clear quote based on takings, staff, sites and VAT. No hourly billing, no surprises.
Systems set up properly
Xero, till integrations, payroll, delivery apps, card feeds — all talking to each other.
Monthly numbers you'll actually read
Short, sharp management pack plus a quick call. You spend the time running the shop, not reading reports.
Fixed monthly fees, and an easy move
One agreed monthly fee for the work we've scoped — no hourly billing. Already with another accountant? You can change at any point in the year and we handle the professional clearance and record handover.
View business pricing · How switching accountant works · Limited company accountants · Accountants in Brentwood · Financial forecasting for openings & refits · VAT for restaurants & takeaways · Pub accountant in Essex · Payroll accountant Essex
Common Questions
What does a hospitality accountant cost, and can you take over from my current accountant?
We quote a fixed monthly fee based on sites, staff numbers and VAT — business pricing is listed on our pricing page. Switching is straightforward at any point in the year; we handle professional clearance and the record handover.
Do you handle takings from card machines, cash and delivery platforms?
Yes. We reconcile daily takings across Square, Zettle, Dojo, SumUp, Stripe, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat — so what hits the bank matches what came through the till, fees stripped out, and VAT correctly split between zero and standard rated lines.
Can you help with VAT on food and drink?
Yes. Hot food, cold food, eat-in vs takeaway, alcohol, catering — the rules are messy and a lot of cafés and shops get it wrong. We set up your till categories and bookkeeping so VAT is right by default, not patched up at quarter end.
We run weekly payroll for shop and kitchen staff — can you take that on?
Yes. Weekly, fortnightly or monthly payroll, holiday pay, tronc, pensions auto-enrolment and starters/leavers all handled. Payslips and BACS files ready before payday, every week.
How do you help with cash flow when rent and stock are eating margin?
We give you a rolling 13-week cash flow showing rent, payroll, VAT, stock and quiet trading weeks lined up against expected takings. You see problems six weeks out, not the day the bill bounces.
Can you tell me my real margin per site or per product line?
Yes — multi-site P&L, gross margin by category, wage-to-sales percentage, and rent-to-sales. The numbers most owners need to make decisions, presented monthly in plain English.
Are you based in Essex? Do you only work locally?
We're in Brentwood, Essex, and look after hospitality and retail clients across Essex, London and the rest of the UK. Cloud bookkeeping means location doesn't matter — but we're happy to meet in store or at our office.
Stop guessing what the numbers are doing.
Modern accounting behind the scenes, personal advice for the decisions that affect your venue.