Restaurant bookkeeping and CFO support

Restaurant bookkeeping that finds where the money is leaking.

Clean books are the floor. Yes Chef turns them into food cost, labor, vendor spend, cash flow, and owner decisions from someone who has lived the numbers from inside the restaurant.

The work is built around a simple principle: food, labor, vendor, and cash decisions should protect more margin than the support consumes.

Book a free conversation

Why it matters

You shouldn't have to guess whether the restaurant is working.

If the books are late, vendor spend is noisy, or the P&L does not match what you feel in service, the business starts making decisions in the dark.

  • The bank account and P&L don't always agree. You need reports that explain what happened while there is still time to do something about it.
  • Food cost moves before anyone catches it. Price creep, vendor noise, waste, menu mix, and purchasing habits all need to connect back to margin.
  • Labor pressure hides in the schedule. Overtime, role mix, and sales timing can make a good week look fine until cash says otherwise.
  • Cash decisions need a clearer frame. Owner pay, debt, taxes, vendor payments, and growth choices all depend on clean financial timing.

How it works

Clean the books, then upgrade what the books can do.

This is not standard bookkeeping with a nicer meeting. Yes Chef builds the financial base for restaurants first, then turns it into industry-specific decision support.

  1. 01

    Build restaurant books the right way.

    Use an industry-specific chart of accounts, clean reconciliations, department-specific labor carveouts, and category-specific cost of goods tracking.

  2. 02

    Review the business at a higher level.

    Each month includes a financial review that connects the books, the margins, cash flow, and the decisions in front of you.

  3. 03

    Plan cash, taxes, payroll, and growth with the full picture.

    Know whether payroll will clear, whether winter is covered, whether taxes are being managed, and whether the business is building toward the next roof, remodel, or dream.

Partnership levels

Fixed monthly support, built to make the numbers earn their seat.

Both tiers protect margin through better books, sharper reporting, and real financial leadership. You get a complete finance function, not a monthly packet of reports.

CFO Foundations

A full restaurant finance foundation for operators who need clean books, useful reporting, and a professional monthly review.

$1,500 per month
  • Monthly bookkeeping, reconciliation, and close discipline
  • P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement review
  • Prime cost reporting and tracking
  • Food cost tracking and trend analysis
  • Labor efficiency tracking
  • Labor trend analysis
  • Sales staff efficiency review
  • Owner decision support and monthly professional financial meeting
A real finance package, not expensive bookkeeping in a nicer wrapper.

Fractional CFO

A higher-touch financial partner for operators who want planning, strategy, and the confidence that someone is watching the whole financial picture.

$2,500 per month
  • Everything in CFO Foundations
  • 13-week cash flow projection and planning
  • Annual budgeting and variance review
  • Full menu and sales mix analysis
  • Owner compensation and distribution planning
  • Employee compensation benchmarking
  • Strategic growth and brand development consulting
  • One-off scenario support for major decisions
  • Financing preparation and support
  • Pre-sale or exit support
Financial advisor and restaurant CFO support in one seat.

Multiple locations need a different structure.

We build a custom monthly setup with location-level reporting, consolidated review, and a multi-location discount based on scope. No percentage, formula, or one-size pricing. The work has to match the operating reality.

Good fit

This works best when the operator wants the truth, not just tidy reports.

Good fit

  • Independent restaurant operator. You want a financial partner who understands the restaurant model.
  • Roughly $800K+ in annual revenue. You have enough volume that food, labor, cash, and vendor decisions move real money.
  • You want numbers that drive decisions. The goal is not prettier reports. The goal is better choices.
  • You want owner-level support. You need someone who can help connect the month-end close to what happens next.

Not a fit

  • You want the cheapest bookkeeper. Yes Chef is built for financial control, not bargain data entry.
  • You want reports but no change. If the numbers show a hard truth, the work is meant to make it visible.
  • You already have a full finance team. The value is highest when owner-level finance support is missing or stretched thin.
  • You want agreement instead of financial truth. The job is to be useful, direct, and grounded in the numbers.

A narrower first step

Not ready for monthly support? Start with the free distribution audit.

If distributor pricing or food cost is the immediate pain, the audit page explains that focused review.

See the free audit

Consider it done.

Build the financial clarity to make the restaurant feel manageable again.

Know what has to change, what is already working, and what the business can safely build next.

Book a free conversation See the free audit