· FOOD SERVICE · PAYROLL · SALES TAX · FOOD COST · CASH FLOW
Financial Management Built for Restaurant Margins
Food cost, labor cost, tip reporting, and sales tax compliance all require daily attention in restaurant finances. Archer Lewis works with restaurant owners who need advisors that understand the business, not just the numbers.
Our Approach
Financial advisors who know what a restaurant's books actually look like.
Restaurants generate high transaction volume, complex payroll with tipped employees, significant inventory, and sales tax obligations across multiple jurisdictions, all on margins that leave little room for error. Archer Lewis works with restaurant owners regularly, understanding the financial rhythms of food service and the specific tax and compliance issues that come with it.
What We Handle
Accounting and tax services for restaurant businesses
From tip reporting to food cost analysis, our team handles the financial complexity specific to restaurants.
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Restaurant Bookkeeping
Daily sales reconciliation, food and labor cost tracking, and books that reflect what's actually happening in your restaurant.
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Payroll for Tipped Employees
Tip reporting, FICA tip credit, and payroll compliance for restaurants with tipped employees, handled correctly every pay period.
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Sales Tax Compliance
Restaurant sales tax is complex: food vs. prepared food, alcohol, delivery, and catering all have different treatment by state.
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Food & Beverage Cost Analysis
Actual vs. theoretical cost analysis that identifies waste, theft, and pricing problems before they erode your margin.
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Restaurant Tax Planning
Business meal deductions, equipment depreciation, and year-round tax strategy specific to food service operations.
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Multi-Location Accounting
Consolidated and location-level reporting for restaurant groups and franchisees.
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Franchise Compliance
Financial reporting and royalty compliance for franchisees operating under franchise agreements.
Knowing your food cost is essential to knowing your profitability.
Restaurant owners typically track sales closely, but food cost percentage, labor efficiency, and which menu items drive margin often get less visibility. Archer Lewis builds the financial reporting that gives restaurant operators the numbers they need to make decisions, not just the numbers they need to file taxes.
Talk to a Restaurant Advisor
Common Questions
What restaurant owners ask us.
The FICA tip credit lets employers claim a tax credit for the employer's share of FICA taxes paid on tips above the federal minimum wage. Most full-service restaurants qualify, and it's one of the most consistently underutilized credits in the industry. We identify and document it as part of your annual tax work.
Restaurant sales tax is more complex than most businesses realize. Food vs. prepared food, dine-in vs. take-out, alcohol, catering, and delivery all have different tax treatment, and the rules vary significantly by state. We manage compliance correctly across every jurisdiction where you operate.
Daily for sales. Weekly for labor and food cost. Monthly for full financial statements. Restaurants with daily transaction volume can't afford to discover financial problems at month-end. By then, the opportunity to course-correct has passed.
Most full-service restaurants target 28-35% and quick-service concepts target 25-30%. More important than the benchmark is the trend: whether your actual cost is tracking against theoretical cost and what the variance is telling you about waste, theft, or pricing. We build that analysis into your monthly reporting.
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