How it runs for restaurants and hospitality businesses
Every payment is released by you; we never touch the money. Vendor statements are reconciled monthly so credits for shorted cases and returned kegs are not lost.
What is accounts payable outsourcing?
Accounts payable outsourcing means a remote specialist runs the process from vendor invoice to approved payment run: capturing bills, coding them to the ledger, matching them to purchase orders and receipts, chasing approvals and preparing payments for release. The business keeps control of the bank account and the final release. The provider works in the company's own software.
What we handle for restaurants and hospitality businesses
- Capture broadline, produce, protein, beverage and supply invoices by category and location
- Match invoices to delivery slips and check unit prices against the vendor's agreed list
- Track alcohol distributor terms and due dates that state rules make non-negotiable
- Reconcile vendor statements monthly to recover shorts, returns and keg deposits
- Send a single weekly approval batch to the owner, who releases all payments
The KPI that matters here
Every invoice coded and matched within two business days of delivery, with vendor statements reconciled each month.
Restaurants compliance notes
Tip reporting and tip credits
Employees must report cash and card tips to the employer, the employer withholds payroll taxes on reported tips, and large food and beverage establishments file Form 8027 annually. Where the restaurant takes a tip credit against minimum wage under the FLSA, the wage records must show that tips brought each employee to the full minimum. We reconcile POS tips to payroll and keep the workpapers; your payroll provider and CPA handle filings.
Sales tax and local meal taxes
Restaurant sales are taxable in most US states, many cities and counties add a meal or hospitality tax, and rules differ for catering, delivery, alcohol and service charges. We reconcile tax collected in the POS to the ledger by jurisdiction each month, prepare the workings for your filing, and flag rate changes or new locations so nothing is missed.
Daily cash and deposit controls
Cash-heavy service creates the need for a daily cash count, a deposit log and a documented over-and-short account. We reconcile the counted cash per shift to the POS cash tender, match deposits to the log, and report over-and-short by location and manager so problems surface within days rather than at year-end.
Alcohol, franchise and lease reporting
Liquor license reporting, franchisor royalty and marketing-fund reports based on gross sales, and percentage-rent clauses in leases all depend on POS sales figures that tie to the ledger. We prepare the sales schedules these reports need from reconciled numbers and keep the supporting Z-reports on file.
Restaurants software we work in
- Square
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- Gusto
- Bill.com
- Toast
- Restaurant365
- MarginEdge
- 7shifts
- All 50 platforms
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Frequently asked questions
How do you catch vendor price creep?
Each invoice line is compared with the last price paid for the same item and with any contracted price list. Increases above a threshold you set are listed for the chef or purchasing manager before approval, and a monthly report shows price movement by item and vendor. Shorts and substitutions noted on the delivery slip are matched to credits on the next statement.
Can you feed food cost into a weekly prime-cost report?
Yes. Invoices coded by category, combined with the weekly inventory count you enter in MarginEdge, Restaurant365 or a simple sheet, produce cost of goods sold by category for the week. Purchases alone overstate cost in a stock-up week and understate it the week after, so the count matters. The result is reported as a percent of sales by location every week.
Who approves and releases vendor payments?
You do. We capture, code and match each invoice and route it for approval in Bill.com or your accounting software. The owner or general manager approves, and payment is released from your own bank or payment tool. Alcohol distributor payments that state law requires within set terms are flagged in the batch so they are never late.
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