--- title: "Remote controller review for restaurants & hospitality" description: "Remote controller review for restaurants & hospitality: senior controller review of the close, policies and controls — without a full-time hire." url: https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/controller-services/ updated: 2026-09-11 publisher: LedgerBPO (SS Support Network LLC) language: en-US --- # Remote controller review for restaurants & hospitality An outsourced controller for restaurants & hospitality reviews the close, sets the controls that keep cash and inventory honest, and gives an owner or a small group a finance lead without hiring one. Our remote controller review sits above your dedicated accountant: checking sales tie-outs and tender clearing, approving inventory adjustments and accruals, reviewing tip and sales-tax liabilities, and reading prime cost and channel mix for trouble. - Since 2020 - US · UK · CA · AU - Named accountant plus backup - Your software, no lock-in [Get a custom quote](https://ledgerbpo.com/get-a-quote/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://ledgerbpo.com/book-a-call/) Updated September 2026 ## How it runs for restaurants and hospitality businesses The controller models a new location, a menu-price change, a catering expansion or leaving a marketplace, prepares lender and investor packages, reviews lease percentage-rent calculations, supports your CPA at year-end, and holds a monthly call with the owner on margins, cash and growth. ## What are outsourced controller services? Outsourced controller services provide the review layer that sits between bookkeeping and the owner: a senior accountant who checks the close, owns the accounting policies, tests the controls around cash and spending, and explains the financial statements. The controller does not do daily posting. They make sure what was posted is right and documented before anyone relies on it. ## What we handle for restaurants and hospitality businesses - Review each close for sales tie-out, inventory adjustments and liability reconciliations - Model a new location, a menu-price change or a marketplace exit before you decide - Prepare lender, investor and franchisor financial packages from reconciled numbers - Set cash, inventory and purchasing controls and own the close calendar - Hold a monthly call with the owner on prime cost, channel mix and cash ## The KPI that matters here Each period close carries the controller's sign-off and a written list of exceptions and pending decisions. ## 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](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/square/) - [QuickBooks Online](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/quickbooks-online/) - [Xero](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/xero/) - [Gusto](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/gusto/) - [Bill.com](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/bill-com/) - Toast - Restaurant365 - MarginEdge - 7shifts - [All 50 platforms](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/) ## More for restaurants and hospitality businesses Other services for restaurants - [Bookkeeping](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/bookkeeping/) - [Invoicing and billing](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/invoicing-and-billing/) - [Accounts receivable](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/accounts-receivable/) - [Accounts payable](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/accounts-payable/) - [Bank reconciliation](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/bank-reconciliation/) - [Month-end close](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/month-end-close/) - [All restaurants services](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/) Controller services in other industries - [Marketing agencies & consultancies](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/controller-services/) - [Auto repair shops & dealerships](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/auto/controller-services/) - [Behavioral health practices](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/behavioral-health/controller-services/) - [Daycares, schools & education](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/childcare-education/controller-services/) - [The full controller services page](https://ledgerbpo.com/services/controller-services/) ## Frequently asked questions ### When does a restaurant group need a controller? When the owner is weighing a new location, a menu-price change, a major equipment purchase or a marketplace exit without a model, when a lender, landlord or investor wants reviewed monthly financials, when inventory or cash controls keep failing, or when tip and sales-tax liabilities are a recurring surprise. A controller layers review and judgment over bookkeeping that is already running. ### Can the controller help model a new location? Yes. We build the model from your existing sites' reconciled actuals: sales ramp by month, prime cost, occupancy including percentage rent, pre-opening costs and working capital for the first periods, across several sales assumptions. The result is a range of outcomes and a cash requirement, not a promise. Site selection and lease terms belong to you and your advisers. ### How does the controller support a sale or an investor round? For a buyer or investor, we review the financials for sales tied to POS history, liabilities stated correctly, cost of goods based on counts and add-backs. For a seller, we prepare reconciled period statements and a normalization schedule. Your broker and attorney own valuation and terms; our job is to make sure the numbers behind them hold up. Next step ## Books closed. Invoices paid. Every month. Tell us what is going on with your books or billing. You will hear from a named person within 1 business day, with a custom quote and a plan for the first close. - Reply from a named person within 1 business day - No setup fee, month-to-month - Your software, your data, no lock-in Start with a custom quote [Get a custom quote](https://ledgerbpo.com/get-a-quote/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://ledgerbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours. --- Source: https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/restaurants/controller-services/ · Contact: https://ledgerbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://ledgerbpo.com/llms.txt