Accounting for restaurants
Multi-branch groups, single outlets, cloud kitchens — we run the books for restaurants across Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, UAQ and beyond. Food cost, channel sales and branch P&Ls are our daily bread.
Restaurant problems we solve monthly
- Talabat/Deliveroo payouts that never quite match POS sales
- Food cost drifting above the 28–32% band without a clear reason
- Cash sales that don't reconcile to till counts and deposits
- Supplier statements with missing credit notes and price creep
- Turnover-rent clauses requiring certified gross sales figures
- One profitable branch quietly funding a loss-making one
How we run a restaurant's finance function
Every month we tie sales by channel to the bank, reconcile aggregator commissions, track food cost against benchmark and produce a branch-level P&L pack with a plain-English summary of what changed and why.
Quarterly, the same reconciled numbers become your VAT return — with aggregator VAT treated correctly on gross sales, not net payouts. Annually, they feed your corporate tax return and any audit or landlord certification. One set of numbers, no contradictions.
FAQs
What should food cost be for a UAE restaurant?
Most full-service restaurants target 28–32% of net sales; quick-service and delivery-heavy concepts can run differently. The number matters less than the movement — we flag month-on-month drift and trace it to suppliers, wastage or menu mix.
How do you handle Talabat and Deliveroo in the books?
Gross customer sales are recorded as revenue, commission as an expense, and VAT is computed on the gross sale. We reconcile each aggregator statement to POS and to the actual bank payout every month.
Can you produce a P&L for each branch?
Yes — branch P&Ls plus a consolidated group view are standard, including outlets in different emirates under different licences.
We're opening a second outlet — what changes?
Your chart of accounts, payroll allocation and reporting structure should be branch-ready before opening day. We set this up so day one sales land in the right place.
Run the numbers with people who know your industry
Free consultation. Bring your latest P&L — or your shoebox of invoices. Both are fine.