Restaurant Accounting Services

Tara and Laurie started their careers in restaurant management before becoming accountants. That background shapes everything we do for food and beverage clients across Summerville, the Lowcountry, and Bluffton.

The Operational Layer Most Accountants Miss

Daily reconciliation, cash management, POS systems, and gift card liability — handled.

Restaurant accounting isn't general bookkeeping with a food and beverage label on it. The operational complexity is fundamentally different: sales come in through multiple channels, cash and card totals have to match the POS, third-party delivery platforms each settle on their own schedule, and gift card liability sits on your books until redemption. Most general accountants don't track these moving parts. We do, because we've lived them.

 

Our restaurant-specific accounting covers every layer of daily operations:

 

  • Daily sales reconciliation against your POS system
  • Cash and card settlement matching
  • Third-party delivery platform reconciliation (DoorDash, Uber Eats, and others)
  • Gift card liability tracking
  • Accounts payable management — vendor invoices, food and beverage distributor bills, and payment scheduling so nothing goes past due and your vendor relationships stay intact
  • Cash flow forecasting built around your actual revenue cycles, so you know what's coming in, what's going out, and where you stand before payroll hits

Compliance Built for Food & Beverage Operations

Restaurants carry a compliance burden that most businesses don't face. Sales tax reporting, local hospitality tax filings, and liquor and alcohol tax compliance each have their own deadlines, rates, and requirements — and the consequences of getting them wrong fall on you, not your accountant. We handle the full compliance layer so nothing slips through:

 

  • South Carolina sales tax reporting
  • Local hospitality tax reporting
  • Liquor and alcohol tax compliance
  • Alcohol license renewal support

 

We work with restaurant owners across Summerville, Charleston, and the Bluffton area, and we understand the local filing requirements that apply to each market. This isn't something we look up when it comes up — it's part of the standard work we do for every food and beverage client.

Prime Cost, COGS, and the Numbers That Actually Drive Profitability

Thin margins don't forgive guesswork. Knowing your food cost percentage, your beverage and liquor cost, your labor cost, and your prime cost as a combined figure gives you the visibility to make decisions before a bad month becomes a bad quarter. We build these reporting layers into your accounting from the start:

 

  • Food, beverage, and liquor cost analysis
  • Inventory and cost of goods sold (COGS) accounting
  • Prime cost reporting (food cost plus labor cost as a percentage of revenue)
  • Labor cost and overtime analysis
  • Tip reporting and payroll reconciliation
  • Tip credit and FICA tip credit support
  • Location-by-location reporting for multi-unit operators

 

You work directly with Tara or Laurie — not a junior staff member or a call center. When your numbers need context, you get a conversation with someone who understands what a 32% prime cost means for a full-service restaurant versus a fast-casual concept.

What Restaurant Owners Ask Us Most

  • What is prime cost in restaurant accounting?

    Prime cost is the sum of your total food and beverage cost plus your total labor cost, expressed as a percentage of revenue. It is the single most important profitability metric in restaurant operations because it captures your two largest controllable expenses in one number. A well-run full-service restaurant typically targets a prime cost below 65% of revenue, though benchmarks vary by concept type.

  • Can you work with my existing POS system?

    Yes. We integrate with the major POS platforms used by restaurants in the Lowcountry, including Toast, Square, Clover, and others.

  • Do you handle tip reporting and payroll for restaurant staff?

    We do. Tip reporting, tip credit calculations, FICA tip credit support, and payroll reconciliation are all part of our restaurant accounting work. We handle the payroll side through our payroll and HR services, so you have one firm managing both rather than coordinating between separate vendors.

  • What makes Moore Accounting Group different from other accountants who work with restaurants?

    Tara and Laurie both began their careers in restaurant management in Charleston before transitioning into accounting. That operational background means they understand how restaurants actually run — not just how to categorize transactions after the fact. They also serve clients directly, without account managers or hand-offs, and they are based locally in Summerville with deep familiarity with the Lowcountry and Bluffton markets.

  • Do you work with restaurant clients outside of Summerville?

    Yes. We serve restaurant and food and beverage clients throughout the Lowcountry, including Charleston, North Charleston, Bluffton, and surrounding areas. If you are looking for an accountant who specializes in restaurants near you and operates in this region, we are set up to work with you regardless of which market your location is in.

Reliable books. Clear financials. Better business decisions. Work with Moore Accounting Group Today.