The Back Office Blog

Insights and education to streamline restaurant operations and drive profitability.

Small business owner sitting in restaurant with a laptop working on restaurant accounting.

Let’s face it—restaurant operators juggle dozens of moving parts every day, making accurate restaurant accounting crucial. Though confusing, incomplete financial data is the last thing you need, that’s exactly what you get with basic cash-based accounting or generic bookkeeping tools. Think about it. Your Friday night dinner rush involves credit

Cook cutting vegetables in restaurant kitchen

A strong focus on food waste in restaurants is not just a sustainability measure to help with brand image; food waste directly affects your bottom line and can often have

A group of restaurant staff optimizes restaurant operations as a team effort.

In today’s competitive food industry, restaurant operations are the cornerstone of efficiency, profitability, and long-term success. While innovative menus and creative marketing strategies may attract diners, it’s operational excellence that

Restaurant worker tallies profits.

One of the most critical expenses in managing a restaurant is labor. From wages to payroll taxes, the complexity of managing labor directly affects your success, and management teams need

Cheerful young waitress standing with money in restaurant and smiling

Seattle’s restaurant industry is poised for a seismic shift in 2025 as small businesses brace for a significant wage increase. On January 1, 2025, the city’s minimum wage will rise

Cafe owner using technology to manage labor and control restaurant labor cost

Understanding and managing restaurant labor costs plays a significant role in profitability and is crucial for your management team to understand. Labor costs include wages, benefits, payroll taxes, and other

A waitress takes an order from a guest holding a menu

Imagine applying the meticulous precision of engineering to the art of crafting a restaurant menu. Menu engineering is not just about listing dishes; it’s a strategic blueprint for boosting profits

Clerk calculates the cost of a serving of coffee.

For restaurant owners, recipe costing is an ongoing operational concern. Savvy managers understand that as food costs change, so will individual recipe costs. Keeping up with these price fluctuations can

Sushi roll held up by two sets of chopsticks

As a restaurant operator, understanding the financial nuances of your operation is a crucial part of your ongoing success. Although some people may use the terms “recipe costing” and “food

Wait staff advises customer on menu.

New legislation can bring both challenges and opportunities. One such example is California’s “Honest Pricing Law” (SB 478), which went into effect on July 1, 2024. The law affects a

Paying for your bill tab at a restaurant café with cash money.

Labor costs represent a significant portion of a restaurant’s expenses, so efficient management of server minimum wage and tipped wages is paramount. Operators must handle tipped wages precisely to maintain

A grocery cart with arrow indicating rising food costs

Restaurant managers have multiple responsibilities on a daily basis, so it can sometimes be difficult to determine where to focus your time and attention. Concentrating on how to reduce food

Restaurant managers working with laptop figuring out the restaurant prime cost

The most successful restaurants coach their management teams to keep a finger on the pulse of finances by regularly revisiting the question, “What is prime cost?” Many restaurants calculate prime

Balance sheet report with calculator

Managing a successful restaurant requires a mix of culinary skills and shrewd financial management. Understanding the balance sheet is key to gaining insights into your business’s health and future direction.

Tablet in hands, digital invoice and delivery man with restaurant stock

Effective inventory management is a cornerstone of restaurant success. Every ingredient, utensil, and napkin represents not just a cost but also an opportunity for profit or loss. In an industry

A cheeseburger and fries

Understanding how to calculate food cost – and then applying those figures strategically to business operations – is a prime driver of restaurant success. It’s a reality many seasoned restaurant

Cashier at pos terminal for credit card payment

In the fast-paced world of restaurant operations, efficiency isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity. Every day, tasks and responsibilities mount, including payroll, payment processing, vendor management, sales tracking, and general

Restaurant operator using restaurant technology to check inventory.

With today’s lingering economic uncertainty, marked by rising food costs, persistent labor challenges, and intensifying competition, restaurant technology has emerged as a particularly effective tool for owners and operators committed

Hand stacks coins, showing rising wages for restaurant workers.

In recent years, California has led the movement to increase the minimum wage. Assembly Bill 1228 (AB 1228), which went into effect April 1, 2024, requires quick-serve restaurants to pay

Restaurant Referral Program

Unlock up to $5,000 in rewards while revolutionizing your restaurant’s operations with our Restaurant Referral Program—discover how! With our multi-tier software solution, Back Office brings essential tools like food cost

Male and female restaurant owners standing in the dining room, smiling.

Table of Contents: Trouble with Traditional Accounting How to Tell When It’s Time to Switch Finding the Right Restaurant Accounting Solution The Future of Restaurant Accounting Accounting Services That Drive

Restaurant chef, owner, and server working in the back office

Table of Contents: Restaurant Accounting Restaurant Payroll Restaurant AP Automation Food Cost Management Introducing Your One-Stop-Shop: Back Office Start Optimizing Your Restaurant Accounting & Accelerate Growth! Why Restaurants Use Back

Every moment counts in foodservice and the management of the accounts payable (AP) department plays a pivotal role. The intricacies of handling trade payables, vendor invoices, and payment terms can

Table of Contents: What is Restaurant Accounting? Benefits of Restaurant Accounting Managing Your Restaurant Accounting Why You Should Use Technology to Help Streamline Your Accounting Processes Choosing the Best Restaurant

Restaurant owner working on accounting in dining room.

The restaurant industry’s margins are slim, so success strongly hinges on sound financial management. The demand for specialized accounting services has never been more pronounced than where we see it

Payroll Software

Your restaurant payroll software is a key investment on two fronts: for your employees, to ensure they’re promptly & accurately paid, and for your management staff, to help streamline the

Setting Up Payroll

You may be asking, how does payroll work? That is, what should payroll look like for a restaurant? We’ll start with the basics. What is payroll? Payroll is the business

8 Benefits of Using Restaurant Payroll Management Technology

Restaurant payroll is an important aspect of financial management for restaurants. It includes wages, tips, overtime, and any other benefits or compensation they may be entitled to. By tracking employee

Optimizing Restaurant Payroll Percentage

Understanding the Basics of Your Restaurant Payroll Percentage In this article we’ll teach you how to calculate your payroll percentage, why it’s an important measure of the health of your

Comprehensive Checklist for Payroll

Ultimate Restaurant Payroll Checklist Name a restaurant process, and chances are you have a reliable checklist for guidance and adherence to best practices. Kitchen procedures? Check(list). Supply chain optimization? Check(list)

payroll

Introduction to Restaurant Payroll Restaurant owners and operators often approach the topic of payroll with apprehension. There’s the sense that payroll is time-consuming and difficult to get right in the

Restaurant Accounting

Restaurant accounting refers to the specialized field of accounting that focuses on financial management and reporting specific to the restaurant industry. It involves tracking, analyzing, and managing the financial transactions

AP Automation

In the fast-paced world of foodservice, efficiency is key. With a multitude of tasks to manage such as purchasing ingredients, managing inventory, and processing invoices, it’s crucial to have streamlined

5 Benefits of Digitizing Invoices

In today’s fast-paced and competitive restaurant industry, digitizing vendor invoices can offer a wide range of benefits that can help restaurants streamline financial operations and gain competitive edge. Benefits of

Restaurant Accounting

Restaurant accounting is the process of managing the financial transactions and records of a restaurant. This includes keeping track of revenue, expenses, profits, and losses. Effective accounting can help restaurant

The basic premise of search engine reputation management is to use the following three strategies to accomplish the goal of creating a completely positive first page of search engine results
The basic premise of search engine reputation management is to use the following three strategies to accomplish the goal of creating a completely positive first page of search engine results
The basic premise of search engine reputation management is to use the following three strategies to accomplish the goal of creating a completely positive first page of search engine results
The basic premise of search engine reputation management is to use the following three strategies to accomplish the goal of creating a completely positive first page of search engine results

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Small business owner sitting in restaurant with a laptop working on restaurant accounting.

Let’s face it—restaurant operators juggle dozens of moving parts every day, making accurate restaurant accounting crucial. Though confusing, incomplete financial data is the last thing you need, that’s exactly what

Cook cutting vegetables in restaurant kitchen

A strong focus on food waste in restaurants is not just a sustainability measure to help with brand image; food waste directly affects your bottom line and can often have

A group of restaurant staff optimizes restaurant operations as a team effort.

In today’s competitive food industry, restaurant operations are the cornerstone of efficiency, profitability, and long-term success. While innovative menus and creative marketing strategies may attract diners, it’s operational excellence that

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