Maple Ridge BookkeepingSmall food businesses
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Small business bookkeeping in Portland for small food businesses includes the same dedicated bookkeeper, payroll support and monthly close by the 10th that restaurant clients get.
You likely do if you run payroll, collect tips, or cannot say what last month's food cost was. Small food businesses deal with the same daily sales, vendor invoices and tip questions as larger restaurants, usually with the owner doing everything. A monthly bookkeeper takes that work off your nights.
If your business does not sell food, this service is not the right fit; it works only with restaurants and small food businesses.
For a small food business, bookkeeping means recording every sale and expense, reconciling bank and card accounts, tracking what you spend on ingredients and packaging, and producing a monthly profit and loss statement and balance sheet. It also means payroll and tip handling when you have staff, done by one dedicated bookkeeper who closes your books by the 10th of each month.
Any one of these is common. Two or more usually means the books are costing you more in time and missed decisions than a bookkeeper would.
Basic monthly accounting services range from about $75 to $500 or more per month depending on what is included, the size of the business and the complexity of the work. Smaller food businesses with fewer transactions and no payroll tend to sit lower in that range. Quotes are provided after a free consultation. See the full costs page for what moves the price.
Free consultation
Describe your business, sales channels and whether you have staff.
Setup and catch-up
Accounts are organized for a food business and past months brought current if needed.
Monthly close by the 10th
Your dedicated bookkeeper closes the books by the 10th of every month.
If you sell food, run payroll or collect tips, you are not too small to benefit. Small food businesses often feel the pain first, because the owner is cooking, scheduling and doing the books at night. A free consultation is the easiest way to find out whether monthly bookkeeping makes sense at your size.
More in the FAQNo. Maple Ridge Bookkeeping works only with restaurants and small food businesses. If your business does not sell food, a general small business bookkeeper or CPA firm in Portland will be a better fit.
More in the FAQA bookkeeper keeps the day-to-day financial records accurate and current; an accountant or CPA typically interprets those records, prepares tax returns and gives tax advice. Most restaurants need both. Clean monthly books from a bookkeeper make the accountant’s work faster and usually cheaper, because nothing has to be rebuilt at tax time.
More in the FAQFor most single-location restaurants, no. Thumbtack notes that full-time staff accountants nationally earn $40,000 to $80,000 a year before payroll taxes and benefits. An outside bookkeeping firm usually costs a fraction of a full salary and brings backup coverage, so the books still close when someone is sick or leaves.
More in the FAQCatch-up work is common for restaurants, because the books are the first thing to slip during a busy season. The usual approach is to bring past months current first, then move into the regular monthly close by the 10th. Describe how far behind you are during the free consultation.
More in the FAQSoftware can import transactions, but it cannot decide how a delivery app payout splits into sales, fees and refunds, or notice that a tip pool was calculated wrong. Many restaurant owners start with software alone and bring in a bookkeeper once reconciliations fall behind. A dedicated bookkeeper checks the work software does.
More in the FAQBack to Maple Ridge restaurant bookkeeping in Portland
Find out whether monthly bookkeeping makes sense at your size, and what it would look like with a dedicated bookkeeper.
Book a free consultation