Donut Shop Bookkeeping: Costing 4 A.M. Labor, Fry-Oil Shrinkage, and the Wholesale-vs-Retail Split
Donuts cost cents to make, yet profit leaks through 4 a.m. labor, fryer oil, and day-old waste — track each line to hold food cost under 30%.
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Accounting solutions for restaurants and food businesses
Florida's Minimum Wage Hits $15.00 on September 30: The Payroll Checklist Every Employer Needs Before October
Florida's minimum wage hits $15.00 ($11.98 tipped) on September 30, 2026. Update payroll rates, tip notices, and posters before the midweek changeover.
SITCA: The IRS's Voluntary Tip Compliance Program for Service Employers
SITCA trades POS-verified tip reporting and an annual report for protection from employer FICA liability on unreported tips under Section 3121(q).
Sober Bar and Zero-Proof Bottle Shop Bookkeeping: Pour-Cost Math Without Alcohol, Admission Models, and Dry-Month Seasonality
Zero-proof spirits cost as much as full-proof at wholesale with no well tier — price by value, cost every build, and bank January's surplus.
Donate the Surplus, Deduct More Than It Cost: The Food-Donation Tax Break Most Businesses Miss
Section 170(e)(3) lets any business deduct donated food at cost plus half the markup, capped at twice cost — with a 15% net-income limit, a five-year carryover, and a Good Samaritan liability shield.
The End-of-Day Close: Z-Reports, Cash Drawer Counts, and Three-Way Daily Sales Reconciliation
A step-by-step end-of-day close for retail and restaurants — X-read, tip adjustments and card batch settlement, Z-report, a blind drawer count, and the three-way match of POS expected against counted cash against bank settlement. Covers over/short thresholds, why overs signal shortchanged customers, posting variances to a cash-over-short account instead of adjusting sales, and the wage-deduction rules that make docking pay for a short drawer risky.
Your $8 Fish Actually Costs $16: Sushi and Omakase Restaurant Bookkeeping
Sushi food cost hides in fish yield loss of 45-60%, making $8/lb wholesale fish cost $16/lb usable. This guide covers yield testing, rice portion control, prepaid omakase deferred revenue, gift card breakage rules, itamae labor economics against the 60% prime cost benchmark, and a weekly bookkeeping routine for sushi operators.
One Ticket, Two Tax Bills: Splitting Food From Admission at a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
A bundled dinner theater ticket is two sales — a taxable meal and an admission many states exempt from sales tax but hit with a separate admissions or amusement levy. This guide covers the three state models (split the ticket, operator-as-consumer, tax the whole bundle), the complimentary-drink rules that tax comps at your cost, and a chart of accounts that keeps ticket, bar, and deferred revenue auditable.
Service Animals vs. Emotional Support Animals: What a Small Business Can Ask, Refuse, and Must Allow Under the ADA
Under the ADA a service animal is a dog individually trained to perform a disability-related task; emotional support animals do not qualify. Businesses may ask only two questions, cannot demand papers, vests or fees, and may remove a dog only if it is out of control or not housebroken. Covers the staff script, the FDA Food Code kitchen line, why housing (HUD) and airlines (DOT) differ, the 35 state fake-service-animal laws, and how to track compliance costs.
Soft Pretzel Shop Bookkeeping: Per-Batch Dough Costing, Food Cost Targets, and Kiosk vs. Storefront Math
A classic salted pretzel costs about $0.29 per unit once packaging and realistic yield are counted. This guide shows how to build per-batch recipe costing cards, hold a 28-35% blended food cost and 55-60% prime cost, book waste and samples honestly, and choose between a kiosk and a storefront with a break-even calculation instead of a gut feel.
No Tax on Tips Final Regulations: The W-2 Box 14b Occupation-Code Checklist for Tipped Employers
The IRS finalized the No Tax on Tips regulations in April 2026 with a closed list of 71 qualifying occupations, a new W-2 Box 14b for up to two three-digit occupation codes, Box 12 code TP for qualified tips, and a voluntariness test that disqualifies automatic gratuities and POS flows with no zero option. Here is what tipped employers must change in payroll, point-of-sale and bookkeeping before 2026 forms go out.
Dim Sum Restaurant Bookkeeping: Carts, Tea Charges, and High-Volume Low-Ticket Margins
A per-person tea charge is a service charge, not a tip — it is taxable revenue, and any share paid to staff is wages subject to withholding. This guide covers dim sum bookkeeping specifics: cart versus order-sheet labor tracking, prime cost at or below 60–65 percent, food cost of 28–33 percent, weekend labor per cover, and the cash controls a stamp-card room needs.