Restaurants & bars
Books that close before the walk-in is unlocked
Service ends near midnight and the deposit lands two days later. Owwyl reads the night while it is still the same night, so the morning starts with one question instead of a week of receipts.
What the close has to get right
01
Food and beverage stay separate
Two revenue accounts and two cost accounts, not one line called sales. A pour cost you cannot see is a pour cost you cannot fix, and a combined line hides it perfectly.
02
Front and back of house are different numbers
FOH and BOH wages post to their own accounts. Labor as a single percentage tells you the number is wrong without telling you which half moved.
03
Card settlements are matched, not guessed
A processor pays out in a batch, net of fees, on its own schedule — often bundling a Friday, Saturday and Sunday into one Monday deposit. The close ties the batch to the sales it came from and books the fee separately.
04
Gift cards are a liability until they are redeemed
Selling one is not revenue. Booking it as revenue overstates a good month and understates the month somebody finally spends it.
When it is not sure
It holds the row.
A supplier invoice that arrives at a different amount than the delivery, or a deposit that does not tie to any batch, is held for a decision. It is not forced into miscellaneous to make the night look finished.
The template
31 accounts, ready on the first night
This is the actual chart of accounts Owwyl creates for restaurants & bars — not an example. Rename anything, add anything, delete what you do not use. The ledger is yours.
Revenue
Cost and expense
Owwyl also closes the books for
Close tonight on your own numbers.
Connect a bank account and an inbox. See a real close before you pay anything.
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