Industries
6 min read
Hospitality Bookkeeping: POS Takings, Tips and Wage Costs
Cafés, restaurants and bars live and die on wage percentage and daily takings. Here's how to set up your books so the numbers you need are there every week.
In hospitality, a month-old profit and loss is almost useless. By the time it arrives, you’ve already rostered four more weeks of shifts and ordered four more weeks of stock. The venues that do well know three numbers every week: sales, wage percentage and cost of goods.
Quick answer: reconcile POS takings to bank deposits daily or weekly, track wages as a percentage of sales every week, record tips in their own account, and keep supplier invoices current so your food and beverage cost is accurate.
Reconcile POS takings to the bank
Your POS might say you took $18,400 this week. Your bank will show a mix of card settlements, delivery platform payouts and cash deposits on different days. Each of those needs to tie back to the POS, or you’ll never know if cash is going missing or a platform is short-paying you.
Takings type | How to reconcile |
|---|---|
Card payments | Match daily settlements to the POS card total, less merchant fees |
Cash | Count, record and bank regularly, and track variances |
Delivery platforms | Use a clearing account so commissions show as a cost |
Gift cards and vouchers | Record as a liability until redeemed |
Watch wage percentage every week
Wages are usually the biggest cost in a venue. Award penalty rates for evenings, weekends and public holidays mean the same roster can cost very different amounts week to week. Tracking wages as a percentage of sales weekly lets you adjust rosters before the month is lost, not after.
Handle tips properly
Card tips need a clear, written policy and their own account in your books, separate from sales. Decide how tips are shared, record them as they come in, and keep a record of payouts. If tips are paid through payroll, check the tax and super treatment with your bookkeeper or accountant.
Keep cost of goods current
Enter supplier invoices as they arrive. Weekly beats monthly, because food cost moves fast.
Split food and beverage. Each has a different target margin.
Do regular stocktakes. Without them, your cost of goods sold is a guess.
Payroll and super in hospo
Casual-heavy rosters, award interpretation and high staff turnover make hospitality payroll one of the trickiest to run. Since 1 July 2026, super also has to reach funds within days of each payday. Read Payday Super explained.
Your weekly hospo dashboard
Sales vs the same week last year
Wages as a percentage of sales
Food and beverage cost percentage
Cash and card variances
GST set aside for BAS
Built for venues
We run books for cafés, restaurants and bars, with POS takings and wages reported every week. Answer three questions to get your fixed monthly quote.